Update Coming Soon!

We just arrived back in Addis from Kombalcha.  As it turned out, it took us 11 hours to get there and 10 hours of driving to get back.  I normally do not like spending any lengthy time in a vehicle - but this was the most amazing, interesting and treacherous drive I have ever experienced.  I have so much to share but it needs to wait a few hours.  There is a line of people waiting to use the computer. The children at this particular carepoint were in desperate need.  We spent Wednesday afternoon with them and half of the day on Thursday.  Some of them were just skin and bone and once the shyness wore off, they just wanted to hold hands and shower you with kisses. We were playing a parachute game with them and they were scrambling to be the one standing next to me - and then they would secretly kiss my arms as we were playing.  They were so desperate for love and attention - and we gave it to them!  The pastor said that it has been 8 years since they had a group of visitors from the U.S. We spoke with the pastor at this carepoint, asking what their biggest needs were.  FOOD -he said.  They need all kinds of things - clothing, school supplies, shoes but none of that matters and they can't learn in school when they are starving.  I actually saw some of the kids chewing on grass.  We ended up leaving $2000 with the pastor to buy food for the children ($500 of that came from those of you who sent money with me.)  What a difference that money will make for those children until we can get the sponsorship program running. More to come - I will blog again in a few hours.  All is well - everyone is tired and a bit sore from the drive but spirits are high and we are looking forward to tomorrow!

leaving for Kombalcha today

It's 5 am here and the roosters started crowing around 2 am.  Slept great though!  Up early and gathering with the team for coffee and a quick breakfast of waffles.  Then we are leaving for a 7 hour drive to Kombalcha today.  A long bumpy ride through the Ethiopia countryside!  This afternoon we will be working with over 400 kids at a carepoint that has been identified by Hopechest.  (We will drive there today, spend time with the kids all afternoon and tomorrow morning, then drive back to Addis.  Don't know if we will have internet access until we are back in Addis on Thursday night.  I'll post again as soon as we get back - I'm dragging my laptop and camera with me!

WE ARE IN ETHIOPIA!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the group has arrived in Addis Ababa (we arrived about 12:30 am MN time after an extremely grueling flight).  It took us a few hours to get through customs, get our visa and our luggage.  We immediately dropped our bags at the Guest Home and have already visited our first orphanage.  I'll post more when I can - people are waiting for the computer.  We are about 8 hours ahead of MN time (midnight in MN is 8 am in Ethiopia).  We will be heading out to dinner shortly.  Same sights and sounds as our last visit and the weather is beautiful!

Other trip blogs to follow ...

There are about 12 sponsorship coordinators travelling to Ethiopia to develop child sponsor programs. Each of us will be blogging as often as possible about the trip, the orphanages we are working with and the children we are meeting.

Six of the coordinators also happen to be adoptive parents within the last year, of a child or children from Ethiopia. I've known all of these families for nearly two years and have celebrated with them, cried with them, encouraged them and prayed for them (as they did for us) during their individual adoption journeys. This will be the first time many of us have gotten to meet face to face!!

To get some different perspectives during this trip, be sure to check out the following blogs ... Peter Kidd, Caleb David, Candy Tennant, Heather Sparr , Tom Laughner and our trip leader and president of Children's Hopechest, Tom Davis. Click on their name to link to their blog. Enjoy!

After enjoying Thanksgiving with family, I will be flying from Minneapolis to Washington DC on Sunday, and will be staying with the Kidd family. Monday morning, at 9:30 am EST, we leave for Ethiopia!!! Please keep the entire team in your prayers!

Ethiopia Schedule

I am posting to the blog via email as a test for Ethiopia.  While we are out of the country, we are unable to view blogger, but we can upload to it via email. A few weeks ago, during one of our conference calls with Hopechest, we were given the following tentative schedule (subject to change of course).  Five of the locations are in the capital city of Addis Ababa, and three of the sites are outside the city.   There are 8 different orphanages and care points that have been identified and researched by the Hopechest staff in Ethiopia.  Some of these locations are not a traditional orphanage where children live 24/7.  Some of the sites are called "care-points or drop-in centers" which refers to a location (maybe a church, maybe a building owned by a someone sympathetic to an orphan's situation, maybe a school) where orphaned children, some of whom are living on the streets, show up for the chance of being fed and being safe. Sunday - I fly out of Mpls to Washington DC (staying with Pete & Andrea Kidd.  Pete is also going on the Hopechest trip and they adopted a little girl from Ethiopia last year.)   Monday - 9:30 am - Ethiopia Air flight direct to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - about a 15 hour flight I think.   Tuesday - 8:30 am Ethiopia time (8 hour time difference) arrive and travel to the Ethiopia Guest Home.  (This is the same place we stayed last time.)  Visit "Promising" Drop-In center which serves 81 children.   Wednseday - travel 6-7 hours to the town of Kombolcha (North of Addis) to visit Grace Drop-In center which serves about 180 children, but there are over 400 children identified in need.   Thursday - spend morning again at Grace Drop-In center and then travel back to Addis in the afternoon.   Friday - Visit CFI school which serves about 25 kids.  Visit "Hope for the Hopeless" drop-in center which serves 15 orphaned children.   Saturday - Travel to Woliso ( about 1 hour South of Addis) to visit Emanuel Orphanage which serves 122 orphans.  Then travel to Debre Zeit (about 1 hour East of Addis) to visit Elolam Orphanage which serves 120 children locally, and another 110 children from Addis. Sunday - Visit Kind Heart drop-in center which serves 56 children in Addis.  We will be attending a church service as well.   Monday - Visit Gospel for All Nations drop-in center which serves 40 children in Addis. Tuesday - Several of us will be visiting the America World Adoption Transition Home where we adopted our children, and reuniting with friends, Duni, Furtuna and Robel.  We will also have time to do a little shopping and touring before catching a 10:15 pm flight to the USA.   Wednesday - 4:00 pm - I land in Minneapolis!

ONE YEAR "GOTCHA DAY" ANNIVERSARY

In the adoption world, "Gotcha Day" is a very special day ... one that is anticipated and prayed about for months, and perhaps even years, in advance. I'm not quite sure how this special day was christened as "gotcha day" - but it refers to the day your adopted children are officially in your care 24/7.

For us, we met our sons for the very first time on November 30. And then they left the orphanage/transition home for the last time on December 1, and have been in our family ever since. We will be celebrating "Gotcha Day" with our good friends, the Hutchinson's (who adopted 2 little girls from Ethiopia at the same time we adopted our 2 little boys) tomorrow evening.

As coincidence would have it ... I will be in Ethiopia exactly one year from "Gotcha Day", working with Children's Hopechest to develop child sponsorship programs with 8 different orphanages. Seeking to make a difference for hundreds of orphaned children affected by disease and poverty in Ethiopia.

It has been a year of tumultous change and remarkable transformation ... as two little boys came into our lives as strangers, and just 12 months later, they are firmly and solidly enveloped into the love and fabric of our family. A few years ago, in my wildest dreams, I never imagined we would be considering adoption ... let alone adoption from Ethiopia. But here we are one year later and I can't imagine any other path more rewarding ... and more stressful ... and more joyful.

We could have missed out on all of this ... a few different choices, a satisfaction with the status quo, a preoccupation with the busy-ness of our lives with two pre-teen daughters (school ,work, basketball, soccer and other activities too numerous to list). It would have been so easy and so normal to stay on the current path. I so vividly remember another adoptive parent saying to us "what are you guys thinking?!?! You had it made with 2 kids almost independent ... and you're adopting two little boys?!?! What are you thinking?!?!?" And I remember how those words jolted me for a moment as I realized what we were giving up. But at the same time ... I knew what we would be gaining.

I knew the road would be difficult for awhile (I didn't realize then HOW difficult things would be for awhile, when your entire life is thrown into upheaval). But here we are ONE YEAR LATER and what started out as a blessing for two little orphaned boys on the other side of the world ... has turned out to be a blessing for us. And to think ... we could have missed this !!!!!

Meeting our sons for the very first time. A pendulum of itense emotion ... from fear to joy to relief and everything in between. My first words were ... "Oh my gosh, they are so tiny!"

Spending a little time with Tariku (now named Wesley), we noticed his absence of expression and minimal eye contact. What a difference today as Wesley is an exhuberantly affectionate little boy!

Dagmawi (now named Jayden after his daddy, Jay) was immediately mesmerized by his Daddy. Immediate attachment and very possessive. Of course this caused many issues at home as he would physically push the girls away from Jay and insert himself between them. Today, he adores his daddy and his sisters equally.

Leaving the transition home for the last time ...

WE COULD HAVE MISSED THIS ...

TO ETHIOPIA IN TWO WEEKS!!

Two weeks from today, our team from Children's Hopechest will be somewhere over the Atlantic ocean by now, on our way to Ethiopia. I have two large suitcases packed with all of the donated items for the trip (underwear, pencils, toothbrushes, etc.) - items that will make such a difference to the children living in the orphanages there.

It's not too late to make a financial donation, so we are able to meet emergency needs while we are in-country. If you have considered giving (any amount goes a long way in Ethiopia), please take a moment to email me at kjwistrom@yahoo.com or go directly to the Hopechest website at www.hopechest.org, click on "Give" and specify "ETHIOPIA NOVEMBER TRIP" in the notes. 100% of the money given for this trip will go to Ethiopia with us, to be used to relieve some of the most urgent needs of these orphaned children.