I Love New York!

Martha and I just returned from the most amazing trip to New York.  Martha was invited to speak at a fundraising dinner for the Rollstone Foundation.  Rollstone was started by a couple in New York that has been involved in special needs adoption for the past several years.  They helped our friends adopt their daughter four years ago, which brought us into contact with Martha.  They also helped with Martha's adoption, so they have been very near and dear to us for some time.  When they emailed to ask if we would be interested in coming to New York for their fundraising dinner, I was so excited.  I wasn't sure if Martha would be thrilled with the prospect of speaking in front of people that she didn't know, but her sisters talked her into it, and off we went.

The trip was just absolutely perfect!  The flights all went as scheduled.  We stayed with two delightful families.  Everyone treated us like honored guests.  I woke up the first morning to birds singing, and a soft breeze blowing through the window.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  I did manage to mess up the world's simplest coffee maker.  They patiently talked me through it, and I got my cup of Joe.  They took us out for manicures and pedicures.  We took the ferry to Fire Island and had lunch on the deck overlooking the marina.  It was literally the perfect day.  It changed my view of New York forever.

Martha did an amazing job speaking at the dinner.  I had typed out what she wanted to say, from her telling me her story.  She read through it, and kept the audience engaged.  She had a near heart attack when Pam asked her to stand in front of the podium to speak.  She came up to me very concerned and asked if I could help her.  Our gracious host, Jim, offered to let her stand on his back behind the podium if we couldn't come up with a better idea.  The DJ came to the rescue with two plastic dish racks making her the perfect height for the podium.  My goal for the evening was not to cry through my entire speech.  When Pam got up to introduce us, she told everyone about when she met Martha in Ethiopia.  I had tears streaming down my cheeks before I had even stood up.  It was a very emotional evening, but also very lovely.  Everyone treated us very well.  They praised Martha profusely which made her feel very good.  As soon as she sat down after her talk, her smile (and appetite) returned.  Micheal and Pam did a simply amazing job of putting the dinner together, and sharing their heart with their friends.

Thursday morning we got up, ate a quick breakfast and headed into the city.  Micheal dropped us off at the train.  We came up out of Penn station to the big city.  Martha and I were at Pam's mercy, which was a good place to be.  She got us to the Empire State Building and through the line in record time.  I think Martha was a bit nervous about being that far off the ground, but the view was spectacular.  She got to see the Statue of Liberty.  We walked to Times Square and had lunch at Planet Hollywood.  We did some shopping, and more walking.  We saw Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral.  We grabbed some pizza and headed off to see Wicked on Broadway.  Wicked was amazing.  We got great tickets, although not all together.  It was a very long day, but so very worth every minute.  We got to the train late, so Micheal had to drive a bit further down the line to pick us up.  We got home, packed up and dropped into bed.

The flights home were all very smooth.  We slept a lot.  The family was there when we arrived in Spokane.  It was quite a transition to hop back in the van with the teeming mob.  We went to bed early, and are just now getting our time zones straightened out.  It was truly one of the most blessed trips I have ever taken.  Everyone was so good to us.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to give back to Rollstone for the many treasures they have given us.  I am still very much in their debt, and always will be.

#556-573

Swimming Pools

Tall Buildings, with amazing views

Cities that never sleep

Buying souvenirs for children

New York pizza

Broadway shows, amazing voices, and sets.

The kindness of strangers

Gracious hosts bringing glasses to thirsty girls

Jim offering to let Martha stand on his back.  I really think he would have.

Pam listening to God calling her to serve Him.

Children excited to see those that have been away.

Lunch at Red Robin, table for 11?

Open windows with cool breezes.

Families flying home to see grandma and grandpa.

Welcoming hugs

Beautiful snow capped peaks, even in June.

Missing friends that have gone away for the summer.



Finally Meeting Jubilee's Family

Wednesday morning I had two girls with very big hair. I had promised Lisa that I would get it braided before we came home. We jumped in with the other Ritmo families and walked to Layla first thing. I wanted to get my suitcase back to the guesthouse ASAP as well. The salon that we had gone to on our first day was closed, so we headed on down the street knowing there were several in the area. The next one I came across had the door open and a man working away. I shoved the girls in and asked if he could braid their hair. He did the head nod with lifted eyebrows that means yes in Ethiopia. We got comfy and waited our turn. I told Jubilee to tell him what she wanted, which she did. He washed their hair, conditioned and combed it out. He did a much better job than the first salon. He sat her down and started putting big rollers in. I started waving my hands and asking about braids. He communicated that she asked for straight. Okay, so not what I had in mind, but this is her day and I am certainly not going to straighten her hair myself, so TAB. I did make it clear that Honeybee would have braids. Honeybee, who has a TON of hair, was not happy about having a man do her hair. He seemed to be very competent, so I assured her all would be well. She wasn't buying it, but she really didn't have a choice. As it turned out another, female, stylist came in and did her braids. That took almost three hours, so when I was done we hoofed it back to Layla house.



