Day 4 (Part I)...

I was so grateful to sleep until 10:30 this morning. I think I needed the rest!! We had another awesome breakfast of scrambled eggs, yogurt, fruit and homemade English muffins...and coffee too, of course! We were soooo spoiled with amazing food for our entire trip!!
After breakfast, we went to walk the market just outside of the Bingham compound. The market is apparently usually packed, but because it was Sunday it wasn't too extremely busy.


I LOVE all of the bright colors everywhere!!



This was one of several sewing shops we saw.

As we began to walk around we ran into Yallewo. He is a young man who is a part of the Bingham outreach program. I had seen him on the compound helping to coach a soccer game earlier but hadn't put two and two together yet. I don't know what his plans were for the day but after seeing Dave and Christy he dropped them and invited us to go to his house for coffee. I know I won't be able to do justice the time we spent with he and his brothers and sisters. They live in a mud a straw home with a tin roof(two rooms about 10x15ft each and a covered area with an injera stove). I didn't see any running water or plumbing of any kind and the floors were dirt except ares where they laid down pieces of old linoleum. Yallewo lived with two other guys in one room (that he call his brothers but I don't think they are all blood related) and three girls who live in the other room (he calls them his sisters). I can't be certain of their ages, but they all seemed like teenagers, and maybe even a pre teen. One of the girls was so overcome by emotions with us being there she kept hiding around the corner and crying. I'm not sure if she was painfully shy or just was feeling a lot of emotions at having visitors. They were all extremely humble and sweet. When we got there they were watching the Jungle book with Amharic subtitles. They quickly found a tape of traditional Ethiopian dance and music. It was obvious that they don't have much. They have a Mickey Mouse blanket hanging on the wall for decoration and a small strand of fake ivy with a small Ethiopian flag hanging on it (think of the kind of US flags we give kids to wave at 4th of July). There were two couches and a foam mat on the floor for them to sleep on, a small cabinet for their clothes and the TV/DVD player. That was it. The room was lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Yallewo gave one of the girls some birr to go buy us some bread and coffee. Sadly, I didn't realize my camera battery was low (hence the out of focus pictures...my auto focus wouldn't work) and Matt and Dave had to walk all the way back to the house to get my spare battery! Christy, Andrea (Dave and Christy's oldest daughter) and I stayed and Christy spoke some Amharic to communicate with them. Soon, one of girls came back with the bread, coffee beans and some kind of long grass and the oldest girl began a traditional Ethiopia coffee ceremony. We watched intently as she laid the grass on the ground to make a sort of mat then hand washed the coffee beans and using a little coal stove began to roast them. She also burned incense for us while the beans were roasting. After the beans were dark roasted she put them in a mortar and pestle and ground them by hand. It was so amazing to watch her perform this act of friendship for us, I could tell she had done this many times before. After the beans were ground, she put them into a jebena (Ethiopian coffee pot) that she set on the hot coals to brew. She had a smile on her face the entire time and I could tell she was happy we were there and that she could do this for us!! (what a lesson there...HUH!!!). Once the coffee was ready she poured a cup for Matt and I, Dave and Christy and Yallewo and one of the other boys who was there. She also passed out the bread. She and the other girls didn't have any for themselves.


walking down the alleyway towards Yallewo's house


These children live next door to Yallewo and his family. I love this shot...which really irritates me that my camera battery was dying and the auto focus wasn't working! I could never focus manually...my eyes must be worse than I thought...LOL

Inside the door of Yallewo's home...


This is the door to tohe room where the boys sleep.


The kitchen...again forgive the blur.

the small stove they used to roast the beans and brew the coffee...


raw coffee beans...and our beautiful hostess...

washing the beans...

ready to roast...

ah...can't you just smell the aroma...


the jebena where the water is beginning to boil...


grinding the roasted beans...


into the jebena they go...

the incense...

hot coals...

I'm not sure of the significance of the grass laid out on the floor...


Now that is a FRESH cup of coffee...

After the coffee ceremony I asked them if I could take a picture of their family and send it to them. I also took a few pictures of the dog Yallewo rescued. He had even built him a little dog house. Apparently, most Ethiopians don't consider dogs pets, most dogs are just on their own on the streets so I think it was unusual for Yallewo to be caring for this precious puppy! He was so proud of him and the doghouse he had made!


sweet puppy...


