As of Late…

 The night we got home from Ethiopia, I unpacked a few things and went straight to bed. Not J and J! They went fishing! 

We brought all these bracelets and baskets home from Ethiopia (straight from Gambella!) so we could sell them and send the profits back. Lots of adoptive moms of Gambella kiddos have been thrilled with these items from their children’s birth culture. 

Jalen went swimming in a friend’s pond and decided to see how much mud he could cake on himself. He even made a mud helmet, and was picking mud out of his hair and ears long afterward. Boys! I guess they say that mud baths are good for the skin, right?! 

We have another driver…Malia got her license! How do I have 4 kids driving already?!

Quintin played Monopoly with my dad while we were in Ethiopia, and now he begs to play it every day. Thankfully, Chris obliges him sometimes because I never have liked the game much. 

God paints the clouds in the evening sky…

Please pray for my brother-in-law, David. He has a rare form of blood cancer and has been struggling with his health for quite awhile. Larisa and the boys are overwhelmed and I know they’d appreciate your prayers. Thanks. ❤️

Our Trip to Ethiopia, Days 10 and 11

Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10, 2022 

We ate breakfast, and then had some quick meetings and took photos with the group from Gambella before they left for the airport to fly home.

Saying goodbye to the boys' birth family was very difficult. But we will be back. As Winnie the Pooh says, "How lucky that we have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." 😭

After they left, we went to Sabahar Textiles Shop. We bought some blankets and towels, and enjoyed the gardens there before heading back to the guest house.

Some things in Ethiopia don't receive the correct translation. We saw this car on the street. Instead of saying, "Baby on board," the sticker said, "Baby on road." I also saw a logistics company that advertised "fright forwarding" as one of its services.

We went to Wass and Mimi's apartment about mid-afternoon for a late lunch. Mimi is a fabulous cook, and we had a great time.

Back at Ordinary Hero, we played games, finished packing, and said our goodbyes before heading to the airport.

Until next time, Ethiopia! Ciao!

Nafkot, our driver, didn't know much English. We had so much fun with him this week, though. As he hugged me goodbye, he said, "Goodbye, Mommy! Thank you so much!" He was the sweetest man, and had quite a testimony. He got involved with the wrong crowd when he was younger, and began smuggling drugs. He spent some time in prison, and then worked for a beer company. God called him, and he became a Christian and recently completed convert classes. He listened to Ethiopian praise and worship music all week as he drove us around, and was thrilled with the Bible we gave him. 💝

Checking in for the long flight home...

A few of us grabbed a bite at Pizza Hut before we boarded:

Then, we were off! 

We stopped to refuel in Dublin, Ireland. I didn't sleep much at all on the flight. Everything seemed extremely funny since we were so tired. At one point, I mentioned to Chris that if anyone wanted to go running, they could run out the door either on this side of the plane or the other, and pointed to this sign. It's really not funny, but he started guffawing and had to tell the others. 🤷

We landed in Chicago a little before 8:00 in the morning. We had to wait a super long time to get our baggage, and then went through customs. Chris and Russell went back to the hotel to pick up the vans, and then we hugged our goodbyes and headed for home. We arrived, exhausted, in the late afternoon. It was good to be home and see Quinty again!