Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Coming home
On Friday, we obtained our final paperwork and the kids' passports from the Bethany office and had a nice lunch. The kids are getting much more comfortable with us. Unfortunately, Zenash has some significant issues with a few teeth that are causing her a lot of pain. We're maxing her out on pain meds and will address the problem as soon as we return.
Today is our last day in country. It's bitter sweet. We are looking forward to coming home. But we will miss Ethiopia and the people we've met. We will be visiting a feeding program today run by a Bethany affiliate. We will also be spending time with Birtukan, the woman who runs the guest house we stayed at last trip. She and her daughter will be helping Bec with Zenash's hair.
We leave tonight at 10:50 Ethiopian time. We would greatly appreciate prayers for our trip home. Bec is not feeling well and we have some long layovers. If all goes well, we arrive in GR at 8:00 Sunday night. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Today is our last day in country. It's bitter sweet. We are looking forward to coming home. But we will miss Ethiopia and the people we've met. We will be visiting a feeding program today run by a Bethany affiliate. We will also be spending time with Birtukan, the woman who runs the guest house we stayed at last trip. She and her daughter will be helping Bec with Zenash's hair.
We leave tonight at 10:50 Ethiopian time. We would greatly appreciate prayers for our trip home. Bec is not feeling well and we have some long layovers. If all goes well, we arrive in GR at 8:00 Sunday night. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Embassy visit
Today was embassy day. We left the guest house with the kids and other families at around 11 am. We drove to a restaurant that had a nice private playground. Generally, Bethany does not want any of the families traveling in public with the kids. But the restaurant is Italian and caters to international families. And it's high-class according to Ethiopian standards. So it's safe to bring the kids. We had a great time playing on the playground: many good pictures.
After lunch, we traveled to the U.S. embassy. It's an impressive structure -- very guarded. We entered with a Bethany representative who shepherded us through. We walked to a large room with many teller windows: like a bank. The U.S. foreign service agents were behind the windows. The Bethany representative was able to expedite our process. So we waited less than 30 minutes. When our name was called, we walked to the window. The agent asked us some basic questions. Bec answered through a phone. It was difficult to hear. The agent approved the kids' visas after only a few short questions. So it's official!!
We spent the rest of the night relaxing at the guest house.
After lunch, we traveled to the U.S. embassy. It's an impressive structure -- very guarded. We entered with a Bethany representative who shepherded us through. We walked to a large room with many teller windows: like a bank. The U.S. foreign service agents were behind the windows. The Bethany representative was able to expedite our process. So we waited less than 30 minutes. When our name was called, we walked to the window. The agent asked us some basic questions. Bec answered through a phone. It was difficult to hear. The agent approved the kids' visas after only a few short questions. So it's official!!
We spent the rest of the night relaxing at the guest house.
Tuesday and Wednesday
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday getting to know the kids. On Tuesday, we stayed at the guest home all day. The first 24 hours were interesting. The kids sleep very well: 3-hour naps and 11 hours at night. Both kids eat very well: but still prefer traditional food. Our hearts go out to them when we watch them eat. They eat very fast and will eat as much as we give them -- as if the meal would be their last for a while.
Zenash knows quite a bit of English. She can count to at least 50. She knows the alphabet and basic colors. And she's learning fast. Her favorite thing to say is "Thank you, your welcome."
Elias is a sweet kid. But he definitely has some issues with authority. He has made vast improvements over the past two days.
We have our embassy trip today and will be eating out with the kids.
Zenash knows quite a bit of English. She can count to at least 50. She knows the alphabet and basic colors. And she's learning fast. Her favorite thing to say is "Thank you, your welcome."
Elias is a sweet kid. But he definitely has some issues with authority. He has made vast improvements over the past two days.
We have our embassy trip today and will be eating out with the kids.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The kids are ours
Sunday we returned to Addis Ababa. Another long drive. We are exhausted from the 26-hour flight, our two long trips in two days, and the birth-mom visit. No rest for the weary, however. We have a full day on Monday that includes picking up the kids.
