The Sullivan Family

So in our case, we had passed court and it took like 5 weeks to even submit our paper work to embassy, while others that we were at court with from another agency we used with our first adoption were submitted with in about 8 days. That was a little frustrating. But then the submission was not accepted, was lacking something, then about 2 weeks after that it was accepted. Embassy then contacts us and our agency via email to ask for a missing witness statement. The statement needed to come from the court where our girls were from, in Adama (Nazret), and my agency said the orphanage director of the girls original orphanage had to take care of that with the local Adama courts. So after many many emails back in forth and my agency worker trying to get the lady in adama to get the right document, and several times getting it and it having the wrong or missing info, I was pretty frustrated. I had a contact in Adama, a social worker “B” that did the initial paperwork to help get the girls in the orphanage to begin with (they were living on their own 11, and 13). I had met him in person when I went for court and I was friends with him on facebook, but his english was a little difficult. So I was really praying and discussing with family about going to see if I could help facilitate getting that document.I was out running the day before thanksgiving, (we had just received news that the document was wrong again and they had to go back to the drawing board.. ) I was listening to Lecrae’s “Send me” That has a repeating part that goes “Send me! I’ll go!” and I kept thinking I should just go! At tht very moment my phone buzzes and I got a facebook message from another friend “L” who lives in Addis with his family and runs a pretty cool program there. He said, he thought I should come and and stay with him and he had a guy that could translate for me and get me around and he thought together we could get this thing knocked out! I sat down in a park and read the entire message.. I was a little blown away at the timing of that message! I returned home from my run and walked in the door just knowing Bridget would say that its a crazy idea, but I said “Hey I really think we should just pray about me going” I told her about the message from “L” and she said she was for it! So after that I talked with family at thansgiving dinner and all family agreed, so it couldn’t have been more clear, “I had to go”. So we booked the tickets to arrive on monday, and 3 return tickets for the friday, and sent out requests for lots of prayers.I was told later from Everyone, even my friends in ET they thought I was nuts with the 3 return tickets on friday, but that was more my wifes faith then mine! Lol. So the rest of the story begins with bascially God going ahead of me and softening hearts and opening doors, because the first 36 hours of hitting ground in Ethiopia was nothing short of a miracle. The document that had taken over a month so far and would have taken at least another 1 if not 2 was taken care of in 36 hours.

Day 1
I landed in Addis Ababa Ethiopia on Monday morning around 8am. Gathered luggage up, and so “L” waiting for me in the airport. We greeted and made the way to his car. We decided to go have coffee and discuss game plan, and hit internet cafe to check email. I exchanged money then we headed over to “L”‘s house to drop bags off. We then decided to just head to embassy and find out what was going on. We waited and waited as it was crowded, and realized we didn’t even have a number, we went to one window and told them we want to know what was missing in our case, he took down info, and we sat back down. We waited , then finally “L” suggested we go to the window with the American working, so we did, I stated the same thing and he went and got the American in charge, and she asked how she could help. She told us about the document that was missing from the file, and that it has taken so long to acquire that they would now also want to interview the girls aunt. This news hit me hard, I said wow, thats like the worst news I could hear today “I was thinking how are we going to find this person and get them her in the short amount of time I had?”. She said she was sorry, but had to be thorough, I said I understood. We left and called our agency guy, he was out of town but put us in touch with “S” one of the workers, we called and met him to discuss. We also called “L”‘s good friend “Y”. to help us translate.

“Y” is very smart, and knows the in’s and outs of the process and speaks very good english. We all had coffee and discussed. Verified that what the embassy was asking for was exactly what “S” had been working to get. The orphanage director in Adama was supposed to be working it out and getting it. She had said she had it and would deliver it on monday morning, but it was now late morning. We called her several times and got no answer. we then all went back to the embassy to talk with yhe American again and make sure we were correct on the document needs and if we could get an interview appointment this week. She said yes and gave me her number to call her when we find the Aunt.

We then decided to swap out cars and just go to Adama. I contacted my contact in Adama, a social worker named “B”. “B” is a very good guy and knew all about the case. We told him that we were coming to Adama, can not get a hold of Orphanage director, but need her to get the document finished with the witness statements corrected and to find the Aunt and tell her she was needed for an interview. 3 hours later we showed up in Adama, and met “B”. He guided us to the court. At the court, The Orphanage Director was already there along with all 3 of the witnesses and the Aunts husband. They all went inside and completed the witness statements. The Aunt was still not there. It was now 5:10pm and i was not sure if the aunt would really show up, but called the number American at the embassy gave me anyway, and she answered! She said all the slots were full for the next day but would fit us in at 1pm. so we booked that slot even thought the Aunt had yet to appear. We then went to the Orphanage to meet the aunt, and waited and waited, nothing, we then drove back near the court and found the Aunt in the street with her husband. She said ok to come to the interview if her husband could come along. The Orphanage Director also stated that the document will still need a stamp from childrens affairs, which was now closed. So we decided to all spend the night in Adama, meet The Orphanage Director at the childrens affairs office in the morning as soon as they opened, wait for the stamp and meet the Aunt there to take to Addis. Everyone agreed, We found a hotel with internet and got 2 rooms ate dinner and stayed the night.

Day 2
I woke up early could not sleep, internet was not working, went downstairs and waited for someone from hotel staff to wake up. Finally someone did and I got them to fix the internet so I could check email and status etc. “L” and “Y” came down and we had breakfast. A very good breakfast I might add.. This hotel was nice, and only 300 bir a night per room. Then we picked up “S” who stayed down the street and picked up “B”. We showed up and the childrens affairs office as it opened at 8:30am, The Orphanage Director was there and got the stamp and handed over the paperwork. The Aunt showed up and we got in the truck and were off to Addis. 3 hours later we dropped “S” off at the translation office with the document to have it translated into Amharic and english, and “L”, “Y”, the Aunt, husband and I had lunch. We then picked up “S”…. translation was complete and headed to the Embassy.

We made it in line at 12:47 for the 1pm appointment, but there was a long line. We did not make it in until about 1:05pm. I went ahead of everyone up to the windows and just asked to speak with the American I spoke with before, She met me at a window, and I gave her the document, and told her we had the Aunt. She had us sit and wait to be called for the interview. They called us and took the Aunt into a room for about 40 minutes. She came out and I asked how it went. She said it was boring, they they just kept cross examining her, askng the same questions over and over. I then went back to the window the American was at and waited for a family to finish with her then snuck up to the window and told her we were done. She said she was really busy but will look at the case later and email us the results. We then took the Aunt and husband to the bus station and put them on a bus back to Adama. We then went and met the girls at the care center. we called ahead, so they had about an hours notice. We got there and they were finishing getting ready. They were excited to see me! They said goodbyes, and we said would be backonce more before we left Ethiopia, and then left to go to “L”‘s house. I thanked “Y”, and he went home. Then “L”, and family and the girls and I went out to dinner at the family restaraunt. We then came home and I gave the girls their suitcase mom had packed and they were excited, trying on the clothes. We then all went to bed.

Day 3 We got the clearance email

Day 4 we had the Appointment

Day 5 We got the visas and Flew home!

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts everyone! We are now home and the girls are adjusting. The cold is a little cold for them! They are working on english with Rosetta Stone and doing very well. Our other children love them so much we almost have to limit their time with them so they can have some personal space!!!

Mark-

A little over a year ago we came home from Ethiopia with Eyob, a  little 2 year old boy that has been a blessing to our family. God had really touched our lives during that process. We had decided we needed to do something more. We started an orphan ministry at our church, in hopes to “Adopt” an orphanage, and help in any way that we could. We also realized we had room for 2 more. We had thought the we would meet those “2 more” on one of our future mission trips with the new Orphan ministry. Then Peter and Andrea Kidd sent the following story and these girls captured out hearts.

We were a family with room for 2 more, and here were 2 girls looking for a family!
It couldn’t have been any clearer!

Here is the original note that Andrea wrote:

We were led to Selem, to her sister Abeba, to the stoop of their hut, please step in with us and learn their story.

