We arrived! What a process. We landed, very ironically. at exactly 7:45pm Ethiopia time, which is Sunday morning at 10:45 am...right as church is beginning. We were one of the first off the plane, thank God! That took an hour off our process through the airport. It us about 50 minutes to get through. Five or six other American couples stuck together with us, making our way through the maze of getting our visas, passport checks, customs, and baggage claim much more bearable. After getting our luggage, we were greeted by a mass of Ethiopian people. I looked at that crowd, all cramped together, pressing forward to see loved ones or friends and felt overwhelmed. I tried smiling at a couple of them, but they just stared at us oddly. My stomach turned a bit and I pulled Bethany closer to me.
"Coleman?" he asked in a thick accent. We introduced ourselves to the driver we would grow to adore...His name, too long to pronounce, we called him "Z" at his request. He was a mild mannered, soft spoken man in his thirties and he quietly took our luggage cart and led us out. On our way to the door, we saw the kind man we had talked to in line and on our flight. I shook his hand and told him I was glad to have met him. He returned the comment, smiling gently. I pondered how often we experience these random meetings. Paths cross for but a moment in time and you never meet again. Those meetings must have significance to God. It's so important we make the most of of them, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit regarding them.
Our driver wound us through the streets of Addis with great skill. It was shocking even in the dark. Z constantly sounded his horn and there were people literally everywhere. The late hour did not keep them in although there were no street lights. Young and old walked the streets, jumping the concrete barriers. Z honked and flashed his lights, warning the many on the street, as we sped through the city. The lack of traffic laws were obvious and I found myself white knuckling the seat in front of me. We made small talk with our driver, but our attention was elsewhere as we gazed out our windows at a world nothing like ours.
I was amazed at the numerous businesses that lined the streets, metal lined buildings with open air windows. With no street lights, the single light bulb in each shop shone starkly against the black night, illuminating the crowds of people along the way. The shops looked empty to me, I wondered what they were selling. I caught glimpses of a few with massive chunks of raw meat hanging in the open air. Bethany was completely quiet the entire ride, a look of shock and homesickness dripping from her countenance. A couple of times I patted her arm in reassurance.
Our driver came to a quick halt and drove around a circle drive. I could see our guest house standing tall above the residential area, just like the picture on the website. He honked and waited outside the locked compound. Soon, a young Ethiopian man came out and opened the gate, allowing the vehicle in. Three Ethiopian workers came out to help with our luggage, all smiling and polite. A stunning, young woman greeted us with bottled water and some instructions in whispered tones. It was late and there were families already sleeping in the other rooms of the house. She escorted us to our room on the second floor.
The decor of the house was beautiful. Our spacious suite welcomed, white lowered ceilings topping our view with crown molding and three chandeliers. A large king sized bed and a set of bunk beds filled the first space, along with two chairs and a short table topped with fruit I knew I would never eat. A balcony door with massive curtains beckoned us outside. Kurt opened it and the unfamiliar sounds of the night hit our ears. We closed the door and inspected our second room, which held doors and doors of closet space and then our bathroom. A large, jacuzzi tub and shower, one of the highlights of the website caught our eye. Hot water would be comforting, no doubt.
The three of us came back out to the beds and sat down in exhaustion. Our bodies so confused now by hours and hours of travel and complete time changes throbbed in weariness. Bethany sat hard on her bed, going white. She was visibly shaken by the shock of it all and the moment my motherly voice hit her ears in concern, she began to sob. The smell that hung thick in the humid atmosphere burned my throat and lungs and the odd sounds and disturbing sights were shocking. I held onto my brave daughter, reassuring her that we were safe and that a good night of sleep would make everything look different. She nodded and changed into jammies, drifting off to sleep the moment she hit the pillow.
"Stay in between Dad and I all the time, ok?" I whispered. She nodded back at me, obviously shook by the entire experience.
Our eyes scanned the crowd, looking for our driver with the "CWA" sign. It took quite awhile to find him. Finally, we spotted him and gave him a wave to tell him we were his family.
Our eyes scanned the crowd, looking for our driver with the "CWA" sign. It took quite awhile to find him. Finally, we spotted him and gave him a wave to tell him we were his family.
"Coleman?" he asked in a thick accent. We introduced ourselves to the driver we would grow to adore...His name, too long to pronounce, we called him "Z" at his request. He was a mild mannered, soft spoken man in his thirties and he quietly took our luggage cart and led us out. On our way to the door, we saw the kind man we had talked to in line and on our flight. I shook his hand and told him I was glad to have met him. He returned the comment, smiling gently. I pondered how often we experience these random meetings. Paths cross for but a moment in time and you never meet again. Those meetings must have significance to God. It's so important we make the most of of them, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit regarding them.
Our driver wound us through the streets of Addis with great skill. It was shocking even in the dark. Z constantly sounded his horn and there were people literally everywhere. The late hour did not keep them in although there were no street lights. Young and old walked the streets, jumping the concrete barriers. Z honked and flashed his lights, warning the many on the street, as we sped through the city. The lack of traffic laws were obvious and I found myself white knuckling the seat in front of me. We made small talk with our driver, but our attention was elsewhere as we gazed out our windows at a world nothing like ours.
I was amazed at the numerous businesses that lined the streets, metal lined buildings with open air windows. With no street lights, the single light bulb in each shop shone starkly against the black night, illuminating the crowds of people along the way. The shops looked empty to me, I wondered what they were selling. I caught glimpses of a few with massive chunks of raw meat hanging in the open air. Bethany was completely quiet the entire ride, a look of shock and homesickness dripping from her countenance. A couple of times I patted her arm in reassurance.
Our driver came to a quick halt and drove around a circle drive. I could see our guest house standing tall above the residential area, just like the picture on the website. He honked and waited outside the locked compound. Soon, a young Ethiopian man came out and opened the gate, allowing the vehicle in. Three Ethiopian workers came out to help with our luggage, all smiling and polite. A stunning, young woman greeted us with bottled water and some instructions in whispered tones. It was late and there were families already sleeping in the other rooms of the house. She escorted us to our room on the second floor.
The decor of the house was beautiful. Our spacious suite welcomed, white lowered ceilings topping our view with crown molding and three chandeliers. A large king sized bed and a set of bunk beds filled the first space, along with two chairs and a short table topped with fruit I knew I would never eat. A balcony door with massive curtains beckoned us outside. Kurt opened it and the unfamiliar sounds of the night hit our ears. We closed the door and inspected our second room, which held doors and doors of closet space and then our bathroom. A large, jacuzzi tub and shower, one of the highlights of the website caught our eye. Hot water would be comforting, no doubt.
The three of us came back out to the beds and sat down in exhaustion. Our bodies so confused now by hours and hours of travel and complete time changes throbbed in weariness. Bethany sat hard on her bed, going white. She was visibly shaken by the shock of it all and the moment my motherly voice hit her ears in concern, she began to sob. The smell that hung thick in the humid atmosphere burned my throat and lungs and the odd sounds and disturbing sights were shocking. I held onto my brave daughter, reassuring her that we were safe and that a good night of sleep would make everything look different. She nodded and changed into jammies, drifting off to sleep the moment she hit the pillow.At nine the next morning, we would be departing for the care center to meet our children for the first time. It seemed completely unreal to me. I whispered a prayer to my Heavenly Father and held tight to my husband as I fell into a fitful sleep. Tomorrow, my life would be changed forever...
2 comments:
How fun it is to hear of your travels. May God bless you for your obedience in adopting these little ones!
Love,
Nicole
Now that you're feeling SO much better. Can we hear about Monday December 8th??
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