Journey to Ethiopia - Day Eight

One year ago today: 

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Our first night with baby S went so well. She got sleepy early, then fell asleep in my arms. I put her in the make-shift cradle beside our bed, and she slept all night. I got up and checked on her several times, especially because when she slept she made lots of gurgling, goopy sounds due to her sinus infection. We'd brought every medication we could think of, and we were so glad to be able to start her feeling better right when we took custody. We put her on an antibiotic and an over-the-counter medication to thin and clear out the secretions, so we hoped for some rapid improvement. We were particularly concerned that we clear up her ears a little before our flight home. The air pressure changes of flying home with so much infection in her head would have been miserable, and could have damaged her ears.

She didn't wake in the night, despite some coughing and gagging in her sleep. When she woke her face was covered in dried on green stuff~ it was truly pitiful. I wanted so badly to soak her whole little body in a bubbly tub of warm water and let the steam really help loosen things up. But, at this point in our trip we didn't even have running water in our own room, much less a way to make a nice steamy bath for her. Again, I just couldn't wait to get this sweet child to the comforts of our home.

In spite of how yucky she must have felt, she was a pure delight. She gave us tons of smiles, put up with her quick bath (thankfully my parents' room next door did have warm water just then), and then let me slather her all over with Burt's Bees apricot oil. She lay on the bed on a towel as we all stared and oohed and aaahed over her beautiful, glowing skin. She was so precious, and we felt so blessed at that moment to know she was our daughter. The boys played on the bed with her, trying to make her smile. R couldn't keep her hands off of her, of course. Lots and lots of snuggling was going on and she enjoyed the attention.

We mostly ordered room service for our meals after baby S was with us, so we wouldn't have to get her out and about. Also, power outages were frequent and when the power was out the hotel cranked up a very loud generator near the restaurant. It belched out noxious fumes that wafted through the lower levels of the hotel causing headaches and nausea among various family members. So, we avoided the restaurant and opted for room service. The hotel staff was so very kind and prompt and tried very hard to meet our every need. We truly appreciated their kind attention during our entire stay.

Union Hotel staff

I had to hurry that morning and get presentable for our Farewell Ceremony at the Care Center. I had only been able to wash my hair once the whole week. At times the water outages affected all the rooms on our floor, and our water heaters had to be unplugged. So, even though Gram and DaddyDon's room had water that morning, it was ice cold. I decided to just grit my teeth and go for it, and boy was it a jolt! Our hairdryer had been lost in the two missing bags (despite multiple long visits with airline staff, DaddyDon and Mike had been unable to find those bags. For our convenience, the airline finally found them just hours before we were to fly home~ just in time to check them back in.) So, I had to go with a single wet braid down the back. Lovely. But at least it was clean.

We went next door to the Care Center and found a beautiful party had been arranged for the two sweet babies who were going home. Little chairs lined the room, and we were seated on the other side. At the front of the room was the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and tables with treats for our celebration. The nannies grabbed baby S from me and hugged her to pieces as they whisked her upstairs.

Children from the care center were carried and herded in and were seated in the little plastic chairs. Then they sat quietly and waited. For a long time. They were so patient! It was probably 15 minutes before the staff was all assembled, and those precious kids and babies just waited like little ladies and gentlemen~ even with a big white cake on the table within reach. They were so sweet.

We were so surprised when the nannies brought baby S down in her traditional Ethiopian dress. She looked so beautiful, and my tears started flowing then. They didn't stop any time soon.

Several staff members spoke, then we were given an opportunity to speak. I was too broken up, though there were lots of things I would have loved to tell the staff. Thankfully, Mike is my rock and he spoke for both of us. He thanked the staff for their loving care of S, for their dedication to all the needy children who come into their care, and he prayed God's blessings on the work that Holt does to relieve suffering in Ethiopia. He did a wonderful job, as usual. But he had tears running down his cheeks through the whole thing, too. My guy is the manliest of men, but he's not shy about expressing his feelings. I love him for that.

The kids enjoyed popcorn and sodas and cake, and we adults watched the coffee ceremony with fascination. We were thrilled that the Holt staff tried so hard to make our daughter's day a very special one.

Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

HA enjoying some popcorn

HA and his baby sister. Throughout the trip he continually told us how much he loved baby S. However, he was a little unsure about how to relate to her. At one point I told him he should come talk to her and he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Sorry, he replied. " I don't speak baby. I only speak human."

Some more of those precious smiles

Dr. Fikru, baby S, HW, Mike, HA, Brenna, R

We were so impressed with Dr. Fikru. He does an amazing job of caring for the children, and we were thankful that he took extra time out of his busy day earlier in the week to discuss some specific questions we had. In that conversation it became apparent that he loves the children of Ethiopia, and he works very hard to do his best for each child.

Per Holt's instructions, after the ceremony we left baby S with the nannies for a nap (I had worried myself silly over leaving her. Turns out, it was fine, because at that stage she didn't know who in the world we were yet anyway.) Then our travel group went shopping.

We went first to the Leprosy/Tuberculosis Hospital nearby. There we met recovered patients who cannot return to their communities because of stigma, so they live at the hospital and earn a living by weaving beautiful textiles. The work was lovely, and we were amazed to see how it was done. What an education for us in craftsmanship and perseverance. We bought some beautiful things to share and some to keep for baby S.

Next we traveled to a small market. We were repeatedly warned against pickpockets, so we were on the watch. As soon as we stepped out of the van a little boy came alongside me. I was holding HA's hand on the other side, and this handsome little boy walked beside me,  as close to me as he could without really getting into my space. I felt him looking up at me, and when we made eye contact I smiled and he asked, "Mama?" Oh, my heart! It broke into a million pieces looking in that little face.

Here on one side was my son, HA, healthy, educated, warmly dressed, well-fed. And on my other side was this little boy with nothing. Nothing. He was dirty and malnourished and so, so precious to our Lord Jesus. He followed us pretty closely, but the shopkeepers all shooed him away from their doors whenever we entered. He would wait outside then walk along with us to the next shop.  I was a tearful mess for the entire rest of the shopping expedition over that little guy.

We suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a strong cloudburst, complete with heavy rain and some small hail. We quickly finished our purchases, and headed back. As we dodged puddles back to the van, I realized this was the last time I'd ever see that little boy and I just had to do something. We'd been instructed not to hand out gifts or birr to beggars, because others might be watching and might rush forward if they saw we were giving.  So, after the kids were safely tucked into the van, I asked Tamrat to give the little boy some Cliff Bars from my backpack. It was woefully inadequate, and I cried some more as we pulled away through the muddy street and left him there. He was just one of the countless Ethiopian children we saw roaming the streets alone, hungry and filthy, and needing help. You can't visit Ethiopia and not feel overwhelmed. The need is so great. I pray for that little boy often.