And now The rest of the story…

We quickly contacted the Kidds even before they left Ethiopia. We started the Paperwork went through the homestudy and waited. Our friend Amanda Desaro visited in December and took our photos and covered them with love. Bridget met the girls in May on our Church Vision Mission Trip, then Bridget, Hailey, and myself went in July for the court date.

And I am now happy to say we officially PASSED court and are awaiting the Embassy appointment to bring them home..

God is truly amazing and really blew us away on this one! Selam and Abeba are the most loving caring girls ever.

They will be coming home soon!

Mark-

The night before the trip (friday) we took the kids out for ice cream!

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we said goodbye to our younger kids and sent them with their Aunt and Uncle to play with the cousins at their cottage.

 

 

 

 

 

At the Airport in Milwaukee on Saturday with all our bags and donations.. The airlines were nice this time and waived the extra baggage fee.

 

 

 

 

 

Had to spend the night in D.C. to wait for our flight the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Aboard the plane on Sunday. Long flight from D.C. to Addis Ababa Ethiopia, about 13 hours straight across. I loved the new USB Chargers to keep my iPhone charged (books, music, and podcasts) and always love to catch up on all the movies i never get to see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got there on Monday morning we were surprised to find out the girls were not there. They were still in Adama. We would go on Wednesday to see them. So Hailey got her nails painted, and we rested and went out to dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning on Tuesday Hailey woke up with me at 6am to go have coffee at Kaldi’s down the road.

 

Next we headed to take donations to an orphanage and play with kids. (Cant show pictures of the kids here as they are adoptable.)

 

 

 

 

Next we went to Korah and met with Berhanu who gave us a tour of the Great Hope church and we played with kids and got to meet Baby Juddah’s mother and family. See more info here: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/287455 We also met with women that make the jewelry and Hailey picked out some for her friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Next we met up with the Shannon’s http://www.theshannonfamily.com/ who run http://www.embracinghopeethiopia.com/ a day care that allows women that used to have to beg, a chance to go and work. They provide meals and structure for their children and and some jobs for some of the women. They give a chance for these women to get back on their feet and retain their dignity and provide for their family. An AWESOME ministry. I somehow was so busy talking i realize i did not get any pictures other then shots of Korah from his roof that had a great view.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday we took off to Adama. We bought blankets of the girls orphange. We met the girls and played, then went out to lunch, including the girls best friend. We bought a lot of items for Look Development http://www.lookdevelopment.org/ to sell in their store. Look development really saved our girls, they were the girls sponsorship program. They went above and beyond to help them and help us move forward with the adoptions. I cant thanks Yemeserach, Tesfa, Bazile, the Kidd family, and the DeSarro family enough!

 

 

 

 

 

Next we went to visit the neighbor that helped our girls I could barely hold back my own tears when I saw the tears coming down one of  her daughters eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

Next we went to see the girls home that they stayed in together. It was so surreal to be there one year later on the same road, standing in the same yard, of the pictures we saw from the Kidd family with the story that led us to them. The last picture is Bazile, the girls social worker that did all the paperwork to get them in the orphanage. He is a great guy!

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday we wen to court in the morning and met the girls. We passed court in lieu of the MOWCYA recommendation letter. We then took the girls to the new care center and then spent the rest of the time hanging out, playing ball, getting hair done, going to the movies and arcade, eating, and whatever we could find fun to do with them. We would take them back to the care center at night and pick them up in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

We then went shopping on Saturday in the post office area and met up with the street kids we knew from last year.

 

 

 

 

The guest house “Grand Guesthouse” had a coffee ceremony for us in the afternoon. We also handed out some gifts the staff.

 

 

 

 

 

We then jumped on the plane and headed back home. Grandpa, Ty, and Jewel were waiting to greet us at the gate.

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully soon I will be able to post the pictures of the girls that I can not post until we completely pass court!

 

Mark-

Hailey Day 7:
Today was our last day so Dad picked up the girls and we first watched Rio and then we played outside and played our ball game. But we had to find a new ball since our first one popped. Then we went shopping, then we went to the zoo. Then it started raining. Since our driver didn’t come for so long we asked a kid on the street to buy us an umbrella, but then our driver came, so we didn’t get the umbrella. Then we played with a ball. Then we ate something and then we dropped the girls off at the care center. Then we went to the airport and we are about to fly to DC.
Final thoughts: Ethiopia was a really fun place to be. P.S. once you meet the girls–they are very huggy and touchy. It was a wonderful week in Ethiopia. The End.

Bridget Day 7:
Today was not as bad as I thought (as far as saying good-bye and being the last day together)—the girls seem to like their care center–and knew we would be back. The oldest girl thought that the zoo was “beautiful” in contrast with Hailey not enjoying herself as the Lion Zoo, as it was not comparable to our zoos in America. It was a handful of lions in cages—then some different birds and monkeys in another section—it took us about 20 mins. to go through the entire place. So I told Hailey–”just think how exciting our zoo will be to them when we go at home”–and that sort of perked her up. All 3 girls really have such a great time together—I don’t know how it would have gone without Hailey here. When we are all together eating or walking around, the girls are pretty quiet and it is hard for us to understand one another—but A is always happy to share her English words with us and S enjoys telling us how to say things in Amharic–and how we struggle to make the correct sounds to form the words. Amharic is very difficult for us to speak!! OK–I don’t want Mark and Hailey to lose it that I am the last one to board the plane–so I had better go. Nitey nite…it was great week…can’t wait to just get our girls home so we can start our life together.
OK—well, now we are in DC waiting on our Chicago flight–and met such nice Ethiopians here–one family from Chicago and the other from Fox Point! So we have exchanged contact information and she said she will help me with cooking the traditional food. And they will also help us over the phone if we need it, when they are first home and we will not be able to communicate well with them. Even though the girls said they were fine with having all American food, that they did not need injera—they would order traditional food at times, when it was an option at restaurants. I think they had their first hamburger with us, when we first took them out to eat in Adama (we ate in the same hotel restaurant as last time when my mom and I were there). Mark saw that S was taking her bun and ripping it and then using it to pick up the hamburger meat (like you do with injera) and A watched carefully how Mark was eating his,so she could replicate what he was doing. Yemserech told S how to eat it. This and other little things was a littel view into how many things will be such a big change for them. While we are thrilled to be able to witness all of the “firsts” with them–it is also makes me a little nervous to think about what I can prepare for them, so they can feel comfortable as they enter into this whole new world when they arrive home with us. We have a while to prepare– I will do some test runs on cooking Ethiopian food—Mark will build the bench for our kitchen table–and Hailey will have the best time ever being the “expert” on her new big sisters. She loves to tell people that she can totally communicate with them–there is no language barrier at all, according to her! Ahhhh…the simplicity of a child’s perspective on things. Maybe I can get a dose of that in the months to come!

Hailey Day 6:
I slept in this morning. Then the girls were here and we went to the playground and arcade, which was really fun. Then we got our hair braided. It took a long time. And our hair turned out really cute. Then we went back to the hotel and then we went to eat dinner, but I didn’t feel so well. The driving makes me sick. Then Mom and me got dropped at the hotel and Dad took the girls back to their care center.

