Making it home and reflections

We made it home! Although at times I was questioning whether we would. We left Addis Ababa at 10:50 pm Ethiopia time. The kids' bedtime is 7:30. Bec was exhausted and not feeling well because of a cold. You get the picture.

Leaving Ethiopia requires moving through 5 separate checkpoints. The first checkpoint proceeded without major issues. Then we checked in at the Lufthansa counter. Of course, the person was new on the job, and we needed to rearrange our seats so we could all sit together. That combination caused a significant delay. I was chasing Elias all over and desperately trying to avoid one of his breakdowns. We then proceeded through another checkpoint and then the Ethiopian customs checkpoint. We waited in line for close to an hour. I was carrying Elias the entire time. My biceps were screaming. By the time we reached the counter, I looked like I'd just run a marathon.

We then proceeded through another checkpoint. Although we were exhausted, it definitely could have been worse. We ran into another adopting couple we knew. The husband was sick: he had thrown up several times and even passed out twice in the airport. I can't imagine.

Then we made it on the plane. When the fasten-seat sign lighted up, I attempted to fasten Elias's seat belt. The fun began. For the next 25 minutes he fought me and screamed until he was so tired he passed out. The kids slept the entire flight to Frankfort, Germany, which was a blessing.

Our layover in Frankfort was 7 hours. The kids had some minor breakdowns but all in all were okay. Boarding the plane to Chicago was an adventure. We needed to take a shuttle, which took a long time. The kids began acting up after a while. Then when there was a bottleneck in the plane while waiting in line, Elias lost it. I made an executive decision and pushed may way through. I'm sure some folks were a bit angry. But when a child who can't speak English begins screaming and thrashing around in tight quarters, I felt like I had little choice. I hoped they understood. We spent the next 9 hours attempting to keep the kids busy and entertained. It was a difficult task. When we arrived in Chicago, Bec and I had little left in the tank.

Then we needed to proceed through customs. This took a long time and involved waiting in line at the customs check point, picking up our luggage, going through another customs checkpoint, rechecking our bags, and then traveling to the correct terminal to stand in line yet again for another checkpoint. We proceeded through all this with the kids crying periodically and throwing various fits. And I, of course, held Elias most of the time. When we finally reached the gate for our flight to GR, we were completely exhausted. But that didn't stop Elias from having another major screaming fit when I attempted to fasten his seat belt before takeoff. At that point, we were so tired we just laughed through it.

We were so grateful for the incredible turnout when we arrived in GR. It meant so much to us that so many family members and friends were there. Even my Uncle Bob made it from Washington (okay, maybe he was already in GR for something else). We appreciate all the prayers and support. We felt like God gave us all we could handle, but no more.

As we begin to recuperate from one of the most difficult 31 hours of our lives, we are reflecting on the entire process: from beginning the adoption discussion to arriving in GR with two Ethiopian children. Much of our journey proceeded through pure faith and obedience. At the beginning of 2010, I had no desire to ever adopt or travel to Ethiopia. But I kept hearing that voice that seemed to push me toward beginning the adoption process. Bec was there sooner than me but never pushed me too hard. This process has changed both of us. It would be difficult not to change after walking through hundreds of malnourished orphans at a feeding program (many of whom ask if we would take them home), interviewing a mother who gave up two of her kids out of necessity and prayed that they would be raised by Christian parents, and becoming responsible for the lives of two new children. It is true what we have heard many times but never fully understood until now: adoption changes the parents more than the kids. We hope we are worthy of the responsibility that God has given to us.

We are so thankful to all of those who prayed for and supported us. We could not have done it without you. We would appreciate continued prayer as we begin our new life as parents of four children.