Update from Africa

So Far…So Good
We left our home Friday at 11:30…it is currently Sunday morning 6:08am (Austin time) and 2:10pm Addis Ababa time. Our travel has been long and uneventful. One of the most unsettling parts about this trip (for Leah) would be the traveling portion. More specifically, flying. While Brent LOVES it, I, on the other hand dislike it. Many of you knew this deep fear of mine and thus, prayed. Let me tell you that God answered your prayers!
On the Austin to Houston leg…the plane was packed and since we had purchased our tickets 48 hours in advance, there were no seats together. One of our prayers has been for God to use us, teach us, and keep our focus on His kingdom – not just our adoption. Well…Brent sat near a precious gal who was from North Carolina and was intrigued and full of joy for our adoption. They were two rows in front of me and at one point she turns around and in a fairly loud voice shouts “congratulations, I am soooooooo happy for you!” The entire trip they shared about “real life” and God was present. As for me, I sat next to Sarah. Guess who she works for? A Glimmer of Hope…which is an agency that is solely focused on Ethiopia. (Check out their website www.aglimerofhope.org). Currently, they are focusing on a village to bring clean drinking water, a school and a health post. The village has about 5,000 people in it and their desire is to transform it and building relationships. Sarah and I had great conversations and what are the chances God would place us near this precious friend, who too has a heart of Ethiopia and is giving her life works to be part of this incredible effort. Go God!!!
Now, in Houston, we had a 4+ hour layover. One thing we did to pass our time was go to the ExpresSpa. There I met Gigi…she was a neat woman, who is a single mom trying to make a living. We shared about our journey and she shared about her life. While the manicure and chair massage was “heaven”…my time spent with her was even better. You know when you have this soul connection and you are simply sharing about “real life.” Two strangers…on two separate journeys…with struggles and joys…and we were able to share life.
The big mountain to climb was the Emirates flight from Houston to Dubai. This is where God showed up big time. If you ever have a chance to fly this airline – take it. Let’s just say, I sat by an old man (for those of you who know me – I LOVE the elderly, especially old men). He was enroute to the Philippians and had quite a bit to say about everything. When we weren’t talking…Brent and I were watching a movie. Yes, 4 of them. We each had our own screen in front of us and had the pick of movies, music, games and choices galore. It made the time go by and the long flight more tolerable.
Once in Dubai it was morning still in Austin and evening in Saudi Arabia. We had each maybe slept 2 hours on the plane total. Sweet! We thought…we’ll go to the hotel and eat dinner…then off to bed. This was the case but it is 3am here and I am so awake! (Brent is sleeping beautifully in the twin bed next to me. Yes, so romantic!)
In the last 40 or so hours we have seen 6 movies and have had 6-8 hours of sleep. Let’s just say we are TIRED. What is waaaaaaaaay cool is the weather. Our triple digit heat wave for the last 60+ days in Austin is overshadowed by the pouring rain. Right now it is easily 60 degrees. The sound is lulling us to sleep. There is a pot boiling us some hot water for our Oatmeal and Mac-n-Cheese lunch. We’re unpacked. We’ve set up home for the week and now we wait…Brent and I feel like were living in a dream state (being sleep deprived does not help). We are soooooooo excited we can barely stand ourselves, yet trying to keep our expectations low.
In closing, most of you know we are in Ethiopia on an “off week”…our agency sends families every other week to Addis Ababa. Due to our “special circumstances” the U.S. Consulate has granted us a special appointment. However, other agencies are represented this week in Ethiopia and we had the privilege to meet some families traveling from the U.S. One family in particular is from New Mexico, her name is Leah, they have 3 kiddos and are adopting a 5-month-old girl. The crazy cool thing about this family is their connection to Bo and Amy’s school. This couple came to meet with Veritas staff two years ago, in hopes to start their own University Model School. Last year was their first year, they’re on the board and know the leadership of our school. Of course, we had many things in common with this family and God stepped in and gave us the assemblance of being with a group, just not one connected with our agency.