Bridget Day 6:
We all slept in for a while this morning–which was nice–Hailey was feeling a bit better–but felt like she should sleep. Mark then was not feeling well! So onto the Cipro he went and by late afternoon he felt better. He went to get the girls in the morning to come to the gusesthouse…Hailey and I were just showering when they came in. We went to this arcade type place–sort of like Chuck E Cheese–but without Chuck E. Such a contrast in the families that were in this arcade with what was just outside the doors. Amazing that they can have a huge Sega Hummer game imported in from somewhere, but yet they cannot have clean water everywhere…or the children that we pass by on the street several times a day—how do they survive on begging alone? Mark has seen that it is more developed, more Westerners this year than last year. Last year, we would go days without seeing another white person–and this time around–it is not uncommon to find some kind of foreigner in a restaurant or shopping place. We seem to notice more upper class looking people–and then also notice the competition with the street kids trying to make a living begging, shining shoes or selling something. Mind boggling to think what you can do to help, to make a difference. One step at a time, I suppose.
So–from the arcade, we went to the beauty salon/spa. Hailey has been asking since the 1st day we got here, if she and the girls could go and get braids in their hair. OK–we have a day to fill with something, so we went into this place. The girls wanted to get extensions put in and then their hair braided and Hailey wanted her hair braided like some of the women here. So…several hours later–they were done. I even got a pedicure done, as we were waiting for so long–I might as well!! It was great—for all of this to be done was about $42 and that was including a 20% tip!! We couldn’t believe after spending that long on their hair, that is all they charged. Oh–and they scrubbed every last bit of dead skin from my feet imaginable–there is one part of my foot that actually hurts because they scrubbed a little too hard!!
We went back to the guesthouse and the girls played ball games in the court—Hailey being her usual loud self out there–and the other girls were laughing, having fun with her. Then we played some cards and we put rubber bands at the end of their braids–for some reason, they didn’t put any in the girls hair–only Hailey’s…maybe they used all the rubberbands on Hailey’s hair! We went to an Italian restaurant our driver said was good. Well–Hailey was about to throw up–as she gets car sick here from the crazy driving and exhaust smells–so we quickly rushed to the restroom (she did not get sick, though! whew.) We walked into this restaurant and this big older Italian man said we couldn’t come in! We did not have a reservation. OK. Then he probably saw the look on my face that said to him “seriously–I have 3 kids here and you are going to say no?” And he said we could come in if we could be done by 8:30. Sure–we could do that! So we ate a wonderful meal at this lovely white tablecloth restaurant! Who knew? I heard the woman next to me say that this restaurant had been there since 1950 and always had the same menu. The wait staff could then speak English, Amharic and Italian! Our waiter had to translate many things for us–he was very kind. Meal time conversation is difficult for us!! It wil be a challenge the 1st couple months, I am sure. The girls say that the care center is “ok” and they told our driver that it was fine there—and they came to our guesthouse in new, clean clothes–much more than they had at their old orphanage. So it may all be fine for them to stay there after all. Oh–and we were not able to meet up with Jimmy this morning—since most of us were not feeling well—but as it turns out–all of his kids were home with him sick! So…maybe next time. I was really looking forward to Mark meeting them—but I guess it will not happen this time around. The girls seem happy with us–especially great to have Hailey here to play with them–it is a great start for them. But we wonder if they think this is what life is like with us–all amusement parks, eating out, spa time–boy will they be suprised when they come home!!! Tomorrow is our last day..wish we had some more definite answers when we would be back for them…we can only hope it is soon.

Hailey Day 5:
Today we went to court and then once we were done with court the girls got to stay with us for a while, which was really nice.  But when they stayed with us, we first went to their care center and saw what it was like.  We played there for a while and it was lunch time and we ate lunch there.  Lunch was injera and wot.  But the wot was really spicy and I really didn’t like injera, but I ate it anyway and gave the rest to Mom.  Then after we ate lunch I felt a little sick because i forgot to use hand sanitizer and used their water to wash my hands and I licked my fingers.  So then we went back to the hotel with the girls and watched a little bot of Rio and then played a game that we made up.  It is a mixture of volleyball and basketball.  Then once we tried to play the game we were playing, we made up some ways to make the ball go.  Then we pretended that we had try outs and threw the ball to one another.  Then we went to the movie theater and watched Mr Popper’s Penguins.  Then we went back to the hotel and watched a show and then I felt real sick and fell asleep and the girls went back to the care center while I was sleeping.  And I did not eat any dinner because I didn’t feel so good and then I went to bed with Dad.

Bridget Day 5:
We all slept very well last nite–as we got in late (9:30pm) from Adama–had some Chicken Hut (their version of KFC?  the only place open!) and then it was morning!  You know Mark–nervous that we would be late—so I hopped out of bed as quickly as possible to shower and be ready for court.  Hailey was so tired, it took some help to get her going.  We were picked up by our driver and dropped off at court.  Well, it was a tall building and we walked up the stairs, looking for our director or some other Americans–and on the 3rd floor up, we found it.  It is nothing like an American court–it was more of a social services waiting room.  Chairs are lined up against the walls and the rest of the room was standing only.  The entire room was packed with people.  And our girls were not there yet.  We called and they were on their way.  Finally they arrived and we were not called in yet, so we were ok.  Children that are ten and older appear in court to speak with the judge themselves.  After waiting for a couple of hours and Hailey asking “can we play tag in the hall?”  –we got called in.  The judge asked us a couple of questions and then the girls came in and they asked them some questions as well.  The judge was very nice and sort of laughed as she told us once this adoption is final–it is final–but we already knew that since we already had one adoptive child at home with us!  She also laughed to say that we have a big family. Next we went to pick up some things at the guesthouse to take to the care center.  We arrived at the care center, the girls each had a little bag with their things in it–mainly gifts from us that they had stuffed in there. They did not have any clothes with them.  As we were visiting the kids, playing with play-dough, taking pcitures for other families–the girls looked upset.  We had a person there translate for us and they said that Adama was better–they wanted to be back there.  As we got them talking more–we found out that they thought they were coming to court and then going back to their orphanage.  They understood they were not coming home with us–but did not think they were suppose to stay there, either.  They probably did not say good-bye as they would have if they knew they were not coming back–perhaps brought more things?  Who knows–but it was hard to watch.  We stayed for a bit longer, had lunch there (well, after I was playing with babies–I walked upstairs to see Mark and the girls in the room eating lunch with everybody!) and then left.  By the way–we were very proud of Hailey for eating the food that she was served–she did not eat much–but she was politely eating it.  Of course, that is probably why she is currently having tummy issues right now.  I hope the medicine that I have for her works and clears it all up!  She is already feeling better from hours before, though–so we are praying that by tomorrow she will be ok and we don’t have to sit home.  Anyways—we were looking for things to do–and while playing with a ball in the very small courtyard is fun–not an all afternoon event.  We saw that there is a movie theater down the road–so we went to see Mr Poppper’s Penguins.  The popcorn was even good!!  I think it was probably the girls’ 1st movie?  Oh the things we will find out once we can communicate better with them!  They are so sweet–very quiet most the time.  When I was done with my popcorn, I was quickly offered popcorn from one of them, as Hailey was offered from the other.  And they always have to carry our backpacks for us when we go anywhere.  At this point, Hailey was not feeling great, so we hung out in our room for a bit and then I went with the driver to take them back.  Mark could not stand the thought of them being upset when we left them there–who ever knew that I would be the one to say “they’ll be fine”.  We asked our agency if there is any way they can go back to their orphanage while they wait for us to come back for Embassy–and they are looking into it for us.  It is not that we do not like the care center–the nannies were all very nice and looked loving towards the children there—but it is not what they are familiar with–there are 2 other older girls and their embassy date is in less than 2 weeks.  The positive was that they saw that one of the babies was from their orphanage–so they were playing with him–and it was like he knew I was then ok–so then he wouldn’t let me put him down and was all smiles!  And even better–he will be in Wisconsin too!!  I have met his mother and she is so sweet–cannot wait to share that news with her!!  Our world continues to get smaller and smaller!  Who meets people in Korah that you have mutual friends on facebook, therefore, I totally knew who he was??  small, small world.  Hailey says her tummy is already feeling better as I finish typing here.  Thank you for Zithro!!  We will see what we do tomorrow–Look Development office, perhaps Jimmy Gross and maybe the zoo??  We have never been to the zoo before!  Have to figure out our driver again, I think.  There are other families that we must share with now!!  Our IAG driver is very nice–explained much to me about Orthodox and Pentecostal Christians here—and says that our girls are Orthodox…good thing they have Catholic Godparents and Aunt and Uncle to fill in any gaps for us when we are home!  It sounds very similar to Catholicism.  Such good girls we have–we are feeling blessed.  Their Daddy is about to set up shop here and stick it out until they have their Embassy appointment, if they are not happy when we leave them, though!!  Pray for peace for the 3 of them, especially.  I am sure my time with come when I will feel bad, too—but for once, I am being optimistic that it will all go quickly and they will be home in no time at all.  I am wanting some miracles here–that MOWYA letter to be here before court closing and the Embassy not to request any further documents and get that travel date ASAP!!!  These girls have gone through enough–they need to be home already!!  Miss seeing our little ones—could not imagine having them here, though!!