When I peeked in the office, my suitcase was not there. I looked around for Ivy, but found the other Ritmo guests instead. They had taken the suitcase back for me. I was pleased since that meant I didn't need to walk back to the Ritmo and the girls wanted to have lunch at AHOPE so off we went.



I was met at AHOPE by L's aunt wanting her address. OOOps, it was still at the Ritmo with my camera, and the pictures I was supposed to give to Dimple's sister. I went into the office and asked if I could hop on facebook for a momento. They got me on line and I found the address for L's aunt. She then wanted to know if L had made it home and how things were going. I looked helplessly at Jambo (the social worker) and said "how should I know, I'm in Ethiopia." He told her he would call Gail. I then went in and asked if they could take pictures for me and burn a disc for us. They again said "It's possible." See what happens when I am left alone in a foreign country?


Jubilee's family showed up right on time. I knew she had a brother, and aunt and two "sisters." Here is the group that showed up. Three uncles an aunt and two "sisters." I really think the sisters are cousins, but who am I to argue? I let them talk for a bit, and then we had a brief Q & A. They were relieved to see Honeybee looking so healthy and happy. She did a great job as ambassador to families that aren't really sure what is happening to their family member.

This is Jubilee and her brother, note the strong family resemblance. Jubilee is very close to him, and really needed to say goodbye to him before we left Ethiopia. I was able to ask him some questions about their family. He told me that their father had gotten very sick quickly. He had not been able to work, and then died. Their mother died four years later. He had wanted to take care of Jubilee, but she became very sick. He realized that he could not take care of her the way she needed and told himself it would be better for her to go to America. It was obviously a very difficult and purposeful decision. He told me to tell her someday that he would have taken care of her if he could, she knows this already. It was very sad, but I assured him that we would stay in touch. We tried to call the other night but did not get through to him. We will try again. He is the reason that I will be adamant about her keeping her Amharic. If she loses the language she will in a very real sense lose her brother.

This is Dimple's sister. We were able to take pictures to her and let her know that Dimples is doing well. She lives in a tiny house and works as a waitress. She seemed a little surprised to see us, who wouldn't be? It was a very interesting day. It impressed upon me how much we are now tied to Ethiopia. There are people there that care about our children as much as we do. They have made the sacrifice of loving someone and letting them go where they had hope of something better that they could not provide. They laid their lives down for our children because they loved them. It is very humbling. I don't want to forget these people or their situations, they are "my people."

We were off to the airport at 11:30 to catch our 2:30 a.m. flight. You should have seen the skeptical look on the immigration guy that checked our passports. I assured him we had been at the salon, but they were the same girls. The guy at security looked at the girls and then called them by name. I popped up and asked how he knew them. He had attended some kind of religious school with them, small world. We were very rummy when we finally got on the plane. When we got off of our last plane at 8 p.m. still Thursday, January 21 we were very ready for bed. My sweet husband had driven up in our 15 passenger van to get us. Everybody grabbed a bench and went to sleep. When Jubilee woke up in our garage she had four siblings staring at her. I'm sure it was very weird for her. She smiled and let us lead her off to bed.

It was a long but wonderful trip. I miss Ethiopia, but Lord willing I will be back someday.

Disappointing Tuesday

At 2:30 a.m. Heather flew out of Addis to Frankfurt to visit our dear friend Laura for a few days. Out photographer was gone, so the pictures will diminish in number and quality. When I started going through my pictures I realized that the girls had taken most of the pictures on Tuesday. Let's just say they have an interesting perspective on the day. They did get this really nice one of Honeybee. The pictures they got of Michele and I are not so flattering.


Our original plan for Tuesday was to pack our bags, since Michele was leaving that night, and the girls and I were leaving Wednesday night. We wanted to make sure we had the bags evenly distributed weight wise. We had one suitcase that was still at the AAI office we were planning to get, and we were scheduled to meet Jubilee's family that afternoon. When I called the AAI office no one answered. I remembered that it was Timkat, so I called Ivy to see if the office would be locked all day. Sure enough it would be. When Ivy asked about our plans for the day, and I mentioned that we were planning to meet Jubilee's family at AHOPE, she said no, they rescheduled for tomorrow, today is a holiday. She also told me that she hadn't gotten anyone at the embassy to return her calls due to the holiday, so I was just going to have to take my opened envelope and pray for mercy. I was very glad that I had called.

When I broke the news to Jubilee she was devastated. She was angry with her brother, she was in tears, and later in the day she took out all of her braids in anger. I was frustrated that we hadn't been given more warning, but TAB. She did eventually get over it, but it was hard to watch and know there is nothing you can do. Because the holiday pretty much shut the whole town down we stayed at the guesthouse.


Michele did an amazing job of making our stuff look like this, when it started out looking like the picture below.

Honeybee asked at one point what we were going to do with our empty water bottles. We ended up using them as packing material. They were light, but rigid which kept my coffee table in tact. It was a brilliant idea. Michele left that night with two bags, which left the girls and I with one bag each. It all worked out very well.

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.

Jimma to Addis

Sunday morning we loaded up in the van for the trek back to Addis. Berhanu had wanted to leave around 9, but we, being American, wanted to get on the road early. We were thinking church services would be 9:30 or 10 until 12ish. Not so. As we headed out of town people were walking home from church. We asked Berhanu what time services started, he said around 6:30, which is probably why he wanted to leave a little bit later, next time we will know this.

As we were leaving town we got a phone call from Honeybee's Uncles. They had a gift for us and wanted us to wait for them We turned around and waited at the gas station where we had just filled up. In case you are curious gas was 10ish birr per litre. There are 12 birr to the dollar, you can do the math. We also observed a van full of men filling up plastic jugs of kerosene and strapping them on top of the van with bungee cords. It didn't look safe to me, but who am I to suggest they worry about such things. This guy sporting the chickens also walked by. Heather assumed the chickens were dead, but Michele educated us on how to get chickens to lay over your shoulder quietly even while being very much alive. Fresh doro anyone? Honeybee's uncles showed up with a couple kilos of coffee, and hugs all around.

We also discovered Sunday is laundry day in rural Ethiopia. Every river we passed was full of people washing clothes, cars, themselves. There was all kinds of clothing and carpets draped over every available shrubbery drying in the sun. It was very colorful. It made me very thankful for my washer and dryer, although a little less laundry would be nice.

There were many roadside vendors. We purchased some pineapple, bananas, mangoes, tropical fruit we couldn't name, and a really cool basket. As soon as you slowed down people came running up with baskets of goods. Berhanu did most of the negotiating, and apparently had a lively conversation with some ladies about how much was appropriate to ask of rich Americans. They were accosting him for not letting them ask more for their goods. They had a point, I pay way more for bananas here, and they aren't even good. There were times I would have loved to pay them American prices for what they were selling, but I was afraid they might follow me home, or phone all of their relatives along the way to stop us and bring their goods. It is a weird position to be in.

We stopped to take pictures of this tree, but didn't want to stop too close, so that this vendor would think we were buyers. The trees were full, and I mean full of nests. There was a stretch of road that had several trees that were completely loaded with these bird nests. I guess they were the big cities of the bird world. We also saw a couple of baboons on the way home. I got a really bad picture of them, so I won't even post it. It was pretty cool to see them running around the hills though.

We stopped for lunch at Woklite. We had some really great food. The bathrooms were nice, and the machiattos were the prettiest I had seen. We even let Jubilee and Honeybee have one. It was a long drive, but very interesting. I would do it all again. Jimma is not one of the usual trips that AAI does, but if you have kids from that area I highly recommend going.

Exploring Jimma

After lunch and a Machiatto, we headed out to see the town. Stop number one was a local "coffee shop." Not one where you drink coffee, but one where you buy green beans by the kilo. We asked Berhanu why this shop? He let us know they had the best ferengi prices (ferengi is the local term for foreigner, which we were told is a transliteration of french in Amharic). He and our driver had been scoping out the local shops while we were hanging out at the hotel. They knew where to take us where we wouldn't be totally ripped off. In all honesty I felt like I was getting a great deal the whole time even when I did pay ferngi prices, because really we are rich and they do need the money. I felt ripped off when I paid $28 for two plates of greasy Chinese food in the San Francisco airport. I almost accosted the cashier. I did ask him if he knew how many birr that was, but he only gave me a blank stare while Heather drug me to our table. I wish I had recorded some of the sounds in Jimma, because the rhythm this woman was making as she shook out the beans in this pan was enchanting.

