Ethiopia - Trip Two - Day Five

Tuesday, November 15, 2011
We all slept really well last night. We got ready for the day, ate breakfast, and visited with the "L" family for awhile. Then we called Hannah's Hope to ask Almaz about a rash that we have noticed all over Opiyew's body. She told us that Wass would come pick us up so they could take a look at it. When we got to HH, the nurse wasn't sure exactly what the rash was, so Wass took Chris and Opi to the doctor's office while I stayed at HH with Uchan. At one point, Uchan lost sight of me; I was outside where all the babies were lying in the sun, and he thought that I had gone inside. I found him upstairs all by himself, and he was sobbing! He thought that I had left him, too, after he saw Chris and Opi leave. Poor little guy - I can't imagine what must be running through these little boys' heads! It tore at my heart; I tried to stick very close to him after that, and assure him (as best I could in my very limited Amharic) that I would never leave him.

Almaz and the nurse discussing Opiyew's rash, while Opi digs into stuff on the desk!

Uchan and some of his buddies at HH

 The entrance to the boys' bedroom at HH

Opiyew and Uchan slept in the bottom two bunks

Wass, the Ethiopian Cowboy

I held and played with a bunch of the other kids, too. I just love all these little ones! I also talked to Almaz for awhile. When Chris got back, Wass took us to the hotel. Chris told me that the doctor thought that Opi was getting over a mild case of the chicken pox combined with an allergic reaction to something. He gave us some medicine and creams, and said to give him Benadryl for the next few nights at bedtime.

We ate lunch and took naps, and then played with the boys. They also loved looking out the windows on our balcony, and would call out to the people on the street below.

Down below, these men were digging a long trench along the street. Instead of using a backhoe, they had to use shovels and pickaxes.

The boys love investigating everything at the hotel, even the plants!

We went to the lobby for awhile so we could catch up on checking and sending e-mails, and then we visited with the "L" family again. They came to our room for awhile so that their little guy could play with our boys. After this, we all went down to the restaurant and ate dinner together. Back in our room, we bathed the boys, gave Opi his medicine, and put them to bed.

All week, Chris has been telling the boys, "Na," which means "come here." Tonight, long after the boys were asleep, he wanted to read the Bible with me. I was in the bedroom and he was in the living room. I heard him say, "Erica, na!" Ummmm........really. Did you just tell me to "Na?" Excuse me?  :-)

Tomorrow is our last day in Ethiopia! Gary and Peggy Ifft, our missionary friends from Ziway, are going to be in the city tomorrow and are planning to meet us for dinner before we head back to the airport.