Wordless Wednesday: I Can Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

*Photo taken by Jenn Hare*

Day 3...Entoto Mountain

So I admit it; I am the queen of bad bloggers.  We've been home a month AND we are almost ready to go back to Ethiopia, but I am just now finishing up posting about our FIRST trip.  Oh, well!  Better late than never.  You can catch up on Day 1 and Day 2 if you missed them the first time or can't remember because it has been so long :)

Sunday morning we woke up ready to see some more of the country.  We had an excursion planned with friends, but I wasn't feeling great, so Brian and I spent the morning hanging out together watching movies, chatting, and processing.  By lunch time, I was feeling better so we called Ayele and headed up for a half day trip to Entoto Mountain.  This provides an amazing view of the sprawling capital city.  In fact, before Addis Ababa was the capital, Entoto Mountain was the home to the emperor.  There is a neat museum, a beautiful church, and the home of the former rulers.  Brian and I were amazed by how intricate so many of the materials were- from the cloth in the robes of the priests to the thatching on the roof of the emperor's quarters.  Ayele told us so much about the history of the country and what we were seeing.



 A view of the church

 A View of Addis from Above

 Some of the Emperor's Quarters

After leaving Entoto, Ayele took us on a drive through the country.  The countryside of Ethiopia is beautiful.  The mountains surrounded us and looked like patchwork.  The whole time, we continued to learn more about Ethiopia, including the area where Mikayla was born.  Ayele also shared so much of his story with us that a friendship was born in his car!  Below are some of the views we saw as we drove through the small towns of Suluta and Chancho.

Other than the days that we spent with Mikayla, this was by far my favorite experience of our trip.  While we only got to see a glimpse of Ethiopia, I treasured to opportunity to hear more about this beautiful country and her people.  Ahhh...only a couple of weeks and we will be back!

Happy Horses!

One of the blessings of our adoption journey has been making new friends, both in the physical world and in virtual world.  In this post, I mention The Morgans, a family in our area who has travelled on this journey and have adopted two adorable boys.  Part of Luke's recent birthday wish was to see some horses.  Since I am a horse lover as well, it was my pleasure to invite the entire Morgan clan to meet my mom's horse Dreamy.  While the boys were a little nervous at first, once they got to meet Dreamy they warmed up to him and ending up brushing him, riding him, and even giving him treats.  Unfortunately I was too busy having fun with the family, so I didn't take any pictures of my own.  I did, however, grab a couple of my favorites from the Morgan Family blog.  You can read more about their visit here.

The laughs we shared together that morning and the looks on the boys faces as they spent time roaming around the farm were priceless.  I just can't get enough of this sweet family!  We're so thankful for the precious friendship of the Morgans.

Adoption Buddies

Going through the process of adoption has definitely shown us how small the world is. We have met many people, both in person and in cyberville, who have been touched by adoption.

Recently, my good friend Tara introduced me to a family who adopted two boys from Ethiopia through our adoption agency. We spent an evening at an adorable place called The Well, drinking tea and coffee and munching on sweets. I sat enthralled, listening to the story of this family's adoption, from paperwork to travel to living together at home! I am so thankful to hear about another family's journey, and Brian and I are so encouraged to see a family that isn't just surviving, but thriving after being woven together through adoption. Needless to say, after that meeting, I've started a list of practical tips that this family has shared with us, and we're excited to add to it. There is nothing like the wisdom that comes with experience.

Months ago, Brian and I were thrilled when we heard from a fellow church member that another couple in the congregation was adopting a child from Ethiopia, and they were in a similar stage of the process. Well, it has taken too long, but this weekend we finally met them for breakfast. They have a referral of a precious baby boy, and they are waiting for their court date and the time to travel to bring him home forever. I can't stop thinking about how lucky we are to have another family to relate too and learn with during the journeys of growing our families. Not only that, but how awesome is it that our little ones will be able to grow up together?!

We're so thankful and so excited about these new friends. We can't describe them in any other way but blessings straight from God.