Kidd Ethiopia Adoption





Click HERE to watch us getting Endale at the orphanage



Click HERE to watch us getting Gabrielle at the orphanage


Friday, June 13, 2008

GiGi's personality is coming out more and more

Her personality is shining through more each day. This morning she woke up smiling and so happy. We also got a first round of antibiotic in her, I think that has helped a little. We are all doing great.

Yesterday was such a full and amazing day. We went to Kids Care orphanage, where Gabrielle came from. It was a blessed experience. Those of you who know Pete, imagine him with 25 kids, HE WAS IN HIS ELEMENT! He had them all singing, he kept handing out candy and they kept singing for him, it was a beautiful sound. We got it all on tape so we will be downloading many videos for you to watch when we get home. Then, in Pete style, he taught them how to sing "happy birthday".......to him! It was so funny and so classic. After that we took them all outside and played with them. Our dear friends the McNally's bought parachutes and beach balls for us to bring some of the places we visited. We pulled out the huge parachute and began playing. The squeels and laughter and HUGE smiles were again a vision we will never forget. Pete had them count 1, 2, 3 all around the circle and then as he called out the numbers one by one, the kids took turns running
under the parachute as it went up. It was so much fun. The look on Pete's face was priceless the entire time too.

I went into a back room and found many women hunched over bowls of water with rice, and open fire. They were preparing food. I took a stab at pouring the Injera batter on the skillet, we all laughed......I need some practice. They laughed so hard at me and called me white.......isn't that discrimination :). I laughed so hard, they kept putting their arm next to mine to compare and laughing. The women were a rip!


Some of the gut wrenching parts about this orphanage were the tiny, tiny day old babies who were lined up in the cribs. So small and so helpless, I kept picturing Gabrielle lying there. The great news and thing I had to keep telling myself was that if they were healthy they would go to families just like us and it was a blessing that they had made it there. There were also some sick children who looked to have Aids and that was really hard too. Again, this place was so amazing and took great care of the children, that it was a gift they were even there. I just wish they all had homes and parents.......but we can't change the world in one day.

Later we got to JOURNEY to meet our great friends little boy. This was really fun and quite the experience! We drove and drove and finally found the place. There was no way to drive around to the door so we had to scale down and up large rocks and a gully filling with water, and wave a man to stop drilling, to get to the other side. After getting in they told us he was not there, that was their headquarters. The director told us we were not allowed to see him, and then after talking he said since we has travelled so far we were alllowed!! PRAISE!!! Then we proceeded to find the actual home where he lived. (The roads here are CRAZY bumpy, and oh there are no traffic laws at all. Makes for some very interesting navigating.) He was soooooooo cute and sweet and so happy to learn of his mommy and daddy. They had made an album for him and we had a translator read the whole thing to him. He smiled and told the translator he was happy. This was such
an experience to be able to hug one of these children and assure them they have a family- someone coming to get them who truly love them and are working so hard to get here to pick them up. It was my wish for every child we had seen at Kids Care and it felt so good to deliver this news to a child, especially one who will be coming home to our friends right in Leesburg with us. We go to the same church too, what a blessing for he and GiGi. I am so glad we will get to see him again one day, and to know that a little boy probably slept very good last night after hearing about and seeing pictures of his soon to be family, the dream of every orphan here!

So, we are heading out tonight, so we will check in from home!!!! Thanks for following along, we have some amazing movies Pete has put together, but we have bee un-able to download them. Check back to watch in the next couple days!

Chow!

7 comments:

Kristy -Mom To 9 Blessings said...

What a blessing it has been for me to share in your experience with you! I am so excited to meet sweet GiGi! Congratulations on your beautful new blessing!
Love,
Kristy

Carpenters said...

What a wonderful day! It sounds like you had so much fun at the orphanage. It's so funny that the nannies called you white. Pete sounds like he was a riot at the orphanage. You both sound like you are having a wonderful time. Safe travels home.

With Love,
Penelope

Danielle said...

What a great day! So, the little guy is living at home but is soon to be adopted? Maybe I didn't understand. I can't WAIT to see the videos. And I can't believe you're just about home. Amazing.

Love,
Danielle

P.S. When I was in Kenya for a sem. in college, I got called white all the time! In fact, the kids in the slums where I visited would shout out to me: "Mazungu! ["white person", but not sure of the spelling] Mazungu! How are youuuuuu?!? It was always so funny!

Kari said...

We are completely in AWE!!! Thank you dear friend for the play by play of your day @ Kids Care!! You and Pete were HUGE blessings...their delight of the day!!!! :) WOW!!!
The picture of GiGi smiling makes me weep...oh how long we waited to see that gorgeous grin from ear to ear!!! She is deeply loved!!! She has a real reason to smile now.
We love you!!! Hurry home:)

Apryl said...

What an exciting time! Have a safe trip home! Can't wait to see the videos :)
apryl

Jori said...

WOW! Thanks for sharing, I think. I am so ready to be there and yet I am really working through how to deal with the emotions of it all. How do we get everyone here to do SOMETHING there? It is going to be ruff when we go I know. Of course I am sure seeing our own for the first time will greatly help!!! :)
love ya, Jori

Anonymous said...

sooooo great to hear your update! talked to kari yesterday and great to hear you didn't get sick! can't wait to hear more about your trip and get updates! welcome home!!!