Precious family...Yallewo's throwing the "hang ten"

I will never forget the love and humility this precious family showed us! They have such giving hearts and were so generous even though they didn't have much!! It was a truly humbling experience and I hope to allow God to use our time with them to remind me to be more like them!!
After we had spent a couple hours with them, we headed out for more shopping. Yallewo came with us for company. We were able to buy a very popular Ethiopian spice called Berbere and some raw coffee beans for Yallewo's family. Our last stop was to pick up some fresh fruit for smoothies! Yallewo walked us back to the compound and we gave our hugs and said our goodbyes! God brings them to mind often! I pray that in my abundance I have just an ounce of their giving spirits!!

back to the market...found a kitty among the spices...

more spices...

Day Three (Part II)...

After we got home I called Duni to check on Sam again and she said we could come and see him again. This was truly a God thing as I think we needed to get past our first meeting and begin to bond slowly. Looking back seeing him on three occasions before we took him back to the hotel allowed him to begin to trust us and made our time with him at the hotel a happy and peaceful experience. I so love how God orchestrates the littlest details!!So, after a quick freshening up (and a little Wii tennis) Dave and Christy graciously took us back to the transition home. It was so funny that we had another adventurous drive trying to find it again. There is no way I would ever be able to find anything in Ethiopia! My sense of direction is terrible and that is a must there!!When we got to the transition home this time, the guard hadn't gotten the message and didn't want to let us in. Thankfully Dave could speak with him in Amharic and it was soon figured out. I was really grateful that they are so careful about letting people into the compounds!!The first lady we met was such a sweet, sweet Nannie. They were all happy and helpful. This nannie had on nurses scrubs and I'm guessing had some medical education. She also spoke some English. She took us in his room, we took off our shoes at the door...a requirement, and he was playing happily with a toy in a bumbo seat. Christy sat in front of him and he looked content so she picked him up. I tried to stay out of sight for a little bit to see what would happen. He seemed calm with Christy so she handed him to me and lo and behold he got a good look at me and the screaming began. I wonder what the nurses were thinking. Now that he is home I know what a happy and content little boy he is ALL THE TIME so it must have been a shock for them to see him react to me this way again. They either realized that I scared him with my emotions and kisses the day before, or they were maybe thinking, oh, no we can't let this lady take our precious Sam. If they were thinking the latter they didn't let on! The sweet nurse told me to walk around with him. When I walked away from the room without my shoes she even took off her own shoes and gave them to me to wear. She said, "don't worry, walk around and he'll stop crying in 10 minutes." Well, about 10 minutes later I could see the worried looks on their faces that I was feeling in my heart. The sweet Nannie (I so wish I knew her name) told me to walk outside with him, so outside we went. I was feeling lots of emotions. Outside we walked and walked, the sweet guard tried to calm him by snapping and showing him his phone lighting up in the dark (sooo cute), I sang songs to him, I cried with him and my heart broke, but I knew that God had placed this beautiful baby boy in my life and the tears were from the amazing love that He gave me for Samuel Yacob. It was going to be okay.He continued crying for probably 20 minutes so I took him back inside hoping maybe the nannies could help me calm him. They first gave me a bottle to try and after that didn't work the nurse nannie took me into the room where they keep the sick babies (on IVs and Oxygen). She introduced me to one of Sam's nannies who was gently patting the back of one of the sick babies. She left Sam in my arms but tried to clap and snap to help him calm down. I asked her to show me how she calmed him so she showed me how she rocked him side to side and began shushing a sort of song/chant to him. I could tell she loved him alot. I copied her and he soon started to calm and put his head on my shoulder and tears began rolling down her cheeks. My heart broke for her heart. In that moment I could just feel the aches she must feel for the babies she loves and has to let go. What a ministry of selflessness!!! I too, of course, was crying and the sweet nurse nannie got a Kleenix and wiped away my tears! If we could just love others the way the Ethiopian people do, with no barriers of insecurity. It is truly amazing!I gave her a giant hug that I hope conveyed some measure of my gratefulness to her!Soon Christy came in to check on us and then Matt came in. I was worried the crying might start up again, but I hesitantly gave him to Matt. He was calm for a short while and then began crying again. All three nannies (Sam's nannie, the nurse nannie and one other nannie) all began singing and dancing for him and soon his crying turned into smiles and even a small giggle.We decided to leave quickly while he was happy and I gave lots more hugs and assurances that he would be loved!! This was truly one of the most amazingly real experiences of my life.



After our time at the transition home we decided we wanted to eat a traditional Ethiopian meal at a non-touristy restaurant. So Dave and Christy took us to Cafe D'Afrique. It was awesome!! We had some very fun conversations about "moving furniture" that are probably better left unblogged...LOL! But, by the look on one of the boy's faces (not sure if this is Travis or Isaac) it was funny!!!When we got home there was no Internet, after such an emotional evening I so wanted to hear how my kids were doing, but it was a good lesson in patience. I took a nice HOT SHOWER and collapsed in bed!!!

Day Three (Part I)...

and it only gets better and better...

I slept much better last night, thanks to Ambien, ear plugs, eye cover and a sound machine, although I don't know how Christy (a light sleeper like me) maintains her sanity with the barking dogs. Actually, they don't bark, they make the indescribable sounds as if they are being eaten alive. Yay, it's that bad and it's all night!
This morning we had the treat of pancakes with peanut butter, syrup and bananas...Oh my, sooo good! Did I already mention that the fruits and vegetables taste SOOO much better in Ethiopia? I think they said it's because they are not re harvested, or who knows, but they are fresh and sweet and oh so good!!
The plan for today was to go to the Portuguese Bridge. It was about a two hour drive and we had another family (from Bingham) coming with us. After we picked up Malcolm and Becca and their PRECIOUS kiddos Emily and Noah (I believe they were from New Zeland) we hit the road. My favorite part was listening to Emily and Noah talk. Their accents are sooo cute!! Somehow all twelve of us fit in the van. Christy and the kids were troopers and took the bumpy back! I am so thankful for this trip as it really allowed us to see the beauty of Ethiopia! We saw the mountains, drove through several villages and saw many beautiful people along the way! As we left the city we saw the women carrying Eucalyptus leaves down the mountain. It was amazing the giant loads they were carrying. As we got farther away we saw many shepherd boys. Some of them looked very young, maybe 4-5 years old. We saw herds of cows, horses, sheep, goats everywhere. One of the funniest things we saw several places in Ethiopia were signs that said "well come" for welcome. It was funny that it was pretty common.
As we got closer we stopped at a lookout overlooking a beautiful valley. Several children from the nearby village came to us selling soapstone crosses and small woven baskets. It breaks your heart because you want to buy from every one of them!

Loved the see saws in Ethiopian colors on the Bingham compound...


gorgeous ms. Emily again...

disclaimer on this (and subsequent photos)...these were taken out the window of a moving van driving on bumpy roads :)

I wish I could know his/her story...

carvings out of the side of the mountain...

a load of eucalyptus being carried down the mountain...


I would never run out of interesting locations if I could do photography in Ethiopia (maybe some day!!!)



sifting the grain used to make injera...

many more grass roof huts the farther out from the city we drove...

beautiful shepherd boy...

not sure if this is some sort of religious building???

completely captivated by those gorgeous eyes...

I wonder what he's thinking?

the many sweet spirited children selling crosses and baskets...


a little boy Matt just loved...

When we got to the Portuguese bridge we hiked down, across the bridge carved out of a giant rock and took in some amazing views. There was even a cave like area in the side of the mountain where the baboon live. We hoped to see them, but they must have been staying away from us. After some time enjoying the views we hiked back up to the top and ate our picnic lunches. It was a beautiful day and soooo very relaxing, until the birds appeared. There were several large birds (hawks maybe) that swooped down to steal our food. I can't remember who was attacked, but the birds were amazingly fast and precise, stealing the food right out of hands and off of plates. We learned to stay under the eave of the hut and keep our eyes peeled! Too funny!!


what a view...

the Portuguese Bridge

the crew...

I LOVE the perspective all of the little people give this shot! :)

King of the mountain??

looking up towards the bridge...

Beautiful water...

catching minnows

he's got personality...

now that's the way to travel!!

Ahhhhh.refreshing!

duck!!! (no, not duck quack, duck and cover)

How cool is this basket...


After a relaxing and leisurely lunch (minus the dive bombing, of course) we headed home. We hadn't driven for long with the skies got dark and we were soon being pelted by hail and seeing lots of lightning. The sound in that van was pretty intense and my heart rate went up slightly. At one point the river was washing over the road. We made it through, but my guess is a few more minutes and the water would have been too high. I was worried about the shepherd boys out in the middle of the fields far away from shelter, but one of our guides later in the week told us he was a shepherd boy and that when it rains/hails the herd bundles up in a circle and the boys just lye underneath the animals legs. He said they don't get hurt, but just wait for the storm to pass. Amazing!!






lots and lots of hail!!!

this is the washed out road...

and the storm lifted...

still one of my very favorite shots from the trip!!

precious family!!! We enjoyed our day with them so much!