One of my favorite souvenirs is a coffee table, like the one in this picture. I wasn't sure I could pack it and get it home, but Michele assured me it was "no problem." When I told Rick I had bought a coffee table he was sure it would be a problem. Some things are just too hard to explain, his idea of a coffee table and my description just didn't jive. I had picked one out, but Michele said, "no hearts." So I picked out one with a design that looked more like a tulip. Berhanu negotiated a very pleasing price, and I proudly toted it to the van. The driver and Jubilee both told me that it says Jimma in Amharic on the side. That made it all the better to me, although I did feel like some foreigner in California walking around with some cheesy souvenir that had Hollywood stamped on the side. Now that it is home the only people that know it isn't just a cool design are Jubilee, and all of you.

After I had spent all of my fun money, we were taken to the Jimma museum. The majority of the museum was dedicated to Aba Jaffar who ruled the Jimma region. He was an impressive figure, for many reasons, not the least of which was his size. Nes must not be one of his descendants. It did impress upon me the rich cultural heritage that my children have. I want them to know their history, and how truly impressive the Ethiopian people are. Even though their blood does not run in my veins, I felt like I had a little part their story.

We ended the day with dinner at our favorite, and only one that Berhanu would take us to, eating spot. Here is a shot of the pool from our hotel window. Heather obviously did not know that the pool was so impressive when she said no to the rooms at this hotel, and had us stay down the block. Since we hadn't brought our swimming suits, choosing rooms by size of beds was probably a better idea anyway. We were almost finished with our food, listening to Tracy Chapman, when the lights went out. Honeybee wrapped herself around my head, and announced the obvious. A nifty feature on cell phones in Ethiopia is a LED flashlight. Everyone quickly got out their phones, and the chatter started back up. The power was back on in less than 3 minutes, but it was shockingly dark and quiet for a brief moment. Fun times like that don't happen often in America.

Meeting Family

Honeybee was very anxious to meet her grandmother and sister. I won't share too much of that story since it is Lisa's story to tell, but I will say that Honeybee has an amazing family. I was very honored to share that visit with her. She had been looking forward to this for the entire trip, so she had trouble focusing on breakfast. She spent the entire meal telling us how much time we had before we would be late. When Berhanu showed up, she informed him he was late and she was not happy. He was very apologetic, and as it turned out her uncles were next door waiting for us. The hardest part of the meeting was that she no longer speaks Amharic. She was uncomfortable with everyone talking to her, and they were surprised that she couldn't answer all of their questions. She would look to Heather, Michele and I, and all we could do was shrug and empathize.



It didn't occur to me until half-way through breakfast that we should have eaten lighter than we did. I mentioned that the families usually feed you when you visit so maybe we should go easy on the bread. I was right. We were greeted and set down to a feast of injera, shiro, green salad and Fanta. We were a little hesitant about the green salad, since all of the travel advice says: "Do not eat fresh vegetables that have not been peeled." We could not graciously say no, so we partook and prayed that no one got sick. No one did, praise God. We spent two hours with Honeybee's family, and then we were off to meet Nes's mother.

We met Nes's mother at the bus station. She was accompanied by her sister and a neighbor who gave us directions to their home. She keeps her emotions under control very well, but when she greeted me it was with a huge hug. We rode to her home arm in arm. She lives in a room off of the neighbor's house. She also provided a lovely meal and coffee. Biruk's mom was also there with her sister and her baby. I am so very thankful that God put Nes and Biruk in the same little corner of the world, and with a family that I love so dearly. Andrea had sent pictures with me to give to Biruk's mother. The boy's moms are very happy to see them together and to be able to keep in touch. They both asked to see the boys before they die, which was just heartbreaking. These ladies are young and are both on medication for their HIV, and yet they continue to live each day thinking they will die soon. Nes's mom had lost her job as a cook and laundress, and is now selling what she can at the Mercado. She asked if Nes still has a bad temper. I told her that it was getting better, I didn't tell her he only loses it when he is playing Wii. How do you explain Wii to a mother who is barely keeping herself in existence? It is questions like that that make me re-evaluate my priorities. Nes has an aunt who is very young and very pretty and loved having her picture taken. I am so very glad to have met all of these people, and to have seen their homes. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the differences in our lives. The circumstances that would cause a mother to give up her child because she knows she cannot provide enough for him to survive. I know what a precious gift he is, and I am very thankful to have him in our home, but I so don't deserve it. We spent a couple of hours with the family and then moved on.

