Finally, A Satisfied Stomach

So I told you that the day was a stressful one. That doesn't mean that it wasn't a day full of God's purpose. The orphanage took up the morning. We still had not heard from Grace. We were hungry at at this point, just needed to get some good food into us. Tom knew a place and he took us there. It was a restaurant we fell in love with. We asked for fast food, thinking of something in a to-go bag that would likely take 5 minutes to make. And this is what we got.

It was by a photo place and Nettie needed 2 pictures for her paperwork. We got that taken care of and then we headed up stairs and got a seat in a crowded little diner. So apparently, and after trying our theory in several ways, ther is no fast food. We sit down, ask for a menu in English, and yes, I order a Fanta. I order the MOST FABULOUS meat and rich dish. And Kim orders the same. The boys order spaghetti and meatballs and it looked like true Italian sauce. YUM! Now Nettie had enough of the day already. This made an already stressful day for Kim- well... worse. Kim had to leave the restaurant with her stomach half full. Later returning for an attempt to fill her and Nettie up. I felt bad for poor Nettie. She had done so much transitioning in the past couple of days and had been so good through it all. She was tired. She was hungry... and most certainly, she was confused. So this amazing meal came to 89 birr for all 5 of us to eat and drink. Yes, that is $8.90 US dollars. I tipped as I always did- about 30%. This always takes the servers back. No one there does that. We even got asked if we made a mistake one time by the server. I assured her that I did not. Then the manager followed up her questioning and stood in shock as I told him that I was certain that I intended to leave the tip. Anyway, how could I not. The WHOLE meal, the best meal I had eaten, was only a couple dollars per person.

So as to not bring back the real stress of the day as I write. Or as not to cause poor Kim a meltdown as she recalls the events while reading my blog, let's suffice it to say that getting the passport and the visa proved to take up the ENTIRE rest of our day through supper time. And though we got the passport, we did not get the visa and had little hope of getting it on Monday. This meant that there was a very low chance of Kim leaving on Monday when she had planned. But again, it was all a part of God's plan even though it wasn't part of ours!

Life in the Country

So another night of shallow sleep. Every night was of shallow sleep. Dogs howling like the scene in 101 Dalmations where they are spreading news of the missing puppies, except it doesn't end. One dog starts it and then they all join in. Why are they howling? I am not sure. They are all hungry and thin. Without enough food to feed the people, there is nothing left for pets. Certainly the local people are bothered by the noise as well, right? I was given some ear plugs by Kim and put them under my pillow. Seems I can get to sleep fine, but the constant noise seems to keep me alert. And then I really can't handle it once the music starts. That is the point at which the discomfort of the ear plugs is well worth it.

Today we got our new driver. His name was Tom. He was quite different than Lsanu. He was a well dressed and handsome man. Kim said he made her hot! I was shocked! She was married and picking up her baby for goodness sakes! Then she revealed she was talking about how warm he dressed, which was true. It was rainy season while we were there and though it was hot outside, it was there coldest time thus everyone dressed as we dress in the dead of winter in Arizona (which of course is still moderate due to our warm temperatures). Anyway, he was on time and his car was in a more stable condition, so we were off to a good start. Until we got into the car and realized that he was not the gentleman we were used to. He did not open our doors. He did not carry our bags. I guess we all have our good and bad, and for now, I was thrilled with his "good's" and we were on our way.

Where we were going and when was all up in question this day. Top priority was obtaining Nettie's passport so that we could apply for a traveling visa for her. Grace had the passport and we were unable to get ahold of her. The lady heading the home where she was staying was frustrated with our english and irritated for the time we took of her, so we were at a dead end. We decided to get on with what the Lord had brought us to do and in the event we heard from Grace, we would just take a detour for the passport and resume with the day as time allowed.

So Tom took us back to the street home to pick up Fikadu. The big gate slid open at the short honk of our horn. And today- the kids lit up as they saw us. They were eager to greet us and wore ear to ear grins at our sight. It felt so good. And so very right.

As we drove out of the town , up and then down a steep hill, we saw country women with large piles of sticks tied to their backs. They were down trodden from the intense hike but wore determination on their faces. They were taking their sticks to town to sell as fire wood. There were men carrying bushels of eggs, one on each end of a large wooden pole that was resting across their back as they walked. Two men to one pole so that they could take turns with the heavy, yet delicate load. And then there were mules in which wooden boxes were made to fit along their backs with produce from the country side. The nearest little town which was where we were headed, took 25 minutes by car to get to from Addis. This was the walk in which all of these people and animals were headed. Now that is work.

The countryside was better than I had imagined. As we drove out of the smoke and smog, out of the smells of filth and urine, out of the tin propped homes and begger ridden streets, there was this beautiful, lush, clean countryside. It reminded me of driving in Northern California's wine country. The houses were not big, but bigger. The people were purposeful working to sort grains and produce. The streets were clean and for the first time, I felt a real peace come over me.

