We are finally back in the states today. After 2 days of traveling, we are currently sitting in the Denver airport waiting for our flight to Rapid City. We were delayed in DC, so we missed our earlier flight to Rapid. Oh well, we are almost there. American soil feels good.
We had to say good-bye to Marenn and Kali in such a hurry yesterday. I just pray that their little minds can comprehend that we are coming back and that we won't leave them. It's crazy how the kids at the Transition Home get used to being left. I guess those that have been there for quite a few months see how the process goes and understand what court is and that families will be back for embassy. They see other families come and go and other children wait. I am thankful for the quiet days we had before more families showed up for their visit. We are now praying that we get submitted to Embassy quickly and we can travel back and bring them home.
God is good.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
They are ours!
We passed court! We would like to introduce to you Eyerusalem and Kalkidan Larsen.
Eyerusalem (Marenn)
Kalkidan (Kali)
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Traditional Ethiopian Meal
Last night we went out for a traditional Ethiopian meal with music and dancing. Here are a few pictures to show you what we ate and what the entertainment was like. This was not your typical, soothing dinner music. :)
Everyone enjoyed the food and music, except my Leif. He had Mac/cheese when we returned to the guest house. Traditional Ethiopian food is quite spicy.
Everyone enjoyed the food and music, except my Leif. He had Mac/cheese when we returned to the guest house. Traditional Ethiopian food is quite spicy.
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is a city of 5 million people. 5 million people! It is located in the country of Ethiopia, which has a population of 78 million.
As I look out our guest house window, I see rooftops of a variety of homes. Most are simple tin roofed structures with dirt floor yards, tin-fenced walls, pot hole alleys going past. The home directly adjacent to the guest house also contains a very annoying rooster, who crows night and day. Jay would like to buy him and have him for supper. Ha.
The house/yard across the street also has a high tin fenced yard with a gate and a dirt courtyard. The mistress of this home seems to have a boy hired to come and clean the yard every so often, as we have seen him come and gather empty water bottles that have been thrown in her yard. I would say most of the homes we can see are similar to these two yards. But, the crazy thing is that there are also a couple of nicely landscaped homes in the same vicinity. These yards have green grass, lush plants and a stucco-type home. One yard even boasts a nice vehicle and stone driveway.
If you think the driving in Williston is a challenge, you should try driving here. Of course the streets barely fit two vehicles abreast, but there are greater challenges. There are no traffic signals, no stop and go. Pedestrians walk out amongst traffic all the time. Not only are there people to watch for, but also goats, dogs, donkeys. I can hardly believe we have not hit someone or something. I am such a back seat driver that I have had to just close my eyes.
Most of the streets are lined with small shops selling clothing, fruit, water, soda, furniture, and this past Sunday, goats. Yes, Sunday was the Orthodox Christian Church's Easter. This was the day the people broke their 40 day fast and celebrated with the purchase of a goat. Farmers from outside the city brought in their herd and goats were butchered right there in the street. Their hides were lying in a pile for some unknown purpose. These farmers received $100 to $150 US dollars for their goats. The celebrating went on through the night. Everyone was dressed in traditional white Ethiopian dress.
Sounds of Addis: The rooster crowing all night has nothing on the dogs that howl. I don't know what is going on, but the dogs here sound like coyotes. They howl all night long, along with the rooster crowing, the music of some nightclub thumping and some sort of wailing type noise that starts around 4AM, it has been a challenge to get sleep at night. Especially since we are used to our fairly quiet country life.
I would say almost everyone walks in Ethiopia. The city is always moving. Of course, there are several who own vehicles, but most use public transportation or walk. You don't see many fat Ethiopians. They are all lean and slim.
I asked Yonas about the school system here. He said that there are three types of schooling: government schools, public schools, and private schools. The government and public schools are the worst and the private schools the best. But private school is very expensive to attend. He said that students must pass a very difficult test in order to enter the University. Those that don't pass must choose a different path. He said when he went to the University, it was free. Now, you must pay to go. He thinks that about 40-50% of young people go to University.
As I look out our guest house window, I see rooftops of a variety of homes. Most are simple tin roofed structures with dirt floor yards, tin-fenced walls, pot hole alleys going past. The home directly adjacent to the guest house also contains a very annoying rooster, who crows night and day. Jay would like to buy him and have him for supper. Ha.
The house/yard across the street also has a high tin fenced yard with a gate and a dirt courtyard. The mistress of this home seems to have a boy hired to come and clean the yard every so often, as we have seen him come and gather empty water bottles that have been thrown in her yard. I would say most of the homes we can see are similar to these two yards. But, the crazy thing is that there are also a couple of nicely landscaped homes in the same vicinity. These yards have green grass, lush plants and a stucco-type home. One yard even boasts a nice vehicle and stone driveway.
If you think the driving in Williston is a challenge, you should try driving here. Of course the streets barely fit two vehicles abreast, but there are greater challenges. There are no traffic signals, no stop and go. Pedestrians walk out amongst traffic all the time. Not only are there people to watch for, but also goats, dogs, donkeys. I can hardly believe we have not hit someone or something. I am such a back seat driver that I have had to just close my eyes.
Most of the streets are lined with small shops selling clothing, fruit, water, soda, furniture, and this past Sunday, goats. Yes, Sunday was the Orthodox Christian Church's Easter. This was the day the people broke their 40 day fast and celebrated with the purchase of a goat. Farmers from outside the city brought in their herd and goats were butchered right there in the street. Their hides were lying in a pile for some unknown purpose. These farmers received $100 to $150 US dollars for their goats. The celebrating went on through the night. Everyone was dressed in traditional white Ethiopian dress.
Sounds of Addis: The rooster crowing all night has nothing on the dogs that howl. I don't know what is going on, but the dogs here sound like coyotes. They howl all night long, along with the rooster crowing, the music of some nightclub thumping and some sort of wailing type noise that starts around 4AM, it has been a challenge to get sleep at night. Especially since we are used to our fairly quiet country life.
I would say almost everyone walks in Ethiopia. The city is always moving. Of course, there are several who own vehicles, but most use public transportation or walk. You don't see many fat Ethiopians. They are all lean and slim.
I asked Yonas about the school system here. He said that there are three types of schooling: government schools, public schools, and private schools. The government and public schools are the worst and the private schools the best. But private school is very expensive to attend. He said that students must pass a very difficult test in order to enter the University. Those that don't pass must choose a different path. He said when he went to the University, it was free. Now, you must pay to go. He thinks that about 40-50% of young people go to University.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Is this worth it?
Is this worth it? Much to my dismay, these were the words I heard uttered from the mouth of one of my very tired children yesterday morning while waiting for our 13 hour plane ride to end. How could this child of mine think that? And yet, after a grueling two day plane trip across the world, how could I not accept the humanity of this comment. As much as I would like to believe that I have somehow trained my children to be selfless and self-sacrificing, they are still children. How can I possibly expect them to totally understand or embrace what we are doing. And yet, that is what I am asking of this child. I am asking this child to trust me and to trust God.
This is worth it. The six hour car ride is worth it. The grueling plane ride is worth it. The long visa line is worth it. The gathering and shipping of donations is worth it. The missing work, school, athletics, etc. are worth it. Why? It is worth it because every child deserves a family. It is worth it because every child needs to feel loved and cherished. It is worth it because God has said in His word that caring for widows and orphans is worthy. And for our family, caring for widows and orphans means adoption.
So, after our visit with E and K at the Transition Home yesterday, I asked my child if it was worth it. With a big smile, the response was "Absolutely." I believe that God is up to more than just our family adopting these two little girls. He is also interested in molding and shaping the hearts of my children. And whatever God wants to do so that my children's character and lives will reflect more of His, I believe it is worth it.
This is worth it. The six hour car ride is worth it. The grueling plane ride is worth it. The long visa line is worth it. The gathering and shipping of donations is worth it. The missing work, school, athletics, etc. are worth it. Why? It is worth it because every child deserves a family. It is worth it because every child needs to feel loved and cherished. It is worth it because God has said in His word that caring for widows and orphans is worthy. And for our family, caring for widows and orphans means adoption.
So, after our visit with E and K at the Transition Home yesterday, I asked my child if it was worth it. With a big smile, the response was "Absolutely." I believe that God is up to more than just our family adopting these two little girls. He is also interested in molding and shaping the hearts of my children. And whatever God wants to do so that my children's character and lives will reflect more of His, I believe it is worth it.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
We Arrived!
After many flight delays, travel headaches and God bail outs, we finally made it onto our flight to Addis and survived the 13 hour plane ride. What a journey!
We made it through the line for Visas and the wait for baggage and the chaos through customs. Thank goodness it was busy because no one seemed to care about our 9 pieces of luggage going through the scanner. We finally arrived outside and were met by Jonas. He is amazing! We drove right to the Yesabi Guest House, checked in, cleaned up a bit and then we went to meet our girls.
We Meet!
We were the only family there, so we had the whole porch to ourselves. The girls are sooo beautiful...beautiful smiles, beautiful eyes, beautiful faces, beautiful sweet spirits. We are so excited to finally meet them. We are finally able to put our arms around these precious sisters and tell them we love them and that we will be their family. We were only allowed a short time with them today, but tomorrow we will go back and be able to spend more time.
The rest of our week looks like this:
Monday: Transition Home (visit E and K)
Tuesday: Meeting with doctors, visit Transition Home, deliver care packages
Wednesday: Transition Home, Court apt, Traditional Dinner
Thursday: Meeting at Transition Home
Please keep praying for us. Thank you.
We made it through the line for Visas and the wait for baggage and the chaos through customs. Thank goodness it was busy because no one seemed to care about our 9 pieces of luggage going through the scanner. We finally arrived outside and were met by Jonas. He is amazing! We drove right to the Yesabi Guest House, checked in, cleaned up a bit and then we went to meet our girls.
We Meet!
We were the only family there, so we had the whole porch to ourselves. The girls are sooo beautiful...beautiful smiles, beautiful eyes, beautiful faces, beautiful sweet spirits. We are so excited to finally meet them. We are finally able to put our arms around these precious sisters and tell them we love them and that we will be their family. We were only allowed a short time with them today, but tomorrow we will go back and be able to spend more time.
The rest of our week looks like this:
Monday: Transition Home (visit E and K)
Tuesday: Meeting with doctors, visit Transition Home, deliver care packages
Wednesday: Transition Home, Court apt, Traditional Dinner
Thursday: Meeting at Transition Home
Please keep praying for us. Thank you.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Here we go!
We are sitting in the airport in Rapid City waiting to board the first leg of our flight. Already we have felt God's Hand on this trip. Right off, the baggage handler took us under his wing and escorted us up to the United check-in. Of course, through visiting, he found out we were adopting and revealed that he and his wife were foster parents. He was 68 years old with a 7 year old foster daughter. :) Also, as we waited, Jay discovered that he was from Montana, near Plentywood. He even knew some of the same people Jay knows. It's such a small world.
Our check-in took quite awhile. The United agent had a real challenge with her computer and eventually she had to only charge us $25/bag instead of $35/bag. We weren't arguing with her. One of our blue tubs proved to be "suspicious" too. So that was opened and unpacked, checked thoroughly and then re-tied. Apparently, all that toothpaste, hand sanitizer and other medical supplies are suspect.
As we finally cleared through security, we heard that the flight from Rapid to Denver was cancelled because of mechanical. That was the other flight we considered taking. We are so thankful the Lord led us to fly through Chicago.
We should be boarding soon. Here we go!
Our check-in took quite awhile. The United agent had a real challenge with her computer and eventually she had to only charge us $25/bag instead of $35/bag. We weren't arguing with her. One of our blue tubs proved to be "suspicious" too. So that was opened and unpacked, checked thoroughly and then re-tied. Apparently, all that toothpaste, hand sanitizer and other medical supplies are suspect.
As we finally cleared through security, we heard that the flight from Rapid to Denver was cancelled because of mechanical. That was the other flight we considered taking. We are so thankful the Lord led us to fly through Chicago.
We should be boarding soon. Here we go!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Packing!!
Here are a couple pictures of all the stuff we are bringing to Ethiopia. We are amazed at how much stuff we are bringing and how little of it is for us. All of the tubs, duffel bags, and the two red suitcases contain donations. We have some food interspersed in the red bags, but most of our personal items are in carry-ons. What a job! I have renewed respect for all those who have gone before us. It is quite a task.
Jay has been working like crazy to get started with the seeding/spraying/rock picking. He has managed to put in 350 acres of field peas with the help of a couple guys from our church. We are so blessed to have some amazing guys who are taking time away from their work to help us in the field. We are so blessed to have such good friends!
The next time I post, I hope to have some pictures of our girls. We just received another update from the Transition Home with new pictures. Anxious to put my arms around those little ones! Soon, Soon.
Please pray for a sweet visit.
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