Hailey Day 4:
Today I woke up at 9 in the morning to go to the orphanage to meet my sisters. Then I met thema dn they are very nice and very huggy. Then I met their friend Gete. Then I saw that they had a playground at their orhanage and played on the teeter totter and merry go round–that actually had chairs on it and it was really cool. Then we went on the swing, which is chair swings. Then we went down the big slide which made a lot of noise. Then we took them out to lunch ( girls and Gete). We had a good lunch. Then we went to their sponsor program and gave them all sorts of stuff. I handed out stickers and suckers to all the kids. There were some kids that didn’tget anything and I was trying to get them things, and I told the other kids that were grabbing “uuhhhhnnaaaaa” and kept trying to secretly get them things so the other kids wouldn’t see. Then we went to their neighborhood and visited their friends that helped them stay safe when they weren’t in the orphanage. Then we went to their neighborhood and saw their old house and 2 dogs were sleeping in their old yard. Their house was a pretty color, but we couldn’t go inside because it was locked. Then we went back to the orphanage and it was dark out. Then we went back to our hotel and ate some Chicken Hut and found out that it stays open until midnight and then they close.

Bridget Day 4:
Hmmm…where do I start? It was a very long day–nothing as expected. Yemserech (Look Development Director–the girls’ sponsorship program) and Tesfa (her brother, also Look Development and Childrens Hope Chest) came to our guesthouse to meet us and then go to Adama with us. We called our driver from last year that we enjoyed so much to drive us–thankfully he was available for the day AND had a van (last year, he had a small SUV). So we headed out, with Yemserech, to go see the girls. Once again, Alazar (driver) told us more about Ethiopia than we had ever known, as we drove along to get to Adama. It was a joy to talk with and meet Yemserech—all that was described to us about her being a wonderful, Christ-centered, joyful woman was all true. She loves to talk–and always giving the glory to God. She explained to us how the girls’ neighbor that cared for them got a new house. The husband’s company (factory worker) gave thema new house–and she said this was God’s reward to them for caring for the girls.
On the way there, I could not stop thinking about what a tough day this will be for the girls. They will be saying good-bye to all that they know–all that they have grown up with in their short lives. Mark still was thinking it was weird that we could just pick up the girls and take them to Addis with us–but I figured they were telling us what to do–so it must be correct…as this is their job!
We get to Adama and stop for mattresses before we get to the orphanage. I had them call the director of the orphanage to see what size mattresses exactly and to make sure on the number of them. When we called, she said somebody already bought them, but she would like blankets. uh–ok. So she met us at the market and we went searching and bargaining for blankets. I never knew that Ethiopians bargained–thought it was just a tourist thing. But we started at one store for 550 birr ($32 USD ) then down to 450 at the shop next door, and after walking 3 blocks down, we were then at 380 birr! Sold! 16 blankets for about $375. Of course this all took about an hour–and I knew that Mark and Hailey were probably hot (it was warmer in Adama) and annoyed that it was taking this long. So then, finally, on our way to seeing the girls. It was wonderful to see them again—their nails and hair were done—they looked so cute. So we spent a little time there then took all 3 girls (because their best friend there is sort of a package deal!) out to lunch and then to Look Development to see old friends, and bring donations. Of course in order to buy things for the Look Development store was an adventure in shopping! Yemserech and I went to the different stores to buy big bags of flour and soap for them to sell. This store generates money for the program. This program benefits so many children and families–it is incredible. We finally made it to Look and saw their office there and many children greeted us. We were running low on time—so I left the activities that we had planned on doing with them for the staff and they could use them some other time. Loved seeing the Kidds’ family picture of the girls and their house–the same pictures that captured our hearts last year. We met their wonderful social worker Bazile there. Again–what a great serving heart he had. He helped them get all of the paperwork to get to the orphanage–as well as taking them into his home many times for things like Christmas. He had some kind of document/i.d of the girls’ mother–and the picture looked just like A. They have the same eyes and face shape. I am sure that is what she will look exactly like when she is older!
Next we went to their neighbors’ house. Let me preface this with that the neighbor has a new home–not next to the girls’ anymore. So we go walking up to this green gate with a 50lb bag of teff and a large blue plastic bin—knock on the door–a bunch of kids come to the door–and we were at the wrong door! So we walked a couple doors down and there was this woman standing there in an orange dress—waiting for us. I started to cry when i recognized her. Her children were so excited to see the girls…especially the oldest girl, that looked to be maybe 9 or 10. She had tears in her eyes as she greeted her old friends. We went into her home—which was a nice room with furniture and then a bedroom. The mother and her 3 children stayed in the room with al of us, as they spoke about details about the girls’property–I have no idea what the details are–but something like they need to decide what to do with it and would like to sell it or rent it and the girls would have money later?? Not real clear on any of this. I could not help but cry as I had them try to translate for me that we are so grateful for what she did for our girls–caring for them and feeding them the way they did. How exactly do you thank somebody for that?? The woman definitely had a connection with the girls, but she was pretty stoic–never looking teary or sad about seeing or saying good -bye to the girls when we left.
Then we asked to see where their old house was. It was unreal to be walking along the same road that we saw from the Kidd family–to see the actual house–see how tiny it was–it was locked, so we could not go inside. There was no gate, no fencing–just trees/buhes that divided their property from the next one. There were neighbors that came and walked along with us and greeted the girls. Again–the girls did not appear sad at all. How can this be?? I was crying as I was leaving there, as Yemserech told me that she told the girls never to forget where they came from, never forget any of this. Helllllloooo–how can this not affect them? After we dropped the girls off at their orphanage I asked why they were not upset or sad and she simply said that they are excited to have their life in America. She said that all of the children here think that America is like heaven. um..ok—not so much–but I guess everything is relative.
Funny how I can look at so many Ethiopians and wish that I had the simplicity they had, the pure faith in God–and yet some wish they had what I had. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side? My prayer for our girls is that we can have both. Never forget where they are from, their family and friends here—yet be able to continue and nurture their steadfast faith when they are home with us….and be able to give them the opportunities, the home, the family that they deserve.

Hailey Day 1:

I mostly watched movies and since it’s a touch screen,  I played games on it like card games, checkers, bowling, and boxing.  Then we made it to Africa and I was sleepy because I never went to sleep on the plane.  I had a sweet day.

Bridget Day 1:

Here is the start to our trip….a long trip (to be expected) but what was not expected was Hailey being so excited about every little thing…her comment about the flight from Chicago to DC was “this was the most entertaining flight” since she could watch her own personal tv screen the whole way.  Then the hotel–well, what is not exciting about a stay in hotel and staying up way late and eating Subway for dinner at 9pm?  And almost forgot to mention the swans–the hotel had swans…she always wanted to go downstairs and check on what the swans were doing.

The start of the long flight…again, exciting because of the movies/shows, not to mention Mark’s old iPod that he put some shows on (we have had enough of Good Luck Charlie to last us a lifetime!), as well as some games.

Hailey Day 2:

Hailey’s 1st day in Ethiopia: We went to Kaldi’s and Zebra Grill to eat.  I got my nails manicured and painted.  I played a game of Uno with my mom and I won.  The cars here don’t have seat belts and they go speedy fast.  I only went to sleep for a second at nite.  I felt like I have been in Africa before  because it looks familiar.  I had an awesome day.

