One Year Ago Today

Sunday will be our 1 year forever anniversary of being a family of 4. Crazy to think Makenna has been home for almost 1 full year. Wow time goes by so fast! This year we had experienced so much and we have so much to be thankful for. Each day that comes and goes, I feel incredibly blessed and very lucky to be mom to my two girls. I know I have many not so great moments and some really bad days but I never forget how blessed I am.

This past year we have learned how to be a family of 4 which isn’t so easy at times. Makenna had to adjust to being with us as we did with her. The attachment piece didn’t happen overnight but instead over a course of months. We got there though and trust me Makenna is very much attached!

Today I took a moment to reflect back to last year on this very day. At this time last year, we spent much of the day visiting the Alert Hospital and Korah. It was truly an amazing experience that wrecked us even further. It is really hard to even put words to this experience as it tore my heart to pieces but at the same time gave me some joy as I got to spend time with such wonderful people. These people have gone through so much and have so little but yet managed to make us feel welcomed. Dave did a beautiful job blogging about our visit there so feel free to read it here.

Dave and the group he traveled with had the pleasure of visiting these amazing people at the Alert Hospital. While looking at pictures, I recognized many faces. They same group of individuals have continued to work hard and I assume will continue as long as they need to in order to provide for their families. Dave and the group provided them with much needed supplies so they can continue to make their crafts and sell them in the gift store. God is good!

Here are just a few pictures from that day. 

Upcoming Trip to Ethiopia

I am full of emotions. Dave's trip to Ethiopia is coming up very soon which means he is leaving us. I am nervous. I am nervous for him and his group.  I am nervous about being home without him and not being able to just pick up the phone to call him.

I am also scared, anxious, jealous, envious, happy, and excited.

Dave gets to take a group of men, women, and youth to Ethiopia and make a difference in lives. How cool is that? Dave gets to visit Kolfe and see our sponsored son again. Dave gets to see Korah again as well as see some of the amazing individuals we have gotten to know from our last trip. Seriously how cool is that? I am so impressed and proud of Dave for bringing this opportunity to our church and getting others to back him. Thankfully Dave has some amazing people to help coordinate this trip as he certainly could not have done it alone.

But you see... I am left at home. I do get to be with my girls which believe me is wonderful. I don't leave my girls very often so leaving them would be extremely hard on me. I need my hugs and kisses each day! I just wish I could be in both places at one time.

I want to go to Kolfe and see the young men. I want to visit the most gracious people ever in Korah. I want to smell the Ethiopian air, eat the amazing food, and share my love of the country with the group from my church. I want to be there too.

I am also nervous to be home alone for so many days. I never sleep well when Dave is gone. And what if something goes wrong like we lose electricity or get a major snow storm??? Too many unknowns for me and it makes me nervous, scared, and anxious.

I know I'll be okay.  I know I'll take good care of the kids and I know that I have friends in town to help me if needed.  I know.  However, I still have my emotions and I am who I am.

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away and it is a day to give thanks.  It is a day to remember and to maybe verbalize things you are thankful for such as good health, family, and a feast on the table.  But why do we wait an entire year to be thankful?  Why not be thankful year round? 

As I think about all the things I am thankful for, I can not help but think of the people in Ethiopia.  I can't help but think of my girl's birth families, the boys at Kolfe, the families who call Korah home, and all the street kids.  I can't help but think of the little boy and girls in the orphanages and the beggers in the streets.  These people work hard everyday to survive, literally.

I am thankful.  I am thankful for my family, my friends, the roof over my head, the food in my cupboards and refrigerator.  I am thankful for my job, the car I drive, and the clothes in my closet.  I am thankful for my education, my church home, and the ability to be compassionate towards others. 

I am thankful but not just today or in two days.  I am thankful year round as I know how wonderful and good I have it.  You see unlike many people who don't know where their next meal will come from, I do.  I know I will have 3 meals, I know I will sleep in my bed tonight, I know I will get up and be able to shower in clean water.  I am thankful.

Let's not be thankful for one day only but instead be thankful everyday of the year.  Remember all the good things in our lives.  I do.

Our Thoughts About Traveling to Ethiopia

We have been asked several questions by several people about being in Ethiopia. Of course we are no experts but we are happy to help anyway we can. Here are some questions we have been asked and our thoughts.

