Ethiopia 2015 - Day 6 - Driving to Yirgalem, Orphanage and Home Visits, Hawassa

We were up before the sun this morning.  Gecho said he was leaving at 5:30am and if you weren't in the van, you would be left. We were all in the van!

 

It was a beautiful morning to watch the sun rise as we began our six hour journey...

 

 

 

I had never been any further from Addis than Entoto Mountain and Sululta so this was my first time to experience "the countryside".

 

Some sights were the same as you see in the city...donkeys and carts.

 

Many homes had things in their yard for sale.  There were baskets for miles.

 

We finally made it to the orphanage.  Abenezer and his mom began this orphanage a few years ago when they saw the need for babies being left in places to die.  Their story reminds me of George Muller in the 19th century.  When they had a need, they prayed.  It was such a blessing to visit with these little ones and nannies.

 

The little ones always loved Jimmy.  However, this orphanage was different at first.  The little ones are not used to seeing light colored skin people.  They cried the first few minutes but finally got used to us.  By the time we left, we were all friends.

 

Boys of all sizes play football (soccer).  This little one had Brock on the porch for some one on one.

 

A lady from Kim's church made this boy a quilt with his name on it.  She wanted him to know that he is loved.

 

Kim brought with her a suitcase full of cloth diapers and covers.  The nannies were so excited. You see, they don't have many resources.  They were washing disposable diapers and reusing them because they didn't have anything else.  There were tears of joy when that suitcase was opened and they found out what was inside the suitcase.

 

Learning how to use the cloth diapers.

 

 

This is the "wash lady" who takes care of the laundry for the entire orphanage.  She would also wash the disposable diapers.  She was smiling our entire visit.

 

Coffee ceremony for those who drink coffee.  I talked, ate popcorn and took photos.  (No cell service there! :)

 

We did some home visits.  This young lady gave us a fashion show of her new clothes.  If you are interested in sponsoring her, contact Ordinary Hero.

 

Our next visit was one of my favorites.  When we walked into the one room house, the teenage girl was wearing a tshirt from MY HOME CHURCH!  I said, "Hey, I have a shirt like that!"  I had taken our extra VBS tshirts the prior summer.  Somehow they ended up in Yirgalem for Abenezer to distribute.

Abenezer told us her story...

 

This girl needed a sponsor so she could go back to school.  As we listened to her story, I could see Jimmy's face light up.  As soon as Abenezer stopped, Jimmy said, "I will sponsor her!"

 

 

So we left with B having a sponsor!

 

Brock and I had to get a photo with B in her PHBC VBS shirt.

 

Walking to another home visit...what a team!

 

This little one was thrilled to have clean clothes that fit.  The "old" clothes were worn to threads with many holes and about 3 sizes too small.

 

What a team!!

 

Tekabe buying fruit as we drove off.

 

By the time we got to our hotel in Hawassa, the sun was setting.

 

It had been a good, full day.

 

 

We enjoyed dinner on the balcony of the hotel as the sun set.

 

We went to bed thankful for the new friends we had made.  I want to smile like the wash lady every day!

 

Ethiopia 2015 - Day 5 - H4H Bethel House, Delivering Gifts

Our Monday morning started off a bit slower than expected...but it turned out okay.  We were looking for Temeche in Korah but had some miscommunication.  In the meantime, we saw some boys Kim knew from the last time she was there.  They knew Temeche.  So after a few phone calls, we found our lost boy and made some new friends at the same time.

 

We were going to H4H's Bethel House after lunch so we had just enough time for a little souvenir shopping for siblings and children at home.  After lunch at Lucy Restaurant, we headed to Bethel.

 

 

Lovely Gelila was our translator for today.  Later this week I'll introduce you to the business she started to help Ethiopian women.

 

 

Brock was happy to finally eat lunch!

 

Hope 4 the Hopeless has three locations.  The Bethel House is such a wonderful place for these kids!  I love the stairs in the house!  I know that sounds silly but those stairs make it a home.  The kids who live there are so welcoming and have lots of hugs to share. 

 

 

One of the boys Kim's family sponsors shared his story of how he came to live at Bethel.

 

When it rains, we play soccer inside the house!  (See the stairs?!)

 

This is a view of the dining room and kitchen at Bethel.

We returned to the guest house just before dinner for what was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.  It all goes back to the Mestas family.  Not only have they kept in touch with Habtamu all these years, but they managed to keep in touch with the birth mom of their three adopted children.  They have been able to exchange a few photos and letters over the years.  When they found out I was returning to Ethiopia and knew their birth mom was near Addis now, they asked if I would take them a package.  Of course I said "yes!"  This family was my first introduction to Ethiopia so this evening holds a special place in my heart.  I will never forget it!