Bridget Day 2:

When we arrived, we met Haile (the director here of our adoption agency) in the lobby of our guesthouse and we were set to go meet the girls when he told us they were not in Addis yet. Well–we were surprised, to say the least…and disappointed.  But we were so tired, we made the best of it and had a bite to eat at Kaldi’s and could not fight our sleep any longer and took naps in the afternoon…and then had a late dinner at the Zebra Grill.  Tried to get a hold of the contacts we had in order to get us to Ashli’s and Korah–but no luck in getting in touch…so it will wait until the morning to see exactly what/how we would get someplace.  Surely in the morning we would feel rested and be off to a better start!

Hailey Day 3:

I went to Kadli’s with Dad and I got pancakes and the butter was really sweet, but I didn’t really like them.  We went to an orphanage and the kids were really cute, kind and friendly.  I got to hold these cute babies and toddlers and they were adorable.  And I fed a bottle to a toddler.  I played with another toddler (2 yo) and he was throwing the ball at me and we started playing catch–but he mostly hit my head.  He had a great arm.  We played games with the older kids.  We played with punching balloons, volleyball with a big balloon, duck duck, goose (my dad tagged me and I tagged him back), and some other games, too.  We went to Korah, which is the dump where people live.  A lot of kids were asking for candy and we had a whole bunch in our backpacks.  So we handed out some.  And they were all fighting to hold my hands, so I had to pick which ones could hold my hands and then switch off.  It was muddy, so I got my shoes cleaned.  So they use some water and funny looking soap stuff and make them look clean and brand new.  And it was a young boy (I think he was about 10 or 11) that cleaned my shoes.  And my mom got crowded with kids because all the kids thought the tootsie rolls were chocolate and they called it “choclot”.  This happened in Korah and after we got our shoes cleaned.  We went to dinner and me and Dad really didn’t like it because my pasta was too cheesy and his meat was too hard.  And we bought movies on the street.  And I am about to watch the movie that we bought, “Rio”.  And tomorrow I am going to meet my siters, so I am SOOO EXCITED.  I had a wonderful day.

Bridget Day 3:

We were up early–still off on our sleeping (Mark and Hailey slept–and got up early–I kept on looking at the watch every 1/2 hr!)–so they went out for coffee and I stayed back to get a shower and get ready.   We could not get a hold of the person we needed to–so we tried to get there on our own, with the driver from here.  The driver was trying to get a hold of the orphanage—-but not having much luck–but I recognized that he was going the right direction—and then I saw somebody I knew!!  So I opened the door (the window doesn’t open) and said “hey (I forgot his name—it was Henok, one of our translators from our trip in May) we are trying to get to Ashli’s” and he helped us get there–he hopped in another van and our driver followed him to the correct street and we were able to drop off the diapers to them–Ashli was not available–(so we will meet at a different time) but we stayed to play with the kids.  The place looked great!!  It was clean and organized–the kids were clean and well clothed and diapered–and the biggest delight was seeing “tiny baby” all big and healthy!!   I cannot wait to show pictures of how different he and the other babies look so much better!  I posted a picture of this babies skinny skinny legs and arms (cannot show face)and now he is the cutest healthy baby ever–with a great little giggle for Hailey and I when we talked to and held him.  Many of the little babies were gone–so just one baby per crib in that little room (in May there was 2 per crib) and then the bigger babies (under 2) were fun to play with for a while and then we moved on to the bigger kids that were in the room with the school teacher.  Mark and I were worn out from all the fun–literally running and playing games in there–so many little hands just wanting our hands and attention.  They were great.  And when we got in the van Hailey said “What are we doing next?  That was fun!”  Oh the energy of an 8 year old, I tell you!   So onto Korah we went–picked up Brehanu along the way so we could go to Great Hope ministries and visit Mission Ethiopia and onto the daycare in Korah.  The kids there were all smiles and hands and hugs as usual…went into a family’s home for a short visit…(those familiar with Korah families–it was Baby Judah’s mother and her children)..and I was surprised that Hailey made no comments as to why people lived this way–in mud, tiny shacks, dirty clothes–no comment.  Maybe she is taking it in?  Maybe she sees past it?  Really the only thing she seems to be comment negatively about is the people begging for money or asking for candy—and the smell of exhaust from the cars made her stomach feel bad on one ride.  She enjoyed getting her shoes cleaned–she thought that was pretty cool.  And she enjoys it when the other kids or people ask her what her name is and interested in talking with her.  She has been a pretty picky eater, as well.  She orders pasta most meals—but does not eat much–good thing we brought a lot of snacks.  I think she will have had consumed more soda this trip than in her entire life–that is for sure!  OK–a little girl is bugging me for the laptop to watch her movie—and we are going to move to a bigger room.    Have all of our donations and gifts sorted out for tomorrow’s big day.  A big day for so many reasons…the girls will say good bye to all they know–their neighbors, their orphanage, their sponsor program and be brought to a new place (the care center they will stay in until our Embassy date)…let alone the 1st time they meet their Daddy and new sister!!  Oh–what a day it will be.  And what is Hailey wanting to do??  Get her hair done with her sisters (Hailey wants braids in her hair!) at a salon…I told her we would see how our day went.  Many prayers as we go to sleep tonight.

 

Okay—well today was our last day in Ethiopia. It took me forever (hours!) to be able to Skype with Mark about what the girls were like—I so wanted to get ahold of him before we left for home—I know I would have been glued to the computer waiting in anticipation to see what they were like—in person! So he had a little bit to go on, if I could Skype a bit.

It was a nice hotel we stayed at—for anybody travelling to Adama stay at the Executive Hotel—nice rooms, super slow internet, ok food (good breakfast!)—but hey—a nice bed and shower goes a long way for me while traveling in Ethiopia!! It was a nice evening’s rest. Then we were off to see the girls.

They were waiting for us as we pulled through the gate—wearing their shirts we had sent last December. Each of the 3 girls traded clothing—S & Gete had swapped their skirt and pants and A had on Gete’s top from yesterday—kinda cute. Of course we had lots of hugs and kisses hello…and then we sat down in our visiting room to look at some of their pictures.

They had pictures of the neighbor children. The kind woman (neighbor) that cared for them after their parents had both passed away. It was A & S and three other children in these pictures. They explained that they had these pictures taken right before they moved to the orphanage. Wow! This family really saved our girls. I had it in my head that A probably cooked and cared for S…but come to find out, this neighbor woman gave them injera when they could and really took them under their wing. I was able to write down the parents’ names and their 3 children, so we would have that for them—forever.

There are so many wonderful families involved in our daughters’ lives—to bring them to where they are today. How do we thank all of these families? For The Kidd family that introduced us to them, for Look Development staff that cared and nurtured them, for the kind neighbors that helped and fed them? Again, overwhelmed. Maybe that is how I can describe this entire trip—overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done and overwhelmed by so many caring individuals that are here in Ethiopia–people that truly put others before themselves. God’s grace is overflowing here in a country that has so little otherwise.

S at one point had slow tears coming down her face and she was saying something about Dad. She went and got Getchou so he could translate for her. Obviously I could not understand her, but I watched her and Getchou’s facial expressions and while S had tears coming down her face, so did A. I was waiting anxiously to hear the translation, but at that point, Getchou covered his face and we had to wait for him to compose himself, as he was now crying, as well. I wish I had a better memory for things like this—but partoif it was about the girls not spending the nite with us (they thought they should have—but Getchou explained that the orphanage had rules), the other part was about where Dad was—and he explained that he was back at home with the other kids…but he would be back next time, when we come for court. The next part was what had all of us crying—she spoke about how they had one family, but now God has given them a new family and how thankful they were that this has happened, and they cannot wait to all be together. Such sweet words and thoughts that come from these children—again, overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the amount of love we can all feel for one another, even before we physically have all met.

Our children back home feel a love for their new sisters that is unexplainable-you can feel it in their prayers, and the way they talk about them. The love that our new daughters talk about our family is pure and simple. With all that they have been through in their short lives, I am in awe that their hearts would be so open to our love—so that they may have room in their hearts for us—and so far, I would say they have room and then some. But don’t et me wrong—I do not think it will be easy to communicate without a translator, and I do not know if they have even mourned the many losses in their life—but I am excited to see how happy and loving they are—for that, I am thankful. We played some games (they loved connect 4) and then did some bubbles with the little ones outside–such fun to see all the smiles on their faces. The older girls helped with the bubbles, but had more fun taking our cameras and take pictures —always showing us what picture they just took.