When we got back in the van, Berhanu suggested we go back to our hotel, rest a bit, and then meet for lunch. We all stared incredulously. Lunch? Are you serious? We had had three breakfasts. He laughed and suggested we rest and then they would pick us up to go shopping.

The Drive to Jimma

Honeybee and Nes are both from the town of Jimma. We did not go to visit Nes's family when we picked him up, a decision which I truly regretted. When Honeybee set her heart on going on this trip we knew Jimma would have to be visited. We were told it was a six hour drive, which is what dissuaded us the first time. We had no idea what the roads were like, or what the trip would entail.

It turned out, that Jimma is 350 Km from Addis. The roads were very good, although narrow and very winding. We were thinking it was high plateau, which it is, but there are several deep river valleys that you must drive into and out of. Think narrow highway, lots of animals, people, hair-pin turns, then you are on the right track. Even though the road was good it was not a good idea to drive much over 50 mph, due to obstacles. It ended up taking close to eight hours. We did have a fabulous little rest stop with "breakfast." I posted about it earlier, yum.


There were several smaller towns along the way. Many open markets, many people along the road with baskets of mangoes, bananas, charcoal, avocados, chat and sugar cane. We didn't shop on the way to Jimma, I think the driver was not sure how long it was actually going to take. It was his first trip to Jimma. Our social worker lived in the area, so he was familiar with the trip.
They were a great pair to travel with, we felt very safe.

The scenery was amazing. It was very much like what you would imagine Africa to be. There were a couple of large lakes. The acacia trees were amazing, you could build some spectacular tree houses in them if you wanted to. We didn't see any wildlife on the way to Jimma, unless you consider cows and goats wildlife. We did see some runners training on the way, they put our cross-country team to shame. There were people standing along side the road with their hands out every few miles. Berhanu explained that they thought we were the public transit system and wanted us to stop and pick them up. The license plates designate what kind of vehicle you are, but based on our size everyone assumed we were a public bus. Actually we were in a mini-bus much smaller than my 15 passenger van.

Here is a view of the traffic. It wasn't like this the whole way, but when you caught up with these large trucks it got interesting. We passed some really big trucks on some hairpin turns that got my heart rate going. We also passed a Coke truck that was broken down on our way to and from Jimma. They set out rocks in the road to let you know you needed to go around, no orange cones anywhere.

When we arrived in town, we passed a very long line of large trucks filled with coffee beans. Needless to say we bought some while we were there. We got in to town in time to find our hotel, get moved from one room to another (Big sorry), wash our faces, and get picked up for dinner. We could see our dinner spot from our room, but Berhanu did not want us walking anywhere. It was graduation week at the local University so there were a lot of people around town.

It was a long drive, but so very worth it. It was not a trip that many adoptive families make. Since we had to pay for the driver and the social worker, and two extra nights in our hotel on top of our guesthouse in Addis, I can see why people might not do it. I can say that it changed the entire trip. I saw a different side of life in Ethiopia. I asked Michele at one point if the contrast between city life and rural life was as stark in the US as it was in Africa. I think I began to realize that I really am a hick. Life in the city is very different than life in the country. We noticed that you didn't see the extremely poor in Jimma the way you did in Addis. I'm sure there were very poor people around, but they weren't lined up on the streets. The town seemed cleaner and less congested. We all enjoyed the pace of life outside of Addis, probably because it reminded us of our rural lives.

I felt completely safe on the trip. The girls handled the length reasonably well. Honeybee did start to count the Km markers after about 330. It began to be forested as you got closer to Jimma and you couldn't see the town until you dropped right into it. I am so glad that we went, and I hope that the rest of my family can visit someday.

Orphanage Tour, New Friends

Thursday morning we got up and walked to Layla House. Heather and Michele had heard all about the different homes that AAI has for their children, but had never seen them. We decided it would be good for them to take a tour since we were in the neighborhood. We toured Layla, Wanna, Opportunity House, and AHOPE. We had lunch at Layla. There were a few familiar faces of children I had met in the spring, but many of them had gone to families in America.

Opportunity House is a newer facility. They are working with developmentally disabled children. They are providing therapy and day care for children living with family in neighborhood as well as orphaned children with special needs. The children were amazing, so happy, and playful. When Ivy came in there were screams of joy, which quickly turned to tears of emotion they just couldn't contain. These children are truly special and are now receiving therapy that will allow them to reach their potential. One adoptive mom came back to the guesthouse, and said this was her dream come true. She was an occupational therapist and had some really great ideas of things to send along with future traveling parents.

