Day 3 -We meet your birthfather

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Another adventure begins....we woke up bright and early after being up until 1am sorting through all of our luggage. I was sad that the ONE tote we were missing was the tote filled with soccer balls and toys for the kids in the South.  On the other hand, I was still praising God for the other 9 pieces that made it in the nick of time last night.  Today was a big day.....we were meeting Tsehay's birth father.

Typical view from the van (Sorry about the quality, they were all taken through the window!)

Huts everywhere....several families share.

Trying to sell some mangos

We woke up around 7am, I showered  misted for the first time since coming to Ethiopia and it felt so good. However, I went to blow dry my hair only to blow the fuse on the dryer. So although today, I was not meant to have greasy hair, I was meant to have it looking nappy(-:  We had a quick breakfast, jumped in the van and headed South to Awassa (where her family is from). I really couldn't believe my eyes.  Let me just say this....all of those World Vision ads and fliers you get, well they are absolutely correct.  I have seen pictures, heard it described in books, but to see it with your own eyes left me with no words.  The entire 5 hrs there, we literally dodged every animal and person imaginable, killed a dog (thanking God is wasn't a human!) and saw the poorest of the poor.  There were children as small as 2 wandering alone.  All I could think about was that being Becket. There were little girls as little as 3 carrying babies on their backs and lugging HUGE water containers. All I could think about was that being Aria.  There were boys with no shoes and dressed in rags playing "futball" with a ball made of compacted trash.  All I could think about was Kai and all the real soccer balls he has.  There were donkey's EVERYWHERE and men & women working in the fields.  Small grass huts & corrugated metal shacks adorned the roads.  Children everywhere with nothing but a stick to play with...we noticed just about every kid carried a stick(-:  As torn as I was, I couldn't shut my eyes.  I felt so very helpless....here we were flying by all of these people in a van ...this went on and on.  My heart ached the whole way there.

We stopped for lunch at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant.  It was a little gem in the midst of complete poverty.  Kids and adults everywhere begging.  This is not like the beggars you see in the U.S. There is no food, no clothes, no homeless shelters, no government programs. Very sad.  The food was ok- I claimed the "vegetarian card" and Luke allowed Alemu to order him some "meat". The meat was extra crispy, dried out sheep. Ick. Traditional coffee was so, so strong and bitter, but a bit tasty in a weird sort of way.  While sitting at the restaurant, we were notified that our birth families had arrived to the orphanage and were waiting for us. ( We traveled with another family who's little girl is from Tsehay's orphanage, so that has a blessing to share this journey with another couple) I started shaking when I heard the news....in just minutes we would speak face to face with Tsehay's birth father.

We drove down a muddy, rocky, dirt path and came to a metal gate.  Our driver honked the horn and the gates opened.  We were at the orphanage where Tsehay was dropped off at and had spent the first 5 months of her life at.  We walked up to see several people on the porch.  I immediately spotted her birth father and my heart raced faster.  Because of the language barrier, all I could do was smile and hug him.  He kissed me twice(-:

This is the sign to Enat in Awassa before you enter down the long dirt road.

Enat Alem in Awassa

It was now time for our "meeting" with him and the Scholten's graciously took pictures and video taped it for us.  I had spent a lot of time preparing questions.....this was our one and only chance to give our daughter a glimpse into her family history and past.  Nothing like a little pressure!  We started by introducing ourselves.  We had brought him a photo album of our family- I think he was a bit "shocked" by our blond kids.  Pretty sure he's never seen anything like it. After a series of questions, we concluded our meeting. We had him video tape a special message for Tsehay and took lots of pictures. We will forever treasure those photos.  He thanked us for adopting her. JUST as we finished up, I mean JUST, it started to pour. God had held off the rain just long enough for us to finish.  I really couldn't believe how perfectly He orchestrated it all.  When it came time for him to leave, he stood in the drive with his hand on his heart and a big smile.  He wouldn't go.  By this time the rain was coming down hard as he looked up to us on the porch with gratitude.  The driver waved for him to get in the van again and away he went.  I just stood there on the balcony blowing kisses and yelling "We love you".  I did everything I could to hold back the tears.  Before I had time to process that meeting, we were whisked off into the orphanage to meet the nannies who had cared for Tsehay.  We went into the "baby room" where babies were lined up in beds. They were just beautiful and so mild mannered.  We had a nice time meeting the nannies and asking lots of questions.  But just as fast as we entered those doors, we were now leaving again.  We dropped the orphanage director off at his home.  Ironically he lived in one of those poor areas that we had seen earlier.

Meeting Milkyas (her birthfather)

Before we knew it, we arrived at our "resort". I really couldn't believe a place like this existed among all of the extreme poverty.  But, I wasn't complaining, it was just what I needed to end this long and exhausting day.  Thank you God for exposing us to the least of these.  We are praying that you will show us how we can be used as YOUR hands and feet.  Thank you for getting us to Awassa SAFELY and please keep us in the palms of your hands tomorrow as we go "Hippo Watching" and start another day of adventure in Africa.  Thank you for showing up in every detail of this trip.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Inside the room at the Haile Resort

And this is what the poor guard lived in )-: