PLEASE PLEASE watch this before you leave . . .

In celebration of 7 months home as a family . . . (turn up your volume)

On our 7 month anniversary . . .

I can't believe 6 months have passed since the last post! Well, actually I can . . . it's been 6 months of a "busy" I never knew existed. Hopefully you can take a moment and watch the short video above. We dearly love these children! Thanks to God for blessing our lives.

Samuel has a great big laugh! He loves to play soccer and football and we're looking forward to him playing on a city league this spring. He loves school and works hard to learn. We are hoping that after spring break he'll be joining one of the lower reading groups in his 3rd grade classroom which I think is just amazing!

Emma is so much fun. She's in 1st grade and pretty close to grade level. They each have been blessed with talented teachers who have been wonderful with them, encouraging and supporting their learning. Emma is very loving and has more energy than anyone I've ever met! She is enjoying gymnastics every Saturday morning and then comes home and teaches Sam and Lizzy what she learned. It's been a good indoor winter activity since we've had an incredibly COLD winter and they really don't care for snow. Well, there was that first day it snowed in October when it was magical . . . but that's long since passed. They have sledded and ice skated and made tunnels and now they're ready for swimming and bike riding again.

Elizabeth is in kindergarten and at grade level. She is our little princess with a sweet, thoughtful, tender heart. She loves to shop, write letters to her friends and giggle. She took ballet lessons for awhile and now wants to try gymnastics. She worked hard to learn to ride a bike and misses her bike.

We get two questions most often. "Whatever motivated you guys to do this?" and "So how's it going, really?" The first question is pretty well answered in the column to the right. The second is that the overwhelming feeling is that GOD has been GOOD and faithful. We opened our family and lives to three complete strangers from a foreign culture. Yikes! Looking back, God must have given us an incredible peace because we had little apprehension. Now I think, "Oh my goodness! That was reckless!" We jumped off a cliff into the unknown . . .

. . . but God caught us! Our hearts are knit together now. That's not to say it's been easy--not at all. But is anything so worthwhile ever easy? For the first few months I felt like our family had been hit by a bus and we were just crawling through each day. Adoption takes a lot of emotional energy, and adopting 3 seemed crazy on more than one occasion. But God was faithful to meet our needs and send us help along the way. We received good counseling from our adoption agency's post-adoption counselor and with time, patience and teaching, many things have smoothed out. Thankfully, we've had the support and camaraderie of many other adoptive families through an online web board too. (Thank you guys so much!)

Things that have changed over the last 7 months:

1. They speak English now (well, mostly, sort of)
2. They no longer sulk and pout upon being told "no"
3. They have learned to ride bikes, horses, swim and swing without help
4. They have learned to love some great American food like pizza, lasagna and cheeseburgers
5. They've learned that they hate brussel sprouts, tomato soup and grits
6. They are learning what good sportsmanship means in America
7. They eat with utensils now
8. They are learning to share
9. They don't cry at the drop of a hat anymore

As I type, Hannah is making cupcakes with them. They are a joy, blessing, delight and dearly, dearly loved.

I've learned that I'm NOT such a good blogger, but there will be an update after Spring Break as we're taking a trip down South. Thanks for your prayers along the way. Signing off for the Duggan family, Cherie

Pictures and more pictures!

Jay's prediction in Ethiopia comes true

Emma is one-in-a-million: very coordinated and athletic, she is constantly moving, climbing, running. One on the video we received from the adoption agency, the care center director said to Emma: "This little monkey is an active one--the most active one around!" Uh-oh. Fortunately, it's in a good, fun way. At playgrounds, left to make her own choices, she will walk across the TOP of the monkey bars, stand to swing higher, and jump from the top of the slide. Jay's prediction in Ethiopia was "that girl will be the first to break a bone."

3 1/2 weeks later, it has come true! Emma was on a friend's monkey bars (using them the right way!) when her hands slipped and she hit the ground face-first with a thud and a buckle fracture in her left arm!

Her brother, Sam, is our little cowboy. Ye-HAH! He wants to ride Sadie every day and today, he and Hannah cleaned up the stable area. He is all kinds of brave around Sadie when I am near, but when Sadie followed him around for a nose-pat in the pasture yesterday, he ran around terrified yelling, "MOM-eeee!!" Of course Sadie followed close behind!

A Journal of Fun Little Things about Adopting

5. . . . . to be continued . . .

4. Tonight Sam wanted a campfire but it took us forever to figure out what he wanted from: "Daddy, chair, chair, chair, yah, chair, chair, yah, hot!"

3. I've never received the welcome I do now when I return from the grocery store. I get loud cheers for the milk, bananas, toilet paper, bread, grapes, chicken . . . you name it, as I pull it out of the bag, three little kids jump around and cheer me on with "Mommy, gobez!" (translate, "Mommy, good job!") I'm a hero now just for returning from Wal-Mart!

2. In Ethiopia, prayers are said in phrases and everyone says a heart-felt "Amen" with each pause. It takes some getting used to. The other night as our family prayed, Jon leaned over and whispered to me: "Mom, Samuel is pinching me." I immediately said, "Sam, stop pinching Jon" to which Samuel replied with conviction, "Amen!"

1. When ever they see pictures of people they would like to see, they say "Come on, Go." This means, "Come on, Mom, let's go see that person." They want to "Come on, Go" Grandma and Grandpa Duggan in South Carolina!

Bet-a-Christian (Church)

The children have wanted to go to Bet-a-Christian (House of the Christian) since the day we picked them up! They've also been dieing to wear their traditional Ethiopian outfits we bought them, so to do both in one day was terrific! They loved the worship. Sam asked me for the camara as he wanted to take pictures of the band and he also kept looking for "Chocolate Pastor," our Youth Pastor who had stopped by the house bearing Milky Way bars the day before. As soon as we got home, they wanted to go back to church again!

Yesterday was a great day. After church and lunch, the young kids and I (Cherie) took Sadie up to a friends house where we have bi-weekly neighborhood rides for the children. Sam and Emma loved it and of course wanted to gallop even though they had no clue how to turn or stop. Elizabeth wasn't so sure about being up on such a large animal with a brain the size of a birds. :) She wanted to have her braids taken out, so several of the neighbor girls worked on this. I was very grateful for any help as it had taken me 5 and a half hours to get Emma's out the day before! After a few hours, Jay and I switched (he had taken the older kids to a movie with friends), and my friend, Dove, and I went for a trail ride through the woods. The kids ran through the sprinkler.

A really good day.

At Home in Michigan

We've been home for four days now, and everyone around us has been such a blessing . . . welcoming the children, helping with laundry (Mom!), bringing meals and gifts and just being the wonderful people they are. Thank you all! We're feeling jet lag and the effects of adjusting to three new family members quickly, but all in all, we're blessed! The kids are busy learning about American playgrounds, English, how to play with friends they can't speak with, how to share and ask for something without whining. We are learning how to keep going when tired, have more patience and laugh. Here are a few pictures of neighbor friends, yesterday's playground experience and today's dip in Lake Michigan!

We MEET!

Thank God, we meet Shelby and Israel, two friends I had gotten to know via the adoption web board in the breakfast room. Someone we could communicate with and understood how I must feel here! Indeed she did! She had spent time in tears the first night. They told us all about their experiences and that the compound really was relatively safe. They had eaten all the food and never gotten sick. I could feel my anxiety slipping some. Things did look better in the daylight. The secret to not being mobbed by “helpful” people is to have a local with you. Not that I don't want to help people—I do!--and I'd love to talk with them and be friendly, but it quickly becomes intimidating. I walked alone to meet Jay at the pool and a server wouldn't leave me. When he heard I would get lunch later, he wanted to walk with me and stay until I ordered. I told him it would be later and “no thank you” and he finally left until he saw Jay and I going back to the room. He jogged after us asking now if he could provide room service. He was fairly polite about it all, but some aren't.

After breakfast, we headed back to the room. The plan was to get warm, take a shower, get rested and decide if we were moving to the Hilton or could stick it out and probably wait to get the children until then. Well, from the moment we picked up our baggage, nothing had gone as planned at all, so I guess it makes perfect sense that a man named “Z” would be waiting for us, saying it was time to go get our kids!

Ahhh . . . I hadn't showered in 2 days and had spent nearly 24 hours on a plane . . . I hadn't unpacked our things or found the kids gifts or gotten their backpacks ready . . . I felt exhausted, like death-warmed-over . . . . but I guess it's time to go get the kids!? I prayed telling God that nothing was going as I planned—please help the important stuff to go well. I begged for 15 minutes to do a sponge-bath in cold water and twenty minutes later we were pulling out of the Ghion and into a crazy, dirty city.

People are everywhere doing apparently nothing by the side of the roads. Just sitting or standing, selling things or sleeping. Where do they go at night? Maybe they stay there. We saw a man with 4 mini-donkeys carrying loads, a blind wman in the middle of a busy street, a man bent over with long wood sticks and another leading at least 50 sheep straight across the street. Z told us driving in Addis was by negotiation. There didn't seem to be any rules for sure. The diesel fumes are really overwhelming.

There's so very much to tell you and Jay and I bought the little laptop to communicate from here but the idea is laughable now! Internet connections of the dial-up sort are rare here, let alone wireless. I'm (Cherie) am in the "business center" and Jay and Jon and Hannah are trying to entertain 3 active Ethiopians in the rain . . . so I better get right to the good stuff.

Absolutely nothing (NOTHING) has gone as we planned for it to, but the important stuff has gone perfectly. The kids are WONDERFUL. Amazing children. Beautiful and so sweet. We got them Friday morning just before noon. A guard opened the corregated metal gate to a group of 20 or so children jumping up and down. Jay saw them first but I couldn't pick them out, so we jumped out of the van and before we even knew what hit us three little bodies were throwing themselves into our arms and showering our cheeks with kisses! The emotions are pretty overwhelming to have three very loving children calling you Mommy and Daddy and trusting you with all their hearts.

(They all just came back and are waving at me through the glass now!)

There's so many details I want to share but mostly I want to tell you how wonderful they are. We are blessed to have them in our family. Very sharing, loving, obedient, fun, smiling . . . but they come with their own personalities. It appears that Rediet is our Princess (there you go Mom Duggan!) She was very attached to her friends and Nannies at the care center and told them all emotional good-byes, but was very ready to come with us. She wants to wear these little black dress shoes with heels all the time. I tried to put her in a pair of flip-flops with her grey sweatpants and got a wagging finger, "No, Mommy" and pointed to her heels. She had a harder time at lunch yesterday. She looked very sad and wouldn't speak or eat, but she has quickly warmed up and loves to snuggle, be read to and watch movies. She also likes to color. She's just a little girl and everyone at the care center adored her. She's slowly coming out of her shell.

Dagmawit came to us "out of her shell!" Her nickname is Nana (say Nah-Nah) and she is a BLAST! She had us all rolling in laughter at the lunch table doing these pantomimes of eating. Just as they said, she is VERY active, but not in an ADD sort of way. Her mind is going 1000 miles an hour and she is an excellent communicator. In fact, on that topic, it is amazing how easy it is to communicate with them. They only know the words "Mommy, Daddy, no, yes, house, aeroplane, America, can count to 10 and say their A,B,C's" but we have communicated almost perfectly. I spent an hour with the girls this morning while everyone slept and they tried to communicate a bit about their family to me. They both came with pictures of people--the siblings of their grandma and grandpa and Rediet has a picture of her sister. Back to Nana, she is an incredible person! Very giving and always making sure everyone else is taken care of--she wanted to cut everyone's meat at dinner for them and always hands others pieces of whatever she is given.

Surafiel is sweet as pie and very affectionate. I've gotten 1000 kisses already and almost as many thank you's. He is our resident photographer and carries the camara around the rooom photographing the back of daddy's head, the DVD player, his sisters . . . the room is well-documented. :) He is so caring and takes care of others too--especially his sisters--pouring their milk, juice, getting their jackets. He also teases a lot. He probably has the best understanding of English although he can't speak a whole lot. I think in school he must've learned some English. He tells us he is 9 and Nana is 8 (today they tell me 9 and 10. Hmmmm . . . ). They both are very good athletes and he about died when we handed him a soccer ball--we got 25 kisses and thank you mommies and daddies. The very coolest thing was at night when we had a devotion time. He wanted to lead the prayer and we were treated to singing by the three of them that probably lasted 20 minutes. He then led them in prayer and I have to say the intensity of it put me to shame. I have no idea what he said, but he meant it with his whole heart. The nannies prayed for us all before we left and it was the same.

I'm afraid I'm going to lose everything I've typed now. They are saying the server is down again . . . sigh . . . but I'll give it a whirl and try to send. You may get some of the info one way or another. Thank you all for your prayers. I went through a severe case of culture shock but feel safe in our "compound" here so things are better. We won't be doing a lot of sight-seeing. It's frankly quite frightening here to me right now, but don't worry--we're sticking to safe things. Love to you all!! ~Cherie

~Jay writes:
A great day!!! We went to breakfast fully expecting to check out go to the Hilton and get our kids a day later after Cherie was rested and we were settled somewhere. Showers were cold, like swimming in Lake Michigan. I needed it, so I did it as well as Jonathan, but Hannah and Mom said they would prefer to wait till the Hilton. As we were in line for breakfast, I saw an American and asked him if he was here to adopt. It turned out it was a family we had communicated with by web board! They were a Godsend for us as they put away all our fears of the hotel. They had a great time, liked the food, and explained that it was actually very safe. You could see Cherie's fear melt away and we met there beautiful daughter and started to get very excited again. Both our kids said at the same time lets go get ours today! We said we would see.

We walked out with a new outlook on our surroundings, which does have beautiful gardens in a very rundown hotel... I reminded Cherie to upgrade to the Hilton was an additional three thousand dollars!!! When we arrived back at our room we were approached by Z, short for Ezekiel, who was our driver to take us to get our kids. He said we had to go now. So much for a heads up warning, Cherie wanted to shower and we begged for an additional twenty minutes which we got and off we went.

I said earlier the roads were bad in Ethiopia, but that was in the dark. In the daylight, it was much worse. People were everywhere in the street, on the curbs, cars everywhere, mostly old used Toyota passenger vans. We saw herds of goats, donkeys, and beggars. I told Cherie (not in a demeaning way) that this is what we are saving the kids from. There was one long section of road being worked on. In America, it would have been shut down with a detour. Here, people were using it while people were driving around them. I asked the driver how long it was like this and he said two years.

Very soon we arrived to the orphanage placed in a poor section of town. But honestly, I do not know where the nice sections were since everything looked so thrown together. The gates were made of steel pieces like you would see on a roof with sticks. I had kind of expected the facility to be a little nicer based on the physical description of others, but the people who cared for the children were beautiful people. We were honored to meet them. When we pulled in I quickly saw Dagmawit and Rediet as we were in the girls section, but then I spotted Surefel also. Dagmawit came running over to the car door and I was lucky enough to get a great big hug and a kiss. She was wonderful and full of energy in a good way. Next came her brother Sureful who also gave me a hug and a kiss and I have found that this boys loves to pray and sing, but that comes later. Finally I hugged and kissed Redeit who had been in Cherie's arms. We were suddenly a family.

We were taken into a private room where we all sat holding hands and learned more about our kids. Dagmawit and Surefel had a smll photo album with wonderful pictures of their grandmother. The kids were how we imagined them. Surefel is quiet, but we learned not very quiet and is actually quite outgoing which pleased us. Dagmawit is the life of the party, very talkative and bright and a very good athlete also. Redeit is very sweet and extremely modest, but has a very sweet, loving spirit which I think will mesh very well with my wife as she is very much like that too. Surefel seemed to like his older brother Jonathan and Jon him too. Jon has such a good spirit that he is a perfect big brother and it was fun to see them interact. Hannah seemed to like Dagmawit's jokes and energy and laughed alot.

We were given a tour and you realize how little these kids have materially, but God is the father to the fatherless and there spirit with how they interacted with one another was incredible to see. They really seemed to love and care for each other. The tour we had was excellent. Their needs were met physically and spiritually. We were told they were from an Orthodox background and had all accepted Christ as their Saviour when in their care facility!

We next walked over to the boys' section and saw again these young boys caring for one another and very loving. We saw some other kids we had looked at who looked very happy. We told them we knew their future parents! Dagmawit pointed out a horse toy to me as if to say, we have a horse at our house. She picked it up and wanted to keep it. I told her we had a big real one and that was better, and she put it down. As we were walking out, one of the caregivers said she wanted to pray for us and the kids. She was a short woman in Ethiopian dress and prayed in their language with fire and power. As she prayed the children said 'Amen!” every breath with conviction. In my mind's eye I pictured her standing boldly before the thrown making her petition to God, and I am convinced he could not help but oblige her. It was really cool and we were blessed.

We hopped into the van and were out, now truly a changed family--for the better. I sat in the back with Dagmawit, Jon with Surefel, and Hannah and Cherie with Redeit. I began to take pictures, and Surefel loved the camera. That was it. From that point on, he was the photographer and Dagmawit soon joined in for the fun. We got back to our hotel and we shared some gifts we had for the kids, which they loved. We went up to the main restaurant for lunch. We had mac-n-cheese for the kids, trying to play it safe. When our meal arrived we said a prayer. Sureful poked me and said he wanted to pray...AWESOME and he did, as he has every time I have prayed...so the game is on! The kids ate some of their food. Surefel ordered sauce on the side and chowed down, Dagmawit ate some. Little Redeit ate very little, but she looked tired and seemed to be taking everything in. When Dagmawit finished her meal, she began to play games around and under the table, relishing the attention and getting lots of laughs. (Oh yeah, before the meal, we went to the gift store and purchased matching Ethiopian cross necklaces for each of them which they loved—they were so thankful and big kisses from all of them.)

I am Daddy and Papa and Popee, I answer to all by the way, so we will see which one sticks. We went back to the room to rest as we were tired, but that was when they discovered there new clothes for them and the fashion show was on. All three of them tried on each and every one of their new clothes then folded them neatly when finished. They put back on their adoption clothes, except Surafiel, he loved his Disney shirt (actually a pajama top!) and jeans. Next came the soccer ball and the end of any rest that we could have. Dagmawit and Sureful seem to be the athletes and Redeit, the princess.