AHOPE had moved their facilities since I was there last. They have a beautiful new play area, with lots of flowers, and even a few sheep. It is a larger facility with a lovely sitting area that allows children to meet with their families in a comfortable setting. There were a few more children here as well. They were a lot of fun to play with. Jubilee snatched up the baby and carried her around the entire time. Honeybee was a special guest. Everywhere we went people called out her name and came running with open arms. She did not always love this attention, but it had to do her heart good to know that so many people loved her.

We ended our tour with walk to the Yilma Hotel. There was a woman from the US in town doing some work with local Ethiopians. Meeting her was a wonderful treat. She introduced us to Royal Tonic, which you cannot find in the US, at least not in Idaho or Indiana. We heard about great things God is doing in Ethiopia with His people there. She had some really great stories about business practices. The solution to too many phone calls, throw away your phone and get a new number. The banking system are not clearly understood (or maybe they have been reading about the current banking issues in the US), so many people just carry their huge amounts of money with them, always. I guess it beats some of our practices of burying it in the backyard, or stuffing it in our mattresses. It was a very interesting visit, and I am anxious to see how God uses the seeds that were planted in that hour.

Jubilee and Honeybee feasted on Doro Wat, which made them very happy. I did attempt to make Doro Wat the other night. I think Jubilee appreciated the effort, but the results left something to be desired.

Embassy and Goodbye Party

Our second day in Addis, consisted of our appointment at the US Embassy, sight-seeing, and the goodbye party at AHOPE. We arrived at the Embassy to find that the power was out and that the generator was not working. They seated us all outside on benches while they tried to figure out how to open the doors that had electrical security settings. We only waited about 20 minutes, but it was enough time for one little girl to have to go across the street and practice her squatting skills, TAB. While we were sitting in the waiting room, CNN was showing the first news about the earthquake in Haiti. All I could think about was the Livesay's in Haiti, and if they were okay. Our appointment went well, no hitches. The HIV waiver was gone, and no one even mentioned HIV (except Gail, which caused me a small heart attack).

While we were at the embassy, Heather, Michele and Honeybee hired a driver and explored Addis. They visited the Holy Trinity Church, The National Museum, did a little shopping, and swung by the Sheraton. The Sheraton apparently has the nicest available toilets in town. The driver was recommended by friends of friends of Heather's and turned out to be a lovely Christian man, with some quality negotiating skills.


Real bananas that taste sort of vanilla like were available on almost every corner, sort of like Starbucks are here. They are really nothing like the bananas I get at Win-Co. No wonder Nes won't eat bananas in Idaho.

That afternoon we walked to Big AHOPE for Jubilee and L's goodbye party. It was a very bittersweet event. Jubilee and L dressed up in their Ethiopian dresses. L was a trooper and smiled throughout. Jubilee sat in the corner and sobbed. I sat next to her not knowing quite what to do. The house mother wished the girls well, they sang, the nannies each said farewell, and then we had snacks. It was really hard. We took a lot of pictures of the kids there. Several of them have families waiting in the US. The girls are being adopted, but many of the boys realize that their chances are slim. You could see in the children's faces that they were happy for the girls, but that hope for them was dim. The workers at the orphanage are trying very hard to help the kids to do well in school. There is hope, and these kids are all strong. L's aunt said goodbye to her, which sent us all into sobs.

Gail picked us up and took us all back to the guesthouse. L had to pack her bags. Gail escorted her home that night to the US. We missed her beautiful smile and ready translating skills. Jubilee and Honeybee curled up in one of the beds together. They listened to their ipod until they fell asleep. It was a very emotional day.

Heather and I had no trouble falling asleep, but we were up and at 'em around 4 most mornings. The call to prayer begins at 5:20, followed by a jet landing, with the second call at 5:50. I told Heather it must be the Ethiopian version of a snooze button. There were dogs barking most nights, and some kind of music almost constantly. I called it the Ethiopian soundtrack. You just don't get that here at night. I'm still not quite on my normal sleep pattern so the quiet seems odd. Thank God the Ethiopian coffee was outstanding.

I Really Miss These

McCafe has nothing on these. This was our after lunch treat. They are every bit as good as they look. The machiattos in Ethiopia are amazing. We stopped to eat on our trip to Jimma at this little cafe. After we used the bathroom (which was the bathroom in some one's hotel room, their stuff laying out and all.) We sat down to a platter of injera with several different Ethiopian dishes. It was called fasting something or other, and was very tasty. We had three machiattos, two cokes, all for 30 birr, or less than $3. It was way better than McDonald's. Because I am writing this during my afternoon lull, I can fully admit I really miss the machiattos.

