Jemo Trip - Day 1 and 2

 

We left Bismarck at about 1:00 on Thursday, May 9 filled with anticipation and trepidation.  The flight schedule was daunting. Yet, the anticipation of meeting our kids and experiencing Jemo filled each of us with excitement.

 We flew from Bismarck to Denver.  We had about a 4 hour layover in Denver.  Sierra loved the flat escalators (or whatever you call them).   She made us all laugh when she proclaimed, "These are awesome!  My life is already changed forever." 

 One thing that makes me laugh about air travel is that we all do everything we can to be comfortable.  Though we try - we often feel more like paperclips than people by the time we reach our destination.  Sigh!

 Sierra and my mom

 

My mom is one of my favorite people to travel with. I am so glad Sierra got this chance to hang with her grandma in Africa.  Amazing memories were made, including cheetos on the guest house deck and sleeping with bedbugs. 

 We arrived in Washington, DC at about 11 PM.  We were then taken to a nearby hotel in a shuttle.  They did not really have enough room for us all - but we made the best of it.

 

Making the best of things was one thing this team did well.

 

We had no complainers on this trip.  No matter what came up - lack of sleep, no wifi, too few showers, long delays, bed bugs, ect. . . NO one whined and complained! I am so proud of each of my travel buddies!

 We were back at Dulles Airport early Friday morning, preparing to board our long flight to Ethiopia.

 Here we are, lined up, ready to board.  There is just something odd about climbing aboard a plane that will fly for more than 10 hours.  All you can possibly feel is dread.

 

The flight was long.  We left in the morning, and everywhere we flew it was daytime, making sleeping hard.  In the moment, it felt as though we would never get there.

 

But when we landed, we all commented that it was not so bad.
(I will never say that flying to ET is not tough.  The flights stink.  BUT they are SOOOOO worth it!)

 

 We arrived in Ethiopia at 7:30 am their time.  We got through airport quickly and simply.  I was shocked at how much smoother the airport is run now than when I went to Ethiopia 3 years ago.  It was a great experience.

 

 We were met by the smiling faces of Hilena and Fikra - CHC staff - and quickly lead to their van.  We were thrilled by the van.  It was so nice and roomy!  Who would have guessed we would travel more comfortably in Ethiopia than in DC?

 We went right to the guest house. (pictured above) 

We dropped off our things and changed before heading to Jemo.

 

 This was our first glimpse of the Jemo compound.  We parked each day right in front of this gate.

 

I felt both excited and nervous as we walked out of the van.

 

 We were greeted by a mob of kids.

 

Some were shy.

Others reached up to shake our hands, kiss our cheeks, and greet us with the traditional "Salem."

They were curious about our cameras, weird language, and pale skin.

 Jim IS Jim wherever he goes.

He was quickly teaching the kids a "secret handshake."

They loved it, and begged to shake his hand all week.

 

It was so great to have Jim's creativity and energy on our team.  I appreciate him so much.

 It did not take long, and they had the kids all lined up to welcome us with songs.

 

They were super cute!

And super nervous with all of us new people snapping photos.

 

They were soon "dismissed" to play with us.

 The parachute was a hit!

 

 As were the Frisbees.

 I think Jim was the first to locate one of his sponsored kids.

This little guy shadowed him all week.

 Bob was completely at ease surrounded by kids!

 This is Ashlee introducing herself to her sponsored son.

 We all think he looks quite a bit like her son, Drew.

 

One of the funny things about this sponsorship program is that, in a number of cases, we thought the kids' personalities or mannerisms were much like their sponsor families'.  It really was a hoot!

 It was obvious that the kids have not been around fair skinned people much.  As they held my hands they were fascinated with tracing my veins, which are so visible through my pale skin.  They were also fascinated with body hair, as ET people have very little.  One morning as a young lady sneaked up behind me to stroke my hair, she gasped "Amazing!"  I giggled.  Touched her braids and replied, "Amazing!"  The it was her turn to giggle!

 All too soon, the kids were sent home.

 Then the team was taken on a walking tour of the neighborhood.

 

It is a very poor area, but safe and friendly.

 There is a rock and gravel pit nearby.

These donkeys were being loaded with rock.

 As soon as they were loaded, they took off to the rock's final destination.

They had no guide, they just knew the way.

 

In fact, you had to get out of their path - they were on a mission!

 When we returned to the church, they were preparing coffee for us.

 

All team members that were new to Ethiopia were very excited to try the famous coffee of Ethiopia.

They were not disappointed!

 

After a brief meeting, we left Jemo for the day.

 

When we all got settled into the van, there was much excitement in the air.

We all agreed that it had been a wonderful experience.

 

We were very excited about the week ahead!

 After leaving Jemo, we stopped at a rooftop restaurant for lunch.

 

Behind Sierra is a view of Addis.

 

(I insisted on this photo as the first picture I have of Krissy in Addis is very similar.  I feel so blessed to have taken both of these girls to Ethiopia.  It is such an amazing experience for a middle school girl.)

 I can not tell you how happy I was to be in Ethiopia with Chad.

It was just SO good!

 

On a side note, thank you for praying for his lungs!  He has asthma, and I was very worried that the air quality combined with the altitude would make him sick.  He felt INCREDIBLE on this trip!  He worked hard with the Ethiopian men on a fence project and never needed extra meds.  God certainly honored our prayers!

 After leaving the restaurant, we drove up Entoto Mountain.

 

It was a beautiful drive, that many of us missed.  (We dozed off in the van!)

 

We did enjoy exploring the church and palace at the top of the mountain!

 These are the stairs we climbed, surrounding the palace.

(I love the workmanship combined with the different lines and textures in thei photo.)

 

 

 Here we are in front of the church.

 

We look pretty good for people who have been up for about 48 hours, don't we?

 As we were leaving Entonto, we spotted this monkey!  I was so excited as it is the first time I have seen a monkey in Addis!  (I know, simple thrills!)

 My mom looking out the gate.

 

 On our way back down the mountain, we stopped to buy scarves from the Former Fuelwood Carriers.

 

It was a great experience.

 We were able to watch them work a bit.

They can weave a scarf so quickly, it amazed me.

 They let Chad try.

 After watching Chad try his hand at weaving, I have even more respect for the weavers!  It is difficult work.   It takes much timing and precision.  The weavers can make several scarves each day.

 This is a photo of the weavers.

They all once worked carrying firewood down the mountain.  It is truly the worst job I have ever seen.  These fuelcarriers tie a load of sticks on their backs that weighs much more than they do.  Then they slowly make their way down the mountain to sell it.  They make $12.50 a month for this incredibly difficult work.  It is a thought that makes my stomach hurt.  $12.50 can not sustain them, but still they work, trying their best to get ahead.  This weaving project has given a few a new way of life. 

 We were very happy to purchase the very beautiful scarves they weave.

 

We finished the day at a pizza place called Island Breeze.

 

It was very dark as we arrived.

 

Sweet Fran tripped and fell down many stairs.  By the grace of God, she was not hurt.  When we saw her lying there, we were sure she had broken something.  It was a bad fall.  BUT amazingly, she had only a scraped knee and elbow.  I am so thankful that she was protected from serious injury!

 

 

Pizza was sweet relief.

 

One thing Chad had worried about before the trip was food.  His past experience with Ethiopian food was not good.  He was concerned about what he would eat in Ethiopia.  Day 1 in country alleviated any fears he had!  We were served yummy, healthy, and very Americanized food!  This pizza was just like he makes!

 

By the time we got back to the guest house, we were ready to collapse!

 

It had been a very full day - but we slept with happy hearts, knowing we would wake up and attend worship at Jemo!

 

 

Prayers answered on this day:

1. All bags arrived!

2. Team members did amazingly well.  We were tired - but we embraced each part of the day with excitement, open-minds, and extreme grace.

3. Chad (and everyone else) felt healthy and strong.



In Ethiopia on Mother's Day

Even though we leave for Ethiopia tomorrow, Chad sent me flowers this week.  It is a beautiful pink bouquet.  The smell is heavenly.  Breathing deep of their fragrance as I frantically worked through my to do list this week was soothing. 

While I always adore receiving flowers, I thought often that this Mother's Day bouquet is significant.  You see, once upon a time, Mother's Day was a day I dreaded!  At the time, I was a full time stay at home mom (with a naptime office job for Creative Construction) to four little lovies.  I loved, loved, loved my job as mom.  I always have.  I have never been one to complain about my kids or be "so stressed out because of them."  BUT - I longed to be recognized for all I did.  I wanted Chad and the kids to tell me that I was totally amazing.  I wanted to hear that they appreciated that I did all the laundry, prepared all the meals, kept the house and yard tidy, took out the trash, read books, created projects, drove to activities, set-up play dates, paid the bills, did the shopping, etc...  I wanted ONE day a year when I was the princess because I did my job so wonderfully.

Somehow, my expectation was never met.  It was not that Chad did not find me a gift or make me a meal or buy me a card.  He always did.  I just had this impossible hope for the day, and it never quite worked out as dreamy as I had imagined.

Until Mother's Day 2010.

Mother's Day 2010 came just weeks before we left to bring Joshua home.  At that point I was a wreck.  My entire heart was in an orphanage in Ethiopia.  OK that is overly dramatic - half my heart.