We pulled off the main road and not to far. There it was. There were acres of land that Hope for the Hopeless had bought and begun contructing their future boys and girls home on. Two dormatories were already built of concrete cinder block. Water had been run to the property. A foundation for a dining hall and kitchen was in place. There was land to build a total of nine dorms on. This one facility would house over 360 children one day. And it was truly beautiful. I had visions of the children working in the garden, playing football, talking over the fence to the boy who road backward on his donkey just for laughs. I could see this being an amazing place of healing for these children that had lost so much. It would be a place for them to be educated, cared for, trained in trades, and spiritually fed. They could leave behind the city life, the street life. They could start fresh breathing in fresh air and playing in lush, green grass. This was a true place of hope for these children. It felt so great.

We wanted to see where the children would go to church upon the completion of construction. It was only about a five minute drive to a tall barn like building with large glass windows forming a cross on the front. The gate was closed and we stepped out of our car to take pictures. The country children stopped and stared in amazement. Had they seen white folks before? I think if they had, it had been a really long time. Kim went to the car and brought them out some candy. They lit up with joy.

The logistics of getting this project complete are tough. There is not enough money. Not enough man power. And yet, as the project is stalled, the government can seize the land for it not being completed "on time". And the project has to be guarded by the super intendant daily which results in cab fare and labor expense even when construction is not under way. And yet, with no ongoing sponsorship, the two existing dorms are 80% complete. The dining hall is 10% complete. And God has protected the land from being seized already one time.

As we drove away, I was in awe. I could see a normal life in the country for a family like mine. Kim was ready to move there right then, I think! It was truly amazing. It was beautiful and right. The people were beautiful and right. And yet, the news that is coming out of the countrysides are stories of children being orphaned to disease and famine. The scarcity of food is causing people to mix dirt with their grains to make it stretch further and orphans are coming to the city at record rates to try and survive. Addis is growing exponentially with jobless, and most often times, parentless settlers. Now that I have been there, it is not hard to believe. I do believe it. I have seen it. It is not hard to believe, or to imagine. Just hard to accept.

Netza Wasn't the Only Jewel

After my brief meeting with Netza (AKA, Nettie), I wound down the marble steps to a basement. Right in front of the steps was a rug with the pre-walkers on it. They looked up to me with blank faces. To the left of them were the young walkers all lined up in plastic chairs. Again, looking at me with blank stares. Behind them were the preschoolers, and the far wall lined up the real school aged kids. I knelt to the carpet of the little tots in front of me. Their stares softened to curiousity and the welcoming began.

I pulled a packet of stickers from my bag. The video camera was now put away. A vibrant young girl wearing a bright red Christmas sweater stood up and pulled my face to her saying "Hello, Mommy." She was beaming. A few more stood up and before I knew it, I had older kids helping me to pass out stickers and real mob of pre-walkers crawling on parts of me that I didn't know existed! They were all cute. All special. I thought them to play "peek-a-boo". They laughed and from that point on, would initiate play each time they saw me fresh. My heart melted for each one. Each one had a story... A story I was never told but that moved me all the same. They were orphans. They all had lost all that mattered most. They had pain like no child should ever have, and yet found joy in just the touch a woman they would all call "mamma". That is what they longed for and did not have. My heart was filled with mixed feelings... I was enjoying each of them for the spirit that they brought and the laughter they brought out of me. And yet my heart hurt for each of them as well.

One child cried most of the time I was there. She just wanted to be held. She would quiet when I held her and fuss again when left to be. She was new to the orphanage and in need of a lot. She was emotionally very unsettled and physically, very, very weak. When picked up, her limbs would go limp. And yet when she looked into my eyes I saw a really beauty inside of her. A sadness that seemed at least for the moment, to be ok. I loved her. I connected to her. My heart broke for her as I saw a bit of my own child from home in her. I knew the struggles this child would have and knew that this child's would even be greater.

And there was a boy I have so now named "Puss N Boots" from the cat in Shrek. All the children had piled onto me and pulled at my camera and face for attention. This boy stayed to the back. He inched my direction but refused to participate in the chaos. He didn't want to fight for my attention. He looked up to me, chin down and BIG brown eyes lifted. No smile... His eyes spoke volumes saying "Please value me enough to reach to me and NOT make me fight for you. See me. " I reached down to him and spoke in a soft and reassuring voice. His stoic face broke into an easy smile. He was validated and the validation did not leave his face. He was content to go onto his business with that.

I can not post pictures of these children because they are not yet adopted. I wish I could. I wish you could see their faces. I wish you could see the joy that just being with them brought. All of the children had an energy when we left that they did not have when we came. The touch of a new hand, the love for them that they could see in us was caught. They knew they were valued if only for a moment. It felt amazing to be with them. I felt SO HONORED to have had that moment in their lives. I have not had a day go by since that I have not thought about them and prayed for them.