The Things I Miss

I had a hard time transitioning back into American life after our trip to pick up Nes. I was prepared for it this time, and having a couple of friends who understand has been a huge help. Many people are shocked that I loved Ethiopia. Yes, the bathrooms leave something to be desired, but I have lived with outhouses before so I know it can be done.

The things that I loved were the Communal life and the open acceptance that there are things we don't control. I live in a cold climate, so much of our lives is lived indoors. This allows us to isolate ourselves from our neighbors and the people driving by. In Ethiopia life is lived outside. While we were driving around we could see people washing their laundry, threshing their teff, bathing their children, chatting, having coffee, just living life. It was fascinating. We drove by a post office in a rural town where there was a huge crowd. I asked the social worker why all the hubbub at the post office. He explained that a few people had post office boxes, and they in turn delivered the mail to their friends and neighbors. How would you like that? All of your bills being delivered by your brother-in-law. He explained that the Ethiopian culture is much more communal than our individualistic society. We are able to insulate ourselves and feel like we don't need our friends and neighbors. It isn't real, but we like to think it is.

I was thinking about this trip. It wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for a large network of people that got involved. Having Michele and Heather allowed me to go places and meet people I never would have met. Taking Honeybee got her family involved. Her family in the US helped my family, they did fundraisers to send her, which got more people involved. My dad came and took care of my family which got even more people involved. It was truly a community trip. I certainly did not do any of it by myself, and I am so grateful for all of the people that helped out.

We also quickly realized that we had to live each day by faith. We had sent messages ahead and asked to meet family members. Some we had phone numbers for and some we didn't. We expected appointments to be made and confirmed ahead of time. Pshaw! We had to learn that no matter how many times we asked they were going to make the calls when we got to wherever we were going. Honeybee has been well acclimated to American life. She had a watch and was constantly telling us how many minutes we had before we were supposed to be at the next appointment. We eventually took her watch and hid it. What she didn't realize is that we did not have a car, so we had to wait for our driver. We didn't know where we were going. We didn't have a phone or a phone number and we didn't speak the language so they wouldn't have understood even if we had tried to explain. We made it to all of our appointments. We met with everyone we wanted to meet with. Everything worked out in God's perfect timing and we had no idea how any of it happened.

The hotel we stayed at in Jimma had the sign at the top of the post behind the door. We all laughed heartily at that. When we left in the morning we had to give them our key. Huh? In America you get to keep your key, and you feel safe knowing your room is locked. Why? The person at the desk can still get into your room, the cleaning lady is coming in with all of your stuff there. In Ethiopia they just take your key so there is no illusion of security. We kept our huge sums of money with us. When we returned some lady down the hall came out and handed our key to Jubilee. She had her hair full of soap and clearly had some position with the hotel, although I have no idea what it was. All of our stuff was still there, God by praised.

What can I say? I miss the messiness of life. Life in America seems so controlled. I know it is an illusion, but it is easy to slip into the false security of having everything run relatively smoothly. The power comes on every time I flip the switch. Everybody drives down the right side of the road, between the lines. The cows and goats are all fenced in. Buses run on schedules. When things don't run on schedule everyone gets all uptight. Not in Ethiopia. They just sit patiently and have faith that eventually it will all work out, and it does. When our driver locked his keys in the car, someone came along with some wire and in five minutes we were on our way. When I forgot my passport at the German embassy, the driver said no problem. He dropped us off at another orphanage so we could take pictures of some of the kids, and he drove back to the guesthouse and got the passports. Then when I got into the embassy and they told me I didn't need the transit visa anyway, I said, "no problem," and went shopping. It all worked out, and we were all okay with it. I know, it's weird, but I loved living like that.

Travel re-cap 1

For those of you who don't want to hear all about our trip, but do want to know how Jubilee is doing, she is doing very well. She is very quiet, especially in large groups, but her English is very good. We are having no problem communicating, as long as you know that eyes lifted means yes. She is eating a few things, which is more than I had hoped for. We are trying to have her read to us, and do some math problems so that we can get a feel for where she is as far as school goes. She is surprisingly cheerful, and I have heard no complaints. I'm sure this is still the honeymoon phase, but we are thankful for how she is doing.