We left the guest house at 9:30 Monday morning and traveled to the Bethany office with two other couples. We received training for our embassy meeting on Thursday. We also met with our social worker to receive an update on the kids. A nice lunch followed. Then it was time.
We were first to pick up our kids. Bec and I looked at each other on the way over. Words were not necessary: "we're really doing this?" When we arrived, we were led into the orphanage playroom, which had been transformed into a place for a ceremony. Six small chairs in two rows had been set up facing a table and four chairs. After a short wait, six children walked in and sat down in the chairs. They began singing songs and performing while we waited for Zenash and Elias. It was a long wait. They finally arrived dressed in traditional Ehtiopian clothing. We hugged and kissed them. Then the four of us sat around the table. The orphanage workers brought in a cake that was specially made for the ceremony. Zenash and Elias cut the cake with our help. Pieces were handed out to all, and we ate. Zenash was noticeably concerned about leaving the orphanage. Elias, on the other hand, was so happy to be eating cake that he had a permanent grin on his face. He ate his piece and part of Bec's piece in record time. Then one of the children stood up and said a prayer for Zenash and Elias. After the prayer, each of the six children walked over and kissed both Zenash and Elias goodbye. It was a heartfelt ceremony. On the way out, the orphanage workers each said their goodbyes: some through tears. We then left the orphanage. The kids were ours.
We traveled to the other orphanages for the other two couples. Zenash and Elias were nervous. Zenash even fell asleep. When we finally arrived back at the orphanage, the kids were pretty worn out. We played for a while and then ate dinner.
What an experience. Neither liked their dinner. So we ordered some traditional food: injera and sauce. Zenash ate, but Elias did not. Instead he threw a fit on the floor. The kids were very tired.
After dinner, we got ready for bed. This too was an experience. We tried several tactics and were finally successful in calming them down and getting them to sleep. Now we're exhausted! The kids and Bec are sound asleep as I write this. And I'm soon to follow.
We spend the day tomorrow relaxing with the kids.
We left the guest house at 9:30 Monday morning and traveled to the Bethany office with two other couples. We received training for our embassy meeting on Thursday. We also met with our social worker to receive an update on the kids. A nice lunch followed. Then it was time.
We were first to pick up our kids. Bec and I looked at each other on the way over. Words were not necessary: "we're really doing this?" When we arrived, we were led into the orphanage playroom, which had been transformed into a place for a ceremony. Six small chairs in two rows had been set up facing a table and four chairs. After a short wait, six children walked in and sat down in the chairs. They began singing songs and performing while we waited for Zenash and Elias. It was a long wait. They finally arrived dressed in traditional Ehtiopian clothing. We hugged and kissed them. Then the four of us sat around the table. The orphanage workers brought in a cake that was specially made for the ceremony. Zenash and Elias cut the cake with our help. Pieces were handed out to all, and we ate. Zenash was noticeably concerned about leaving the orphanage. Elias, on the other hand, was so happy to be eating cake that he had a permanent grin on his face. He ate his piece and part of Bec's piece in record time. Then one of the children stood up and said a prayer for Zenash and Elias. After the prayer, each of the six children walked over and kissed both Zenash and Elias goodbye. It was a heartfelt ceremony. On the way out, the orphanage workers each said their goodbyes: some through tears. We then left the orphanage. The kids were ours.
We traveled to the other orphanages for the other two couples. Zenash and Elias were nervous. Zenash even fell asleep. When we finally arrived back at the orphanage, the kids were pretty worn out. We played for a while and then ate dinner.
What an experience. Neither liked their dinner. So we ordered some traditional food: injera and sauce. Zenash ate, but Elias did not. Instead he threw a fit on the floor. The kids were very tired.
After dinner, we got ready for bed. This too was an experience. We tried several tactics and were finally successful in calming them down and getting them to sleep. Now we're exhausted! The kids and Bec are sound asleep as I write this. And I'm soon to follow.
We spend the day tomorrow relaxing with the kids.
Birth-mom visit
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.
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.
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