Day 2 in Ethiopia, August 12, 2007

What a fantastic day with our Birtukan and Hannah's Hope. We started the morning late and slept until 9:17 am. We were suppose to walk with another couple to the orphanage to be with the kids. We left around 10:30 and found our little B in the school room and she was so happy to see us. Her smiles are priceless. She sat on my lap and kept putting her hand on top of mine. She has very small but long, dark fingers. And then the kisses began. She showered me with kisses on my cheeks and lips. Then she would kiss my arms and hands. Had she already claimed me as hers? Only time would tell.

Later that morning we went to a beautiful church in Addis Ababa. It was led by both Americans and Ethiopians. Worshipping in that church gave me Holy Spirit goose bumps. I was unable to contain my tears. We were IN ETHIOPIA! How in the world did we get here? When did all of this happen? It was so dream like. Has that ever happened to you? Something you have imagined for so long and suddenly you are there, living it. The bummer part of this thought is that soon enough you'll realize the moment is gone. And it's been almost a month. And you've forgotten the experience, the smell, the sights, the intense feelings of being there in the moment. Ethiopia was the last place I imagined myself to be, ever. And here we were. We didn't bring our sweet pea because she was feeling sick, with a fever. Later we returned to Hannah's Hope to spend the day with all the kids and especially little B.! We let the kids use our video camera to take video and our digital camera. OK this was a big mistake as our camera had every one of it's buttons pushed thousands of times! Till finally I was the mean one and said, ok, no more or I won't have a camera left.

I went to bed that night feeling so much better than I had when we first arrived. And I knew the moments were slipping away so quickly. Tomorrow would be our Embassy app't and the first time we take little B. out and about with us!These are photos from the church we attended in Addis Ababa. It was an Evangelical church.And now the simplest of gifts. A much needed package of kleenex that our sweet pea just loved having - all her own. So simple. And another photo album I had in my purse. The children LOVED showing off their photo album. Of course if you have a photo album that means you have a family...again.