 

I love this story.  You see, when their birth mom, (we will call her T), gave up her 2 year old son and infant twin girls, she thought she was dying.  She was HIV positive and wanted her children to be in a family.  So she made the difficult decision to take them to the orphanage.  However, God had a bigger plan than she understood.  After her three children were adopted by the Mestas family, she was able to have food and medicine for being HIV positive.  (Medicine is easily accessible but it does not work without food.  That is why providing for food is such a huge need - and blessing - to Ethiopians infected with HIV.  Sponsorship does change lives!)

 

Once T began eating daily meals and taking medicine, her health improved.  Later she met the man sitting next to her in the photo.  They married and now have two young boys.  God is so good!

 

 

The wifi was working at the guest house (yay!) so we face timed the Mestas family.  T saw her three babies (who aren't babies anymore).  It was such a sweet moment!  We were all crying happy tears.  I could see the Mestas kids - T's kids - dancing around so happy to talk to her.

 

 

Brock, Jimmy, T's husband, T, Emily and Sabrina

 

Emily's part of the story...Ellie Mestas Mickie (the youngest of their biological children) and Emily grew up as very close friends.  Emily's family as well as our family were in a home school co-op with the Mestas family when they were adopting.  We all watched God work to bring those three little ones "home" to the Mestas'.  Emily's family has since adopted a little boy from Ethiopia.

 

Here's another part to the story...Jimmy is Jerry Mestas' nephew.  Three weeks before we left, Jimmy signed up to join our team.  He raised all his money in less than three weeks!  When we got to Addis, he was there to meet his cousins' biological mom.  Once again God made this big world seem small!

 

{Eileen Mestas wrote a book about their adoption journey.  For more information on that book that gives much more detail than I did on this blog post, go to www.morethanIcanhandle.com.}

 

We spent some time getting bags packed as we were leaving very, very early for the countryside the next morning.  We were all in bed by 8:30pm!

Ethiopia 2015 - Day 4 - Delivering a Gift, Church in Korah, Catholic Orphanage, Ethiopian Restaurant

Today was our first full day in Ethiopia.  After a good night's sleep, we were ready!

Our morning began with a visit from one of the first "Kolfe boys".  Let me explain.  When our friends, the Mestas', went to Ethiopia eight years ago to adopt their three youngest, they visited Kolfe Orphanage.  Habtamu was one of the boys who walked around the orphanage with them and translated for them since he spoke some English.  They have kept in touch with him all these years.  Habtamu graduated from university earlier this year so the Mestas' sent him a graduation gift with me.  I had the honor of meeting Habtamu and delivering his gift.  Since he was at the guest house, we invited him to spend the day with us.  He did and we are so glad!


Habtamu showing off his unofficial degree.  The real one arrives later this year.

 

My team wanted to go to "a real Ethiopian church".  I heard that my friend Hirchie from Tennessee was preaching at a church in Korah.  We had an easy decision of deciding where to attend church. It was the first time for some of my team members to hear a service with an interpreter.  Interestingly enough, the service was held in the building where I did my first mission trip to Ethiopia.  I saw some familiar faces and got some hugs.

 

My friend, Stacy, arrived in Korah just as we were leaving church.  While Stacy, Hirchie and I were trying to have a photo together, the kids were making certain we would remember them as well.  :)

 

One of the church leaders finally ran the kids off long enough for us to get a photo.

 

After lunch we went to an orphanage run by two Catholic nuns.  Jimmy had lots of "baby time" while we were there.

 Emily, Jimmy and I chatted with one of the nuns for a bit.  She is from the island of Malta.  She has been serving in this orphanage for over 40 years.  She has adults come back years later to thank her for the care they received as children before they were adopted.  I talked with one young man who had been there until he was 13 years old.  He and his sister were adopted by an American family six years ago.  He decided to return to the orphanage for six weeks during the summer to serve as a volunteer.  The nun said this is very normal to have adopted kids return years later to serve.  She said they make the best volunteers because they know how the current children feel.  "They only want a family.  All of them.  They just want a family."

 

 

Brock passed out some treats to the older kids who were watching a movie.

 

We took the opportunity to experience some Ethiopian culture for dinner.

 

 

Two of the boys Kim's family sponsors were able to join us.  It was their first time at the restaurant so we had fun watching them watch the performers.  :)

 

Our team: Emily, Temeche, Sabrina, Jimmy, Brock, Ethan, Kim and her boys