We then walked over to their school—just about a block away from them. It was a nice big area—with room to play and run, some random old playground equipment and several buildings. We met the director and he showed us around, very proud of their computer/music room. Oh—before this, I have to tell you that Grandma took a picture of some kids and then we turn back to see where she went and a picture that started out with maybe 20 kids is all of a sudden 40-50! It was hilarious. We were quite the spectacle, I think. Kids were looking in the windows when we were in the music/computer room—and the director shooed them away. Kind of felt like a celebrity! They had about 6 computers in there and A was proud to show us how she could type her name in microsoft word and S showed us how she could change the wallpaper and do things in the paint program. I told them their dad would be very excited to know they could use a computer already! Salaam (the orphanage director) was proud to share with us that the girls spoke no english when they came to her, but now they are learning because they go to this school. Oh—and if you are wondering why there were kids milling around and not in class—they were having their lunch break. Two little ones that walked to the orphanage for lunch were on their way back when we were leaving—walking hand n hand —it was too cute.

Then we made lots of bracelets for and with one another—and Gete made these cool rings out of the bead supplies. All of a sudden, 3pm just creeped up on us…and it was time to go. It was awful to say goodbye—lots of tears and many hugs and kisses. It was hard—but I know I will be back soon. I am so glad that my mom could see where her grandchildren are from, why we love the Ethiopian people and why we are so passionate about our calling to serve orphans. I am sure it was not an easy trip for her—and as she says—“I can’t really talk about my time in Ethiopia to people without crying…and well, that is not good at a cocktail party!”

Oh my mom…proud of her for coming and for being a good sport when many times, I know she was tired or had enough, she went on. And of course there were the little Sue comments here and there—others in our group claim they were entertained by our mother-daughter conversations—especially our roommates Dana and Carrie. I am sure they are missing seeing Sue in her lovely nightie! Maybe we will have to have a girls nite again…oh, but then we would need foam mattresses, bunk beds, a mosquito buzzing around Sue’s head and heat. Hmm…maybe not anytime soon!

Can’t wait to see my family back home—I don’t know that I can be gone for this long again—I missed them terribly. 2 weeks is a long time. Now in the weeks to come, we will get together as a team to decide the future plans of the Orphan Ministry. All I know for certain is that lives were changed and hearts were broken—and I know we will do something—that is all we ever dreamed of—that others’ would see the hope that we saw, the love we felt and the calling that we heard.

Mission accomplished.

Well, of course it is hard to put in words the emotion you have when finally meeting your children…but I will try. Of course I was nervous, but actually more excited than nervous versus when we first met Eyob last year. We arrived in Adama and found a nice hotel, put our luggage in our rooms and then quickly left to find the orphanage. The people at the front desk did not even know what an orphanage was—then we explained to them what it was and our driver called the orphanage to get directions. After a long conversation he said “road is closed to orphanage” huh?? We can’t get there?? But then he continued with “they are coming here” Again, huh? Are the girls coming here? That would be kind of weird to meet at a hotel, but ok. But no, a person from the orphanage was coming here to show us how to get there, since it was hard.

Well, this is Africa—so I knew it may be a while until this person came here, so maybe we should eat something, even though it was 10:30 am….so we ordered some fries and some cake/bread. Well, of course the guy came, so we left our food half eaten and followed this man to the orphanage. Sure enough they were redoing roads, so we had to take these really poor rocky roads to get there—I felt bad for Getchou’s (our driver) van having to go on these roads. But then we see a really nice place in the midst of a new construction area—at the same time there was not such nice areas and trash everywhere—very weird—but again, not surprising here in Ethiopia to have one place super nice and the next place is a shack.

We pull up to the gates and the girls were on the front porch. They came down the stairs and of course I immediately start to cry and I cannot even recall who I hugged first—maybe A. But after individual hugs, the 3 of us hugged for a long time and they also hugged and kissed Grandma. Getchou took pics for us. The girls are so very sweet….they just kept saying “I love you Mom” and constantly hugging and kissing. They were also saying this to Grandma—but mostly to me. So we went into a room to visit. I showed the girls the video that Mark made for them and they immediately said “Dad!” and then as they would see things in the video, they would repeat what he would say in the video (he gave them sort of a home tour). They were also excited to see Eyob and Ty in the video. They opened their many gifts. They were so thankful for each thing they received…never being greedy or tearing into things. Aunt Jenny—they loved all of their things from you—especially the picture, so they could see who you were and they do have Godparents here, so they explained that is who you are. For those that have travelled to Ethiopia and know how affectionate and no knowledge of personal space they have here—well, our girls take this trait to the test—and I dare to say they are the most affectionate girls ever. They were literally on top of me, petting me, always an arm around me, or holding my hand….I do not think I will lose them in the airport, as they are glued to me. I guess I do not have to worry about not seeing A smile much in pics…she is just more reserve than S. We had a good time playing Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders with one another. Their friend is also at this orphanage with them, and she stuck with us, as well, for much of our time. We then asked if we could take them out to lunch and we could! I felt horrible when we could not also take my friend’s little girl—but since she was not ours, we could not and I understood—but I cried, as she cried.

So off we went to lunch at our hotel—as we did not know much of what was around here. Oh—a funny thing they said as we were still first meeting was the girls said I was late!! Yes—already calling me out on being late (which we never set a time)—but they thought I should have been there sooner!! It was funny. So anyways….then we went in the van and of course all 3 of us had to sit in the same seat…so we sat in the way back and giggled as we were rocking around on the bumpy roads. Mind you—one of them had their arm around me, and I am holding hands with the other and it is a zillion degrees outside! Much warmer here, since we are in a valley in Adama. We walked in the restaurant hand in hand—S had my back pack on, because of course they would not let me carry it. They looked a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable at the nice restaurant—I am glad we were the only ones there. Getchou helped them decide what to order and they had tibs with injera and we ordered a pizza. Conversation was minimal—as they still do not speak very much English. There was a tv on –some kind of weird Kurt Russel movie that they seemed glued to (in engish)—but since Getchou was watching, I did ask them to turn it off. Our pizza was kind of weird gross…but it sufficed.

Mom stayed at the hotel and I went back with the girls. We had lots of fun drawing pictures, then getting stickers and crosses out—they did not want to decorate the crosses, but they wanted to put the stickers on their faces—so I asked if we could include all of the little ones and they loved it. Kathleen gave us her Polaroid and the kids loved it!! The girls were also taking pics with my camera. They were poking fun of S as she was always kissing me on my cheek in pics. We got out one of the Velcro mitt games I brought and they were playing in the courtyard. There were no tears as we left—as I will be back in the morning. They are proud of the English words that they do know (which is very minimal) and S came to the van to tell me “God bless you”. Oh—they already had my heart before I met them—but this is sweet frosting on the cake.

The orphanage director seems very kind and caring to all of the children there…even though they are lacking in supplies…using cloths for diapers for little tiny babies and having the young 1-3 yr olds sitting on potties—but hey, that works in a lot of countries…so why not here, right? They looked too cute all lined up on their potty seats. So thankful our girls are there—and that it is a smaller place, but with room to play outside and inside. They said 39 children were there….and they have 4 nannies on each 12hr shift. OK—I need to get to bed—as I was falling asleep in the van on the way back to orphanage the 2nd time I went!! Emotionally exhausting day, I think. Just in awe how awesome God has weaved our family together. And Ali—your Gete is precious and misses her family—I cannot wait to show you pics and talk to you. I just want to scoop her up and take her home to you—you know I would if I could. But could all of us live in the same city, so we don’t have to separate the 3 musketeers??

So we are well on our way, on our way in the adoption process again, ready to be a family of 8. We are excited the kids are excited, cant wait to see what the Lord has in store for us.