When we gave them there own toothbrushes, they immediately wanted to brush their teeth, very cute. Many thank you's and I love you's from the kids with kisses and hugs. It was now dinnertime and we went for traditional fair that was delicious. We all shared injera bread and spiced meats and vegetables. The kids were so talkative, very relaxed, very happy. It could not have gone any better! The kids cut meat for us and fed us and each other, so it was a very sharing family that night and very good food I might add with a great traditional Ethiopian Tukul atmosphere. Back to the room and time for bed and baths. We did lice treatments and baths just to be safe, but do not have any concern. We then played jump off the bed in our arms and toss with the towel, toss the kids that is, which they loved. Finally it was prayer time and Cherie read a book and I closed in prayer. Not to be outdone, Surefel said he wanted to pray and sing. He Dagmawit and Redeit all sang to God for over twenty minutes straight with clapping and amens. It was a holy moment, not videoed, but I will never forget it. Redeit said she wanted to come to American to help the Americans and with what I have seen in our new three children, I think they all will. It was truly a wonderful day time to go to bed in the boys wing with my two sons Jon and Surefel. God Bless. ~Jay

Cherie: I don't have a lot to add except to say that the children are AMAZING! They understand very well what family means and were fully ready to be a part. They called us "Mom-eee" and "Dad-eee" from the first moment. We told them “I love you” from the first moment in their language (Ah-wah-duh-shalow for the girls and Ah-wah-duh-halow for Surafel). They responded every time with hugs and kisses. Though we don't know each other well, it seems to me that from the first moment we were each declaring our intention to love one another and be a family. It's a good start.

We've spent a lot of time in bonding activities. I planned on sight-seeing with them, but that does not seem very important now. What seems important is using these first days to establish our relationship and love. I've loved the quiet mements—there are FEW!--when I have one of them alone and we communicate. This morning the girls woke early and climbed in bed with me. They both treated me to “I love you, Mommy” in English! We have been using Amharic and I thought they didn't know the words. Wrong. Both Rediet and Dagmawit said them perfectly.

Yesterday, Dagmawit pulled from her ackpack a photo album her grandmother had made for them. The pictures are beautiful. She showed me a photo of baby Surafiel and her late father, grandma and grandpa. It was special when she then opened the album we made them and pointed to their new grand parents. She is an excellent communicator and usually tries very hard and initiates conversation. Rediet has begun to do this now too.

I will say all three have a mean pout and sulk—but especially our Princess Rediet. Wow. You KNOW instantly if she wanted something or not and when you've disappointed her. It's not fun, but comparatively speaking to all of the things that could be happening, I'll take pouting! They often want to take pictures, listen to the iPod, ride the carousel, eat almonds, watch a movie, swing, swim, get up from their bed, etc. And inevitably at different times! It's been very busy but that 's what we're here for. I had a moment today at the pool (sidenote: a 16 foot deep pool!? What mother can relax?!) when the sun came out and I had a moment to realize “we're in AFRICA!!” and take it in. ~Cherie

Arrival~Cherie and Jay's versions!

Day 2: 4;00 a.m. ~Cherie
Well, I can't sleep anymore, so here I am in the hallway outside the bathroom in our suite, on the floor. I'm trying to relocate my adventuresome spirit for it has taken a real beating. Last night was awful. Very, very, very stressful and I'm hoping that writing it out will be cathartic so that we can move on to the reason we are here—to get our kids!

Everything was going pretty smoothly. Ethiopian Air was a great airline and we arrived in Addis around 7:20 p.m. We were surprised that it was dark already, but it is their winter/cool season here, so it makes sense. We immediately went to the line that said “Visa upon Arrival.” A makshift room had been set up with a few laminate desks that were peeling. Six girls were lined up to take our passports and entry information and stamp them. It went fine, but it was very odd to see no computers—only handwritten information with reused carbon sheets to make copies. We then went through custom, exchanged some US $ to Ethiopian Birr and went for our luggage. Though it took some time to locate, thankfully, every piece had made it! We were stopped and asked about the 4 donation bins:

'Was everything new inside? Did we have an invoice for it all?” Hmmm . . . well, no. Security cut the zip ties and riffled through it all—toys, meds, bandages—and were satisfied. We were on edge trying to understand the directions people were giving us amidst the chaos, but everything was going pretty well so far. Still, I was really anxious to see a CWA face and someone who we could trust. I turned to Jay and said, “I cannot wait to see our friend from CWA with a sign with our name on it!”

We turned to go, pushing our three loaded down carts and saw our first sight of a mass of Ethiopian people, pressed together waiting for their loved ones to get off the plane. They looked beautiful to me, but a bit intimidating since they all seemed to be staring at us as we exited.
The long, narrow airport entrance was filled with people. The glass wall revealed how very dark it was outside and we scanned the crowd for a man with our name on a sign. After looking for awhile and trying to keep our 3 luggage carts, 2 children and 4 carry-ons in sight and hand at all times, I began to feel anxious.

A young girl in jeans and no name tag approached me and said she would take us to our hotel. Until this point, we had successfully avoided the many men who wanted to “help us.” CWA had warned us NOT to go with anyone claiming to want to take us to our hotel and I became alarmed. Apparently, it showed. Jay told me not to look so scared and timid. Hmmmm . . . well, it would help if I didn't feel so scared and timid. Where was our CWA contact? We pulled out the cell phone. No coverage.

Some really sweet lady from Indiana kept wanting to talk about the adoption. This other lady kept telling us she had ride for us . . . Jay was looking at me like I should know what to do. I pulled out a list of Emergency #'s I had typed up and put in my purse. Jay got a man who worked with the Sheraton to dial up one of the CWA #'s. Jay told him where we were and that we were waiting and didn't know what to do. Only problem is Jay couldn't understand what he said in return. Time was passing, and I was growing more and more anxious.

We finally decided that this girl is our only option. She seemed to know our name and there was another foreign couple with her who were staying at the Ghion. We decided we had no other choice and followed her into the night.

It's difficult to put into words how it felt to be unsure that we were doing the right thing as we walked into the cold night, but I can't remember ever feeling so anxious as we walked the carts down a fairly steep hill to a dimly lit parking lot filled with men just standing around. There was no walking through without being noticed. They all wanted to “help” us. As we apprached a decrepid looking van, I quickly scanned the side. It said the Ghion Hotel! This was a small comfort as 6 – 8 men all began to argue at the back of the van over who would put the luggage in. They all began grabbing for it and waving their hands in each others' faces. The van was barely inviting, but I couldn't leave Hannah there another moment with their voices escalating, so I pushed her inside and climbed in after. The men followed the girl who had led us there and argued with her in Amharic. Needless to say, I was feeling VERY uncomfortable at this point and just wanted whoever the driver was to get in, lock the doors and GO! The van didn't even have locks.

We drove away into the night. I could write forever about the ride but in summary, it was very dark and the gas fumes were overwhelming. My stomach began to ache. It was probably 9:30 or later and people were everywhere on some very unsafe looking streets. I don't think there were any rules of the road except roar forward, beep and stop suddenly. Poor Jay was in the passenger seat for a great view of the drive and the kids were in the next row. Fortunately for me, the other couple (from London) had 1,000 questions about the adoption and it took my mind off the ride.

Keep in mind it was dark, but it looked to me like we were entering a scary alley-way to get to our hotel, the Ghion. This is supposed to be the 3rd best hotel in Addis. Yikes. We choose it because several other adoptive families had stayed here and reported that their rooms were spacious—if a bit “worn”--but that it was a good value. With 7, we would have had to get two rooms at the Hilton which would have run over $425 night.

. . . I'm still typing from the floor in our room, and I'm not 100% sure we still won't end up at the Hilton. I'm withholding judgement until morning. Things always look better in the daylight, right? Yes, the Riveria Suite is roomy. It's huge really, but I'm jut not sure if I'm comfortable here. The guard shack is on the other side of us and they are so noisy. Plus, how comfortable should I be at a place that needs so many security guards?

I really do not like how everyone wants to “help”. For instance, after checking in, we climbed back into the original van to take us to our suite and two other men climb in with us. So here we drive off into the Ethiopian night to find some unknown room with 3 strange men to help us with our luggage! I'd love to talk with them, but I really can't decipher their English that is intermingled with Amharic to each other and it doesn't feel like friendly help to me anyway—it feels a little predatory.

Our room. Hmmm . . . I had been preaching to the kids the whole time about lowering their expectations—this isn't Disney World. But I should have been preaching to myself!The good news is that there were no bugs that I can see—the bad news is that the night is freezing, several windows are both unclosable and unlockable, the room iss very “old and tired” looking, there are security guardrs with big sticks wondering around behind us, there is no heat or hot water . . .