1. How much money to exchange?
   I guess that depends on what your agenda is for the week, how many days you are in country, and what the requirements are from your adoption agency or accommodations (hotel, guest home, etc.). We recommend you convert more than you need as it can be difficult to exchange money while you are there and the banks are not open on the weekends. To give you an idea, to hire a driver all day would be around 60 USD. An Ethiopian painting would be around 200 Birr , and an authentic Ethiopian soccer jersey is about 600 Birr. We converted enough money to pay for any shopping, dinners, and for our accommodations (which included any dinners at the guest house, drivers, and laundry service). Remember you can convert it back to USD at the airport if needed.
2. Where do we recommend for people to stay?
   We had the best experience at the Ethiopian Guest Home (EGH) and highly recommend it. You can click here to read all about it and how it got started. We have never stayed at any of the hotels but I hear the Hilton and Sheridan are very nice.
3. How did we get around the city?
   Thankfully the EGH has drivers. We just had to let the receptionist know what time we needed a driver and they arranged it for us.
4. Is it safe to eat out and were we worried about getting sick?
   Yes it is okay to eat out as long as you understand what is okay to eat. For example, I would never get an apple with its skin on as it very well could have been washed with tap water versus bottle water. As long as the food is cooked and isn't something that is cleaned with tap water or grows in the ground like lettuce, you should be fine. It is best to talk to your doctor before you leave and get a prescription for travelers diarrhea.
5. What kind of things did we do while in country?
   If you have read our blog posts recapping our trip (see our January 2010 blog posts), you have a good idea of all the things we did while in Ethiopia. The main reason for our trip was to bring home our daughter Makenna but we did do many things outside of the adoption (Kolfe Orphanage, Korah Leper Colony, shopping, etc.). If possible, we highly recommend getting out of the city and seeing the countryside as Ethiopia is absolutely beautiful. Some things to do while in Addis are visiting the National Museum, shopping, Lion's Zoo, and Traditional dinner/dancing.
6. What to pack?
   I made the mistake of packing way too much our first trip and thinking I could style my hair like I do at home. For our second trip, we packed light and had our laundry done while in Ethiopia (EGH has a laundry service). I kind of felt like it was camping but on a good day as you do have water, electricity, and the possibility of styling the hair (as long as you have the right converters). If you are bringing home a child then be sure to pack what you need but you can buy formula and diapers at any supermarket for a reasonable amount. Personally, I feel it is best to keep the infants on the same formula until you get home so I recommend purchasing it once you arrive in country.
7. Other tips and advice?
   If you are traveling with an infant, I highly recommend bringing a baby bjorn with you or something like it as it will save you while traveling though all the airports. For toddlers bring an umbrella stroller. I would also recommend bringing some snacks along with you especially something with protein (nuts, protein bars, etc.). You can certainly stop at a grocery store while in country but it may be easier to pack a few snacks with you. Last but not least - only drink bottle water!

I hope this helped those reading this post and waiting to travel to Ethiopia for your first time. We love to talk about Ethiopia and help answer any questions so feel free to ask away. Again, we are no experts but are happy to help. If anyone has anything to add, please do so!

Day 5 Wednesday – Part Two

ALERT Hospital & Korah Community

Now that we have introduced Sammy, I figured the rest of the story would make more sense.

75 years ago the village was established because of leprosy. The people came from the countryside to seek treatment for their illness. They came to ALERT Hospital, which was established by Dr. Ross, from the U.S. and a Dutch doctor named Chris Dorman. When they heard of the spread of leprosy, these two men approached King Hale Selase to request land to establish a hospital specifically for the treatment of leprosy. King Hale Selase was willing to give land, but only land that was far from the town and in the forest so as to keep the people with leprosy separate from everyone else. The two doctors started the hospital and began treating these patients who had immigrated from the countryside.

These infected people came to the city because their family members believed they were cursed when they contracted leprosy. Some of these individuals were put into a separate hut when their disease was discovered and later their family tried to light their hut on fire. The family members were so convinced that the leprosy was a curse that they were willing to kill their own children. Some escaped from these hostile family members and came to Addis for treatment.

The history of Korah is hard for many to hear or read of because of the many injustices that the community has faced. Today, these injustices have resulted in a community that needs the understanding, guidance and help of the church. There is much potential for this community of “rejects” and that is why this website and the ministries described herein exists. To read more about the background of Korah as well as my source for above information.

We received a short tour of the hospital. Each patient receives six months of treatment and they come from all over Ethiopia. They receive medical treatment as well as physical therapy. After six months they are forced to leave and many have no place to go so they end up in the surrounding area, which is called Korah. This area includes the dump and there are over 75,000 people living here.

We then went into the community itself. Our guide, Sammy, grew up in Korah and is an amazing man. He and a number of others have created a ministry, Great Hope Church, within this community and they are accomplishing some great things.

Great Hope received a small source of funding that they are using to feed 65 children from Korah who are attending the school on the hospital property. For many of these children, this will be their only meal of the day. Imagine having the opportunity to go to school, but not have the energy and resources to learn. This opportunity is so important to these children.
While visiting, the children came to eat. We were able to help serve them food and interact. It is amazing to see such spirit and hope among children no matter where you go.

We then visited a group of homes in the community that are a representation of how many of the people of Korah live. Imagine one large home that is seperated into eight (8) small rooms, and a family each living in one of these rooms. There is no roof, you walk through one home (room) to get to another and the walls are made of mud. If you lean against a wall, it is likely to fall into the room next to you. There is one mattress on the floor where the adults and the youngest children sleep. As the children grow, or a new child comes along they are moved to the floor. During the rainy season they sleep with plastic covering them to keep them dry.

