Crazy Monday in Addis

Sunday night when we returned to the guesthouse from Addis, there was a packet of paperwork with Jubilee's name on it. There were some new families at the guesthouse and we were all standing around talking. I started opening the big envelope and got it fully opened when I realized that it was the "DO NOT OPEN" envelope from immigration. Great.

First thing Monday morning I called Ivy and told her what happened. She said she would get a hold of the embassy and see what we needed to do. In the mean time I needed to go to the German embassy to get a transit visa for Jubilee for our flight home on Lufthansa. Heather and Michele were planning to see the town and do some more shopping with Ephrim. Ephrim dropped us off at the embassy with one of his cell phones and went and parked down the street. After about 5 minutes I realized that I did not have my passport with me. I had copies, but not the real deal. I walked back to the car and told everyone what was up. We had a small discussion, no one called me any names, a testament to their sanctification. We decided that Heather and I would take Honeybee and go to KM, while Ephrim took Michele and Jubilee back to the guesthouse to get our passports.





KM is a Catholic run orphanage where my son Nes lived. I wanted to talk to the nannies and tell them how wonderful Nes is and how grateful I am for their care of him. I also have friends that are adopting children from there that I needed to get pictures of. The nuns were wonderful. They told us how hard it is to have children and train them up for a time, and then to see them go, and start all over again. They loved to hear how the children are doing. It was good to see that many of the children that were there last year had been adopted. There was one little girl that is still there. I believe that she has family living and that she is not adoptable. She is a very sweet girl, and it breaks my heart to think she will grow up in an orphanage her entire life. My only comfort is knowing that there are so many people praying for her, and that she has a Father that loves her very much. He has a plan for this little one, she is not forgotten.



We played with the kids. One little boy kept interrupting our game. Sister L came through the play area and caught sight of him. She got right in his face and set thing straight. Some people think she is too strict, but I think she has a gift for doing the job that God has given her. I am thankful for the time Nes had with her, I think it will make him a better man. It was a quick visit but very rewarding.



Ephrim and Michele returned with our passports and we headed back to the line at the embassy. After I finally got in, I took my paperwork to the transit window. The man asked me if this was an adoption, I said it was. He asked if we were leaving the airport, I said no. He said you don't need a transit visa. I asked if he was sure, because I knew that a little girl last week had needed one. He said last week yes, this week no, rules change. TAB. I said cool, more shopping money for me, and off we went. It took me a minute to figure out the password for the cell phone after I turned it back on, thank God Ephrim wasn't trying to keep people off his cell phone. They came back and retrieved us and we hit the shops.



I wanted to get some Amharic books for Jubilee. I wanted her to pick some out, but it quickly became apparent that a little guidance would be good. I couldn't decipher much from the books, so I asked Ephrim to assist. He is a Christian, and I trusted his judgement. He steered her away from some, and suggested some others. Honeybee even found one that she remembered as one of her favorites. I love books, so it was a fun stop. We did some shopping at a grocery store for spices and tea. We ended up having lunch above the grocery store. When we finished Ephrim was waiting by the car. He looked at the car and got this horrified look on his face. He had locked his keys in the car. I laughed and told him I didn't feel nearly as bad about forgetting my passport. He called a friend, but some helpful guy with some wire had us in the car in about 10 minutes. I'm sure it cost Ephrim something, but he didn't tell us how much. We spent the next couple of hours buying scarves, chess sets, jewelery, tourist stuff. It was fun, but exhausting.




We were scheduled to meet my friend Hanna that afternoon. I have blogged about Hanna and her ministry before. She has been blessed with a new facility, and the rent has been covered for a time. I had sponsored a little girl through her for a couple of years. By God's grace she got into AHOPE and was there when I picked up Jubilee. Hanna had told me that she was positive, and that she was often sick. I told her she could get meds for her if she would get her tested. She did, but she still wouldn't take her meds, and was often sick. Hanna was able to get her to AHOPE and with Jubilee being adopted there was room for her. It was so good to see her safe and doing better.



Hanna is an amazing woman. She has been walking faithfully with these girls for years. She lived and worked in the US for a time, and her children live in the US. She knew she had to return to Ethiopia and advocate for these young girls to keep them in school and off the streets. She currently has 70 girls with two new girls there while we visited. Her story of how God has provided for her and the girls is so inspiring. She said she never knows how they are going to get everything they need, but that God always provides. He doesn't map it all out, and it doesn't make any sense, but they are always fed and provided for. I have found that to be true in my own life, so I could relate to what she was saying. It is the kind of thing that drives accountants mad, but sometimes accounting isn't all about numbers that add up. If any of you reading this are traveling to Ethiopia ever, get in touch with Hanna. She needs things brought over, but does not necessarily have families that come regularly the way the adoption agencies do. She mostly needs clothing for the girls, but there are other needs as well. She is also just wonderfully hospitable and pleasant to be around.

As we were leaving Hanna's Ephrim seemed more anxious than before. He told us it was the Timkat celebration. Timkat is the Ethiopian celebration of epiphany. You can read more about it here. The practical problem for us was that there were processions through the streets following the ark of the covenants, and the roundabouts would be closed. There are several main roundabouts in Addis, and to avoid them means lots of back streets filled with obstacles. God was kind and we made it through without any hitches. We were meeting friends of Heathers for dinner near the guesthouse and we were right on time.

We had a lovely meal, and talked with them about their work in Ethiopia. They had a house guest that was joining them. He and his family were also moving to Ethiopia to work with street children. I had a great talk with him about HIV, and what living with HIV is like. He had a friend that was recently diagnosed with HIV and was pretty shaken up about it. He said he honestly just had no idea what it would mean for his friend. I think he was encouraged by our talk. It was a nice distraction from the Dolly Parton soundtrack they had playing over and over and over again in the background.

By the time we got home the girls were finished. They crawled into the bottom bunk together and crashed. It was really sweet. I wish I could sleep as well as they can. It was a very encouraging day. God is doing mighty things in Ethiopia, the people are ready for a change, and full of hope. Sounds like a vaguely familiar campaign slogan, I hope it works better for them.