I did just get about 3 hours of sleep until I woke to a cold breeze blowing on my face and found it was coming from a 2 inch gap in the sliding glass window. I tried and tried to close it and when I couldn't, I know sleep is NOT going to happen tonight. ~Cherie

Day 1 & 2 ~Jay
The trip to Ethiopia went extremely well from the flight all the way through to our arrival to Ethiopia, but when we arrived we had a hectic first day. CWA did not provide a driver and we were left trying to figure what we should do. We were approached by a young lady who said she worked for the Ghion Hotel and said she could call a taxi for us and transport us. She did have a list with our names on it, but the thought in my head was how do I know this is not a hoax and they are going to take us down the road and rob us of all our cash and leave us high and dry? We called a driver from CWA but I truly could not understand him and did not know if he were coming or not. So after some time delaying, I made the call that we would go with the girl who said she worked for the Ghion.

The first thing she did was lead us to a dark parking lot that were full of men who were looking for tip money or robbery, and in the dark, I could not tell which. It was 10:00 p.m. and we were tired, so I threw up a prayer for God's protection and walked by them. Cherie, you should know, looked scared out of her wits...she looked like she may throw up. I told her to put on a brave face, so as not to encourage them, but either way all my senses were on high alert. We got in the van with a British journalist who was extremely nice and not bothered by our predicament and helped Cherie tremendously in the van. The drive was eventful. Ethiopia has bad roads...really, really bad roads and very few traffic lights for a city that has a population of four million. The nightlife was out and people were all over the streets--beggars, bar hoppers--and it was very dirty and smelled of diesel fuel. The drivers in Ethiopia tend to use their lights and horns more than steering and breaking. I am a confessed back-seat driver and all I could do is hold on. Our driver truly could not understand English, so there was no use. Ultimately we did reach the Ghion hotel at night and it all worked out, but Cherie was fried emotionally.

The Ghion is the third nicest hotel in Addis, but that does not mean much. It was built in the late 60's and the decor has not changed, so when we arrived at our apartment it was pretty run down and some windows would not shut all the way. The front door would not lock. We had about 9 keys on two key rings that must weigh 2 pounds each, but none would lock the front door. Cherie declared she did not like it and thought we should go. I was not about to do that after what we had been through. Hannah was now scared too and was sided with Mom. Jonathan, being a guy, did not seem to care. We were starving and because it is Africa, the hotel has about 20 guards all around the facility, many walking around right by our room. Cherie hears them out there in the dark and became more upset. She refused to go get dinner and is upset that the door will not lock (understandable). After I played with the lock with various keys we had 9 to choose from...yes that is right 9, I got it to work and Jon and I went for food. We went into the lobby where there were a few people having drinks and some local girls smiling a little to friendly at which time I told Jon we would get room service. We waited for them to deliver the food, which came in three steak sandwiches and four Sprites for nine American dollars verses the birr, so the exchange rate is good. We ate and went to sleep temporarily until a taxi right outside our room started honking at two am at which I drifted off for about six hours, I needed it after a twenty hour flight on the plane...Cherie barely slept and you could see it the next day, she wanted out of the hotel. ~Jay

Still Traveling!

Day 1 1/2: Rome Airport
Well, we're sitting at the Rome airport for an hour while the crew changes and plane refuels. The flight was nice the second half. From D.C. to south of Iceland was bumpy. I've never been on an international flight before, so maybe this is old hat to ya'll but everything is new to us! First off, WHY do we fly in a big arc to get to Ethiopia?? We followed the Atlantic coastline north along the St. Lawrence and Canada, flying south of Iceland and Ireland and down across France and Italy. I'm sure there's a very good reason, but straight across the Atlantic would seem like a much shorter flight to me! I'll have to ask Uncle Al about that (a retired pilot that flew the Australia and China routes). The other thing Jon and I wondered was why things didn't ice up when it was -63 degrees Fahrenheit up there? Uncle Al? :)

Another cool thing for all you newbie international fliers is that the DVD players have GPS screens on the back of the seat in front of us, so we can follow the flight and know which cities we're flying over! Very cool! We saw a gorgeous mountain range in France, HUGE mountains. The Mediterranean Sea and coastline of Italy are so beautiful. I'll post pictures we took if I can ever find wi-fi that works for us! ~Cherie

Leaving the USA

Chicago O'Hare to Dulles Airport

Not so exciting news I know, but here we are at Dulles waiting for 4 hours for our plane. Still it's exciting because we are getting so close and beginning to see lots of Ethiopians! There are 2 youth groups on missions trips waiting with us—one from Florida and the other from Indiana. Hannah and Jonathan have been talking with them and Hannah is interested because they are n their way to visit the “Invisible Children" of Uganda. (If you haven't heard of them, watch the documentary called Invisible Children. We did a few weeks ago and it's very moving. The kids got on the internet immediately after watching it to buy bracelets made in Uganda to support them.)

