We spent a Saturday full of activities. This morning we had a great opportunity to meet with all the people who have been caring for our children these past months - the social worker, nanny, nurse and doctor. All of our questions were answered. We also were able to preview a video made for us by the organization. It includes footage of the hometown (village) where our children were born, video of their house (inside and out), and an intereview with their oldest brother who cared for them as long as he could. This is an increbile gift for us to receive and to pass on to Bereket and Godebo at the proper time. As an adopted child myself (Jeff), I know how valuable it will be to know some of their hertiage and background. It will also provide them with the option of one day returning to Ethiopia and even meeting some of their family.
This afternoon we had a brief visit to a home our organization sponsors which places children with AIDS up for adoption. In the ten years of their existence, they have found adoptive homes for 200 children with AIDS, a remarkable number when you consider how few families will adopt these children and how much red tape there is to see an adoption like this go through. The children were full of life in this place, just beautiful children.
A tour of the city this afternoon gave us our first glimpse of some of the poverty people face here. To see beggars, many of them severly crippled, lying on the street with no hope for any improvement in their life and completely dependent upon the generosity of passerbys, we were reminded of what it must have been like in Jesus' day. And to think about the reaction when Christ touched and healed one of these people, it's hard to imagine the joy. Here, it seems as if it would take similar touch from Christ to bring change. I suspect that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.