Friday, October 10

After a long ride across the pond (Ethiopian Airlines isn't bad!) we safely arrived Thursday evening in Addis Ababa. Upon arrival, we were met by a friend of our friend, Abba, the Ethiopian priest we know from our church. She met us at the gate with flowers and a sign that said "Pastur Jefhe" (apparently the Ethiopian spelling!). She immediately told us that the Patriarch (The Ethiopian Orthodox pope) was waiting for us for dinner - probably the first and last time we will make a pope wait for us to eat! Though exhausted and not looking our best, we went with our new friend, Gigi, and had dinner with His Holiness and about 20 of the bishops. He is a very friendly and gracious man - it helps that we graduated from the same seminary. It was quite a privilege to go and meet with him that way. We hope to have dinner with him again on Monday.
Today was a day we will not soon forget. This morning we were taken to the school where our children were waiting for us. We waited in a room while, one by one, parents were called out to meet their children for the first time. We were the last called. We walked into a small classroom with only five students. Immediately we knew which children were ours. They ran to greet us with hugs and kisses - Bereket (our daughter) a bit more reticent than her brother, Godebo, but also very affectionate. We spent the morning playing in the playground with some toys we brought. The beach ball was a big hit! Almost from the start, they called us "Daddy" and "Mommy" - very touching.
We were thrilled to see that they have been receiving marvelous care. Their teachers and nannies are extraordinarily loving and compassionate with them. We can tell, actually, that it will be hard for them to see these children leave. They have really bonded. Several of them, when they found out that who our children were, told us that we were very blessed. It seems that Bereket and Godebo have worked their way into the hearts of their caregivers.
Though we've only had first impressions, it seems that Godebo is very affectionate. He also really wants to please the adults around him - apparently he's a very obedient little guy. Bereket is a also very vivacious - we also suspect that we see a little spark of mischief in her eyes (not necessarily such a bad thing). Though we have been concerned about how this transition will go (and though there will likely be challenges ahead), these two kids seem very ready to come and join our family. We can't wait to see how much fun it will be to see them meet and come to love Isabel and Noel.
Neither of us knows quite how to articulate this experience quite yet. Perhaps we never will. We continue to see God's hand in all of this, especially the way he seems to have matched us with these children. Mostly, it's faith right now. The prayers and support and love we sense from our family and friends while we are here is tangible. More tomorrow...