At 6:00 pm on Saturday evening, we received word that the birth mom had arrived at the orphanage. So we left the hotel immediately. Both Bec and I were very anxious on the ride over: not much talking. When we arrived, Bec and I entered the gated entrance ahead of our small group. We were immediately face to face with the birth mom. After short introductions, both of us independently gave her a warm hug. We then proceeded to the room for the interview.
It was an awkward situation. The birth mom spoke a different language than Amharic. This required two interpreters: one to translate from her language to Amharic and another to translate from Amharic to English. I'm sure the full content of the questions and answers were somewhat lost in translation as a result. But it was productive nonetheless. We proceeded through the list of questions we had prepared and added a few based on her responses. The most powerful moments involved the subject of religion. At one point, she told us she was a Protestant Christian. We responded the we were Protestant Christians also. It is difficult to put into words the look on her face: overwhelming relief and thankfulness. As we asked more questions, we discovered that she is a "prayer warrior" for her church and had been praying for us before we even received the referral. Our decision to adopt was definitely an answer to her prayers. We learned much information about the kids. But the entire interview changed after she knew we were Christians. She was just so thankful to God.
After we had finished our questions, we gave her a picture album that contained pictures of the kids, us, Jonah and Abby, and our house. She kissed the kids' pictures and poured over the rest. She especially liked the picture of Jonah and Abby holding pictures of Zenash and Elias.
At the end of the interview, I told her that she would always be their mother but we would love and raise the kids the best that we could. She accepted our promise and said she would pray for us. We said our goodbyes and took a few pictures. Then we left.
The visit had a profound impact on us and underscored the grave responsibility we now have.
We are so moved by your words. Tears fill our eyes as we picture the sacrifice made by the birth mom to give hope and a future to her children through the vehicle of adoption. Our prayers continue for you and your new family additions as you bond and travel throughout the remainder of your trip.Thank you for being willing to pay the ransom for these dear children who were predestined to join your family.
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