Our flight from Chicago was on an enormous plane! The rows were 9 across and the kids were thrilled to have DVD/TV's on the back of the seat in front of them. The steward came and passed out official “Pilot Wings” to the kids and gave one to Jonathan but missed Hannah. She began waving and asked if she could have one. He shook his head “no” and said they were only for the little kids! POOR Jon! We laughed hard.

When we arrived in D.C., we found our gate and then I realized I had left the jacket I bought for the trip on the last plane! Grrrr...... not a good start! Jon and I walked back but they had cleaned the plane and it didn't turn up. It's in the airline's laundry bin somewhere. :( So Jon and I enjoyed the walk (well, I did) and then stopped for Starbucks. By the time we returned, Jay was pretty freaked—for some reason he decided I must have left the money I was carrying in the jacket and was afraid to tell him!! So he was pretty happy when I told him all I lost was a $19 jacket! It's all relative! :)

Well, since I really have no news of interest I'll close. We're all doing great. I'm sipping my Caco Tea hoping to avoid altitude sickness. Next time I write, we will be in Addis, God willing. Lots of love. ~ Cherie

I Do Not Recommend . . .

~Adding a bedroom and bathroom to your home . . .

~Repainting the kitchen, den and office (twice) . . .

~Moving 2 children to new bedrooms . . .

~Buying new wardrobes and everything three precious children could need . . .

~Planning a trip to Africa . . .

~Packing for that trip with EVERYTHING you COULD need for 7 people . . .

~Preparing & copying a mountain of paperwork for the U.S. Embassy . . .

~Getting enough hay bales in for the horse for the next year . . .

SIMULTANEOUSLY!!

Operation Ethiopia: Bring our Children Home!

Operation Ethiopia Day One: July 8. We will drive to Chicago. From there, we fly to D.C. and finally we'll board for Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, arriving on July 10--our 15th wedding anniversary!

I suspect we'll crash for the night and then wake the next morning to go meet our children. That is, if we can sleep between jet lag, time changes and excitement!!! (Ethiopia is 7 hours ahead of us here).

As you can imagine, we are busily trying to finish these kids rooms--in fact, I'm taking a break from painting the new bathroom right now (9:47 p.m.). It still needs a second coat of paint so the plumber can install the sink and toilet in the morning.

They're OURS!!

Introducing our new family members: Surafel, Dagmawit and Rediet! They are ours! Jay and I now have five children, and Jonathan and Hannah have siblings! We're being told we will have an Embassy Appointment on either July 15 or July 22, so we are making travel plans quickly! Thank you for all your prayers. We feel incredibly blessed! We'll keep you posted!

Getting Ready

Adding three to a home means adding more space, and we've been busy getting ready by adding a bedroom and full bath to the lower level. Many people have graciously given of their finances, time and skill to help us--you each know who you are. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL to each of you. We pray that God will richly bless you for your giving hearts.

Even the kids got in on the action. We also completely repainted our kitchen and den! I didn't mean to, but we had to buy a larger table, which meant tearing out cabinets so it could fit. BAD NEWS! We hadn't wallpapered behind the cabinets 9 years ago, and the wallpaper was now discontinued. Bummer.

So paint it was.

Then you know how it goes . . . "While we're at it, we should just . . . "

June 18th . . . Court Date # 2

Court Date #2 is quickly approaching--Wednesday June 18. Please pray that every little paper shows up and these children who are already in our hearts will officially and forever be ours. We love you, Samuel, Emma and Elizabeth!

Almost!

I just spoke with Aster, our case worker with Christian World Adoption. There were 7 CWA cases in court today: 3 went through and 4 were post-poned for lack of a document. Ours was missing a "permission" document from the Ministry of Womens Affairs--a document that MOWA was supposed to provide, but with the power being out 2-3 days recently, they are behind. I believe it is more of a formality. Aster said it's nothing substantive that the outcome would hinge on.

The blessing is that everyone who needed to, showed up! That part of the process is complete. This was a concern for me because I knew of at least one aunt and two teenagers who lived 5 hours away who needed to show up and another relative 2 hours away from the capital. Thank you everyone for your faithful prayers. God is good and has the whole thing in His hands.

A testimony to illustrate: A few days ago, our stove/oven went out right after Jay pulled it out to paint behind. We had power but no heating elements. My handy electrician dad returned from the Philippines and pulled out the box in the wall and a wire was loose in the insulation. It could have caught fire anytime. So the thing I thought was a "pain" (having no way to cook) was His blessing! Cherie

June 2cd!

This is our Court Date! It just sounds like a good day doesn't it??!