We flew Lufthansa this trip instead of Ethiopia Air, mostly due to the fact that the flight time was 7 hours shorter, and Jubilee could get a one way fare. We were happy with the decision especially when we found out she did not need a transit visa to fly through Germany. We got in on Monday night and hit the sheets.

Tuesday morning Gail took us to pick up Jubilee. She had told us that they shaved her head, and was very apologetic. When we got to the orphanage she and her friend came running out, and she was sporting a big poofy pony tail. So, the passport picture was deceiving, even to the immigration person who checked it on the way home. We were also hosting one of Jubilee and Honeybee's friends for a couple of days since she was being escorted home the same week. We took the girls back to the guesthouse and had some lunch.

Michele and Heather went to scope out the salon situation since Jubilee did have hair, Lisa had requested we get Honeybee's hair braided and I had told their friend's mom that I would get her hair done as well. When they found the salon, they had run out of black extensions, so Michele and Heather got to go check out a few more salons, and got everything we needed. We spent the afternoon braiding and laughing at each other making faces as their hair got pulled. Honeybee got the tender headed award, although she also had the most hair. Heather got her hair braided as well as the girls. When all the hair was done, the stylists made us popcorn and coffee.

We decided to take the girls out for dinner at a local restaurant. They all had injera and t'bs. We were a little hesitant to walk home in the dark, but it all worked out. The girls were more chatty when they were all together, which was a lot of fun. We got home to a packed guesthouse. I think there were four other families there for most of the week. We met them all in our jammies Tuesday morning when we came down for coffee (That's Africa Baby).

The girls walking to the restaurant with their new hair.

Travel Companions

One of the best parts of our trip to pick up Jubilee was my traveling entourage. Honeybee and I were accompanied by my dear friends Michele and Heather. Michele has lived all over the world, and has a lot of experience traveling. She is also one of Lisa's closest friends, and is known as Aunt Michele to her children. When it became clear that Lisa could not go with me, Michele was the logical choice to accompany Honeybee. Heather is a dear friend of mine. When I was in Ethiopia last spring, I woke up one morning and thought that Heather really needed to see Ethiopia. She thought I was a little nutty, but when I told her we could fly through Germany and stop and visit our friend Laura, she began to see more possibilities in this little adventure. We got a lot of strange looks from folks we visited when we tried to explain how our little group came together. All I can say is that I had the best travel companions for this trip.

When I got home my very wise father said that if he had to choose someone to travel with he would go through their pictures from their last two trips. If they were taking pictures of the same things he would take pictures of, then they would be good travel partners. After going through our pictures last night I can see that I chose well. Heather was the designated photographer. She got some great portraits of the many family members that we visited. We also got a lot of pictures of donkeys, tractors, entertaining signs, machiottos, flowers, a very good mix of what we observed. Michele made a point of going over our day every evening so that she didn't forget what we had done. It worked and she remembered much more detail than I did. I had one day with Jubilee and Honeybee alone. In that day I managed to have them both with some wild hair, forgot my camera when Jubilee's family visited, forgot the address I had taken for a friend, and all of the gifts I was supposed to deliver to the orphanage. I managed to get it all together by the end of the day, but I would have been in big trouble if I would have been alone the whole time.

We also learned quickly that our plans were pretty much futile. Our operating phrase was "TAB" (That's Africa Baby). When we headed off to Jimma, a 7-8 hour drive, with no appointments made, we tried not to panic and enjoy the ride. Heather had the honor of choosing our hotel. When the social worker asked what kind of hotel we wanted, government or private? I asked if a pool was out of the question. It turned out that it wasn't, but running water was not a given. Heather had swiped the travel book from the guesthouse. She looked up what should be expected for hotels in the area and found one that was very nice. The social worker asked her if she loved it. She asked if she had to love it, or if okay was good enough. "I love it," also became one of our operating phrases. "Big sorry" also joined the list while at the hotel. Let's just say that came up when we had to change rooms at the last minute.

Each of us had met people through different connections before we reached Ethiopia. We met several American missionaries working in the country. We also met several Ethiopians that are doing their best to make Ethiopia a better place for the future. It was very encouraging to see so many people so passionate about helping Ethiopians learn to build businesses, care for orphans, care for the environment, and generally improve life in Ethiopia. It was an eclectic network that we had made, friends of friends getting us all together. It will be interesting to see how God uses all that we saw to change our lives. It was an amazing trip. We saw more of Ethiopia than I had before. I am really hoping to be able to go back before too long. The stories of what we saw just wouldn't make sense without knowing who was along for the ride. Thanks Heather and Michele for a great adventure.