We our so blessed to have Eyob in our family now. Eyob is absolutely amazing, I love that kid SO much, I can barely look at it him without smiling.

He is always smiling, laughing, snuggling, and always just the cutest, most loving little boy ever. He and his brothers and sisters love each other so much, its like he was super naturally woven into our family. A lot of people like to note how much of a blessing we are to him, but I think we get more out of the deal, in so many ways.

One of the biggest was pulling us out of lukewarm waters and realizing that God is faithful when we follow Him! Maybe not in our time or in our expected ways, but in the end, with Him as the focus, there will always be an amazing story unfolding.

Now we move on to the next chapter in the Sullivan family, we started an Orphan Ministry at our church, and Bridget will be taking the first group from the church in May with a Visiting Orphans group to Uganda, and Ethiopia, with the goal of finding an orphanage that is in need of a partner. We hope to Adopt an Orphanage.

We decided we had more room in our home, in our family, and in our hearts for 2 more children. Little did we know what God had in store though, as we had in our minds children around our youngest ages, but a fellow adoptive friend Andrea, soon after sent out a note telling of two sisters of which they sponsored and were visiting. They were alone, she shared their story and their hope of a family… and here we are!! if it wasn’t for their sponsors, they would not have had as much love, school or food—THIS is why sponsorship will bring on a whole different meaning for our family…it literally saved our girls.

Now our home study is finished, Dossier is sent to Ethiopia, and we just FINALLY found out the girls are finally safe in a really nice orphanage, waiting for us, as we wait for our documents to be translated and a court date set. Our wonderful friend Amanda recently visited them in their home, and took pictures of our family to them, she sent back pictures of them looking at our pictures.. It was awesome, they were smiling. Right now I ask you to pray for them as I am sure they are sad to leave all they have known as home.

I am looking forward to how the creator of the heavens and the earth will weave the Sullivan family together.

Take a minute and check out Look Development, think about sponsoring a child.. http://www.lookdevelopment.org/

In Jesus name and for His glory!

Mark-

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Friday we had breakfast and our driver Alazar showed up around 9:30am. Alazar is on the AWAA driver list, if your ever wanting to venture off by yourself I highly recommend him, he speaks very good english and taught us so much! We decided to just go to the Entoto Mountains. The ride up the mountain we saw several people bringing down leaves and firewood. Most carry it down on their backs, but some use donkeys to carry the loads. They start off early in the morning and collect that carry down the load.

This older lady stopped for us to take her picture then ventured on with her load that she would sell for about 30 birr or about $2.30.

We checked out the farmland and the view, every once in awhile kids would come out to check us out.

We visited an Orthodox Church at the top that was about 130 years old. The Church was in the shape of an octagon and had 3 layers representing the Trinity. Priest were th only ones allowed in the center as the replica of the Arc of the covenant was inside and is believed to contain the Holy Spirit. The middle layer had interesting drawings depicting the stories in the Gospels and New Testament.

Behind the Church Building was the former Church which was carved from stone.

After the Church visit we ventured back down the mountain and did some shopping.

Then we ended the trip by picking up some good coffee to bring home.

My wife with Alazar, our Driver / Guide. He was great. Highly recommend him!

Eyob did great on the whole trip. The bumpy car rides do not even phase him. We came back, had lunch then waited to be picked up. Robel Picked us up around 4pm to go meet the Street kids he helps. We drove to the market area where they hang out, We had a minor car accident on the way there, a police motorcycle’s change broke and stopped right in front of us, our van driver (Robel’s Friend) slammed on the breaks and we stopped just short of hitting the policeman, seatbelts and car seats are un heard of there so I slid out of my seat, catching Eyob who was sleeping and after we came to a stop, the car behind us slammed into us. Eyob let out a cry, then immediately went back to sleep, everyone was ok. Robel’s friend called another guy to come get us. After about 30 minutes another van showed up and we were on our way.

We pulled up to the market and Robel told the kids to round up the others. We went to a little restaurant and all gathered. Robel ordered food and soft drinks for all of them as they watch a soccer game on TV.

All of these kids went to school. They go to the streets to try to make money to bring home. Some have parent(s) and some said they did not.

Samuel is 14 and has a mom. He said he was in 6th grade and showed me his school ID.

Robel tries to teach them not to beg, but to buy and sell. They sell anything from Gum to Tissue, and chapstick, as well as shine shoes. Shoe shining is big you see people everywhere shining / cleaning shoes, It is very muddy in Ethiopia so there is no lack of customers.

Saturday we needed to take our last donations to Mother Teresa’s Orphanage. Not an easy place to get to thats for sure. The drive was about 2 hours and got muddier and narrower as we went along to the poing of a traffic jam in the middle of a village about an hour away from Addis Ababa, Our driver was not the best at english and did not know exactly where it was located. Finally we asked the right people walking and they pointed us in the right direction.

We arrived at the gates and honked the horn. The orphanage was in the middle of the village in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. The doors opened up to show a nice, very large compound. We were greeted by a Nun from the UK. We unloaded our donations and she told us about the orphanage. There were about 320 HIV+ kids at this orphanage ranging from teenagers to babies. She took us down the hill showed us the Medical building and the play areas, guided us through a group of older kids, down to the area where the toddlers and babies were.

She then handed us over to another Nun who took us into the children’s area. We were not allowed to take any pictures inside the facility. All I can say was this visit was too overwhelming for me. We walked in, Bridget and Myself holding Eyob and we saw a lot of babies lined up crying and lots of children came running in from the other rooms, Bridget handed out some suckers and balloons as a small toddler riot almost broke out. Finally the Nanny came in and with authority had all of them sitting quietly. The kids played for awhile and then we left. This visit was too much for me. It knocked me down a level, I was sad and scared all at once, I did not want to let Eyob down as shameful as that makes me feel to say. The Church supports the orphanage, but they definitely have their work cut out for them. They ware strong, inspiring people there.

After the long trip we rested, then had dinner, and went to the airport. The trip back was long and exhausting. In all it was about 30 hours with layovers. We went from Ethiopia to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Detroit, then Detroit to Milwaukee. Eyob slept most of the first flight, wanted to run around the airport in Amsterdam as we struggled to keep our eyes opened, then cried most of the Amsterdam to Detroit flight, unhappy neighbors for sure.. Then a quick flight over lake Michigan, where are family, kids and friends were waiting at the gate. It was great to be home!!!

Well it is now Friday, we leave late tomorrow night. On Tuesday we went shopping prior to picking Eyob up. Bridget picked up a few things for the kids and freinds. We also ran into Robel’s Street kids that he helps out. To make money to bring home and eat, they shine shoes, sell gum, tissue, or chap stick etc.. There were the women dressed in green with sticks that the shop owners apparently pay to keep the kids away, there were a couple of close calls, some of the kids seemed to treat it as a game though.

I met Samuel, bought some gum from him, he kept asking me about America. He told me he was 14, and was proud that he as in school. He showed me his school ID and showed me that it said he was in 6th grade. I paid him to take his picture. He later gave me a cross necklace as a gift. I really like Samuel.

We picked up Eyob later that day. He did pretty good, he started off real closed, quiet. He did not make a sound. He slept all night.

Wednesday we went to the Embassy to and had to be interviewed, about 5 questions or so, to get Eyob’s travel visa, he even got a little passport. Everything went fine there. We wen to lunch and Lucy’s. After lunch Eyob finally started playing, walking around and visiting others, then playing with another boy from our group, the other boy even had Eyob laughing as they would stick their head out in the rain drops under the canopy.

We then came back had dinner and played for awhile. He was starting to open up a little more. We went to bed around 9pm. 2am I awoke to the sounds of loud crying. I picked up Eyob and he quieted down. I tried to put him back down and he started screaming. The only thing that calmed him at this point was me walking in circles with him, every time I sat down he would scream “like a light switch”. This went on till about 5:30 am. He was tugging at his ear so we started with Tylenol, to no avail, then 2 hours in we gave him motron, I think that’s what helped in the end.