This man below was so nice, he graciously invited us into his home where his wife was making coffee. They were so sweet and were grateful for the opportunity to spend just a few minutes with us in their home.

As we left, the children were returning to school, stomachs full and enjoying being kids! :)

To view the photos we took of Korah as well as others that have been provided to us, view the entire album below.

View Full Album

Meet Sammy

Sammy was our guide and translator while in Ethiopia last week. He shared his very personal story of his life with us and asked for us to share it with others. His story is one of overcoming obstacles that seem beyond comprehension – and yet he overcame and is now providing hope and future for so many children that follow him.

Samuel Liben

A man named Chuck Rinehold founded Young Life in Ethiopia. When he first came to Addis Ababa with his group of ministers there was a guesthouse in the middle of the city in which he was supposed to stay. The plan was for him to start to work with a high school close to this guesthouse. When he got there, the guesthouse was full so he went to stay at the Baptist Mission Compound, which was located next to the Korah Community. One day he went with his group to check out what was near their compound and he noticed the smoke of the garbage dump. They wondered what was happening and decided to go and find out. When they reached the garbage dump, they were utterly shocked to see the people fighting for the food that had been dumped there. The kids who were fighting were also shocked to see these foreigners in the garbage dump – why would they come to such a place as Korah?

Chuck approached these kids and introduced himself. After spending some time with them, he and his team returned to their compound at which time Chuck decided his work in Ethiopia should be with these kids in Korah. He knew Young Life only worked with kids in high school but his heart had been so touched that he decided he would do things differently and work with these kids who had no school. He worked with Young Life in Korah from 1999 until 2001, offering the youth of Korah much hope through the message of Jesus, opportunities for school and other means to develop into ministers themselves. One of these youth was the son of Liben, Samuel.

Samuel’s Story

Samuel spent the majority of his childhood struggling to get the food he and his family needed from the garbage dump. When he was 12 years old, he and some of his friends decided to go and join the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They wanted to get their food from the military, which was their motivation for joining the army. They were sick and tired of always fighting for the leftovers that could sometimes be found in the garbage dump.

On the way to register for the army, they crossed the compound where Young Life started the ministry. They saw a lot of the U.S. Young Life Leaders hanging out with the kids from the Korah community. Samuel had never seen American people with the kids of his community – kids of lepers. He and his friends stopped to watch what was going on. While Samuel was watching, one of the Americans named Ross Bebbe waved at him, so Samuel looked back to make sure he was indeed waving at him. Samuel had grown up waving at the previous missionaries who had lived at this compound only to receive no response back, so when this American waved at him, Samuel was very intrigued. As he wondered, Ross crossed the street and came close to Samuel and his friends. He then shook Samuel’s hand and introduced himself. At that moment Samuel became overwhelmed with excitement because of this attention that Ross was showing him. Ross invited Samuel to play Frisbee with him, so he stayed at the compound to have fun with his new friend. After some time, Ross invited Samuel to come to the Young Life Club to have more fun. When Samuel went home he told his mom everything that had happened.

The next day Samuel went to the first Young Life Club meeting held in Korah and became even more excited to be a part of this amazing group of people. While there, Chuck Rinehold gave a speech that contained scripture and which touched Samuel’s heart. It was Matthew 8, the story where Jesus hugged and healed the leper. For Samuel, this portrayal of Jesus and his compassion for a leper was amazing because he had never heard of or seen anyone who cared for those with leprosy. At that moment Samuel began to weep. He went home and told his mom the whole story about Jesus and they cried together.

Samuel decided to stay and be a part of the Young Life Club and Ross Bebbe began to disciple him, help him and teach him English. After this time, Samuel became a Young Life Leader himself and began reaching out to his own community of Korah. Now Samuel is continuing his ministry in Korah through his work with The Great Hope Church. He visits HIV and leprosy infected people, the kids who are collecting food from the garbage dump and other desperate people in Korah. He only brings with him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope, which only comes from Jesus Christ.

Story taken from the blog of Michael Halcomb

Day 5 - Wednesday

Today was a very difficult but important day. We spent over four hours visiting the community of Korah, which is a community of 75,000 lepers and HIV victims. It is tough to know so many people are essentially outcasts and due to a bacteria disease, which is treatable. We first stopped at part of the hospital where many of the women and men make things like mats, clothes, and linens.

Below are some photos of the men and women working. The women in the photo are embroidering and the man is making a mat, as he has been doing for over 40 years! He is a great man, a privilege to meet him.

Theresa had an opportunity to practice her skills at both making yarn from wool as well embroidering a linen. We have much of it on video so if you want to see how well she did just ask :)

The final product. Let’s just say that Theresa filled up our bags for the trip home!