Thursday Bridget and I both were very tired. The plans for the day were to visit Kids Care ( The orphanage where Eyob was originally dropped off at when he was one), then Lunch, then Kingdom vision orphanage. Bridget was not feeling well and they both were tired so she and Eyob stayed back and slept while I went with the group to the 1st orphanage.

I had a good time at Kids Care. The kids could not wait to play with us, we brought donations, suckers, chalk, and even some “Jesus” hacky sacks! The kids were laughing and playing with us, it was awesome. They then made coffee for us and then we left.

I decided to skip lunch and go back to the room. There I found Bridget with Eyob still sleeping. We then all went to Kingdom vision, walking distance, but we had a lot of donations so we drove. Kingdom vision was really nice, most of the kids were sleeping though. One of the families in our group met the birth parents of their son there. We checked out the facility, then played with some of the older boys who were awake, and then left. As we were leaving all of the young kids and girls were coming out, we left the suckers and toys so they could all play.

That afternoon, we had the Dr. come see us about Eyob, concerned for an ear infection, he subscribe a low dosage anti-biotic. We called a driver and went to pick up the prescription and some pizza for dinner. Our driver was really nice and spoke really good english. He told me all about his country while Eyob and I waited for Bridget to come down with the pizzas. I learned so much from him.

Today is Friday, and I awoke with the Roosters crow this morning, about 6am. We all 3 slept through the night. I am sitting in the empty dark lobby drinking last nights coffee ( it was in a thermos, so still warm). We are going to not go with the rest of the group to the coffee tour, instead we called the driver from last night and asked if he would take us out into the country so we could see and take pictures of the Africa that we are familiar with. Have an awesome day, Love the Lord with all your heart mind and soul, and love your neighbor as your self.. -JC

Mark-

Well today started off early, I woke up at 3am granted it was about 8pm in Wisconsin, but I was up, no going back to sleep. Bridget tells me she woke up about every 10 minutes all night long. We started the day with breakfast in the Guest house with the rest of the group, we then went to finish all of the paper work and have lunch at the Hilton, The inside of the Hilton was such a contrast to what was outside the walls.

We then headed to the Transition home and the brought out our kids one by one alphabetically by our last names. We chose before hand who was going to take video and pictures of who. This was quite the nervous moment.

We finally met Eyob, its funny how I feel that I know him so much already. He just for some reasons seems to fit right in. He was super laid back, he likes to really just observe everyone and everything. After awhile though he started to warm up and was following Bridget around. The best was when I was sitting on the floor and held my arms out and said “Eyob”, he slowly looked then very slowly shuffled he way into my arms, resting all of his weight on me. That was awesome! We got to sit and play with all of the other kids and then talk to the doctor on staff and the nannies..

Afterwards all of the womem went to a Spa and the guys returned back to the guest house.. I was super tired, and am sure Bridget was too. We then went out to dinner with the whole group, our guides, drivers, and some of the agency staff to a traditional local Ethiopian restaraunt. They had music and dancers. It was really cool, I felt I was just staring at the entertainment with my mouth open
the whole time in awe. They were incredible..

Tomorrow we pick Eyob up for good!!

Well we finally made it to Addis Ababa Ethiopia, It was quite the trip. We started in Milwaukee, WI just Bridget and myself with 4 carry-on’s and 11 checked pieces which contained mostly donations for the orphanages. We tried to get Delta to donate the extra baggage cost to no avail, so we thank Bridget’s mom and dad for that generous donation.

We flew to Detroit in which the flight took twice as long due to weather. Our connecting flight to Amsterdam was at final boarding before we were even able leave the first plane. We ran about 32 gates with 4 bags to make the next flight to Amsterdam, just to have it sit and wait for weather.

This delay turned the 8 hour flight into 9 and we then missed our straight flight to Ethiopia from Amsterdam. Bridget also just realized her brand new glasses had NO prescription, how does that happen, then as luck would have it security confiscated all of her saline solution, so now my wife was blind ;D KLF Airlines booked us on a flight to Dubai, and bumped us to business class. This was a huge multi-level plane, I must say business class was very nice. Fully reclining seats, personal entertainment systems, lots of space and extras, I actually enjoyed that flight, and that says a lot coming from me who hates flying. This flight took about 6 hours, or “a little over 2 movies” ;D

We hit Dubai and had about a 6 hour layover, we hung out, I drank too much of the extra strong coffee, we played some games, took some pictures and browsed the stores in the airport.
We then waited to board our “dated” plane on Ethiopian Air for the last 3 hour leg of the flight.

This is where the drama hit, They were weighing peoples carry-on’s and charging extra or denying peoples items, everyone was getting upset and it turned kind of stressful, we waited until the line was gone at the very end and they asked us about all of our 11 pieces that we had checked, they asked for the coupons for the bags, but Delta never gave us these “coupons”, they said we had to pay for them or they would not load them on the plane, and wanted cash! We tried to get them to call delta to no avail, we ended up finally paying again for all of the bags again but were able to get them to take credit, we are hoping for a refund, “and another upgrade for the inconvenience!!”.

Three hours later we finally made it to Ethiopia. We are tired but so glad to finally be here. I must say the drive from the airport to the guest house, was quite overwhelming, with all that was going on in the streets. It’s just a whole different world..

We are so thankful for this journey and the ability to be able to go through it and adopt a beautiful boy. We are so so so blessed, and I thank the Lord for all of it, none of this would have been possible for us with out Him paving the way.

Mark-

This is the list of donations that we are collecting when we travel to Ethiopia.  You will be able to view what we are collecting, where it is going or if you want to send in money for us to take to shop here, or to boost the economy in Ethiopia–just designate your preference.  Thank you, in advance!

Click her for the Donations List

Or send checks to:

Bridget Sullivan
W53 N741 Eton Court
Cedarburg, WI 53012

Finally!!!!!!!! Eyob is officially ours!!!

It is such a hit and miss roller coaster, power outages, documents not provided, agencies taking extra days off for holidays… anything can just cause the judge to postpone and say next.. We never know why these things come up and get postponed but I am sure there is a reason and some day it will make perfect sense..

12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[a] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 (Corinthians 13:12)

This is our new son Eyob. He is 18Mos, and I think just a perfect fit for our family. Eyob, we can not wait to come see you and bring you home..

Thanks to all the family and friends for all of the Prayers!!!

Friday was court date #4 and although MOWA seemed to write all the letters last week, they must have ran out of gas on Friday when it came to ours and another families, The good news is they did not close the case and issue a new court date this time! The judge has everything he needs except the recommendation letter so they are leaving the case open and waiting for the letter this week.. I know it’s only Saturday, but for me this weeks starts today!

This poem was written by my neighbor and friend Kaydi. We sent it with a care package with the Beal’s and I just watched the video of her reading it to our son in Ethiopia. Seems like the word “Wow” is all I seem to come up with lately..

Tonight, my moon is really your sun
And I pray this day is truly THE one

That under a sky for you that is bright,
I’ve wished on each star that we win the right
To become your new world
As soon as can be
And all be together as one family

I watch out my window
Where one day you’ll play
Laughing and swinging on a warm sunny day

I pray for your nannies
And those you leave behind
In a far away place, so close in my mind

I pray for the judges
And know they will see
Your mama and daddy
Are as good as can be

They can’t wait to meet you
And pray every day
That the moment they hold you
Won’t be far away

So I ask our Lord Jesus
To keep you held tight
Until your day is my day
And my night is your night

I love you.

Well, About a year ago we ventured into a journey to adopt from Ethiopia. Since then we have through several background checks, home studies, classes, and too much paperwork to list. Thanks to my beautiful and very organized wife, we whizzed right through all the tasks. We received our referral for a 1/12 year old boy January 22th, 2010, then had our first court date on Feb 22, 2010, No one passed court that day as no recommendation letters were written at all that day. Our new court date is March 9th, and we our hopeful. After the court date then we wait for a travel date and will travel to Ethiopia and pick up our new son.. We are getting more excited everyday.