Knowing that MY son was in an orphanage when he could be with his family nearly drove me insane.

And then IT happened.

Sitting in a dark sanctuary, during a special Mother's Day service, I lost it.  I completely, totally lost it.  I cried and sobbed all through the service. A sniffle is something I have experienced often - but these from-the-gut tears were new to me.  They caught me off guard, yet they were totally real.

You see during that worship service, I mourned, in a very real way, the death of Joshua's Ethiopian mother.  Until you share a child with another mother, you can not understand the deep love you can feel for her.  I love Joshua's Ethiopian mother with a fierce protectiveness that truly catches me off guard sometimes.

I know for a fact that she fought for her son from the very beginning.  His teeth tell us that even before he was born his mother was either sick or malnourished, or (more likely) both.  Her body fought for him.  Her body won. 

I get that fight.  I am a biological mom and an adoptive mom.  I know how it feels to be responsible for a child growing deep inside of you.  I know the worry that something will go wrong.  I know the joy of each kick and hiccup.  I know that every part of your body, mind, and spirit labors hard.  I know the deep joy and unexplainable love one experiences as they wait to meet their child.

I am also sure that baby Gebeyehu was well loved.  The way he responds to touch speaks of this.  The way he reaches for the skin of my collar bone tells me his Ethiopian mom took joy in holding him close to her heart.  The way he still loves to bury his head into the nape of my neck leads me to believe that he loved nursing and all the skin to skin snuggles that go with it.

I do not know what exactly caused this beautiful mommy's death.  But it grieves me tremendously.  The thought of her dying, wondering what would happen with her son, makes my heart break into a million pieces.   The thought of our (hers and my) baby son longing for the touch and comfort of his mommy wrecks me.

The fact that in His time, God chose me to follow in her foot steps makes me weep.

Mother's Day has never been the same again.

I now realize in the deepest parts of my soul that being able to be a mother is a gift.  I do not need flowers or gifts or words of affirmation.  (I like them, but I do not need them.  There is a difference.)  To have the gift of one more day being surrounded by the children God has entrusted to me is ENOUGH.

I often wonder if people in heaven can see Earth and know how loved ones are doing.  I so long for Joshua Gebeyehu's Ethiopian momma to know how he is doing.  How tall and handsome he is.  That he went to bed wiggling his third loose tooth.  That he has learned to write his name, but still prefers playing in the dirt to going to school.  That his favorite color is blue.  That he is learning to love Jesus.  That he is adored by his siblings.  That he loves his new momma - but that there is a corner of his heart that is forever hers.  That I tell him all the time how much I love his Ethiopian mommy.  It is ahrd for a little guy to know what to think when one mommy "disappears" (as it would seem to a baby brain.)  He sometimes feels he can not love us both, and I challenge him that he can! If I can love all 5 of my kids, he can love both of his moms!  That thought gave him great relief.

And sweet Bekelech, we keep this beautiful statue in a special place at all times.

The first Christmas JG was home, he saw it in the store and asked to touch it.  As he gazed deep at this angel holding a baby, he sighed "A-moma" (Ethiopian for momma) and kissed her cheek.  That scene will forever play in my mind.  Hobby Lobby became hallowed ground as our son remembered you.  Though he does not have concrete memories of you, his heart knows.

My heart knows.  My heart knows that you loved our son well.  You fought as hard as you could for him.  My heart loves and honors you daily.  And I can hardly wait to find you in heaven someday and tell you all about our boy.  You can tell me about what it was like to carry him in your womb, his labor and delivery story, how and why you chose his name. . .  I will tell you how he grew into a man.

Each moment of motherhood is a gift for which I am deeply grateful.

This Mother's Day, I will not be with all of my children.  I will be experiencing worship in Ethiopia for the first time.  God brings so many things full circle.  Pray for me this Mother's Day as I worship the Savior in the place of my small son's birth.  May my heart be broken a new in all the ways that He chooses.

All Kinds of Crazy

We leave for Ethiopia on Thursday and getting ready for a trip has never, ever been this difficult.

Organizing for a team of 14 is harder than organizing for my family.

Arranging for 150 kids to have care packages and activities and nametags and. . . is a whole new experience.  It is an honor and a dream come true - but also a lot!

Getting both of my offices prepared for my departure is insanity.

Communicating all the details that go along with 4 kids (1 comes with me!) is a big undertaking.  I have incredible people taking care of my kids while we are away - which is an even bigger undertaking!!  I am truly NOT a bit worried about my kids.  I am a bit worried about the caregivers!  (ha!)

Add in the end of the school year awards ceremonies, track meets, and field trips and I feel like my brain is oozing out my ears!

At the same time, I am totally, completely joyful.

I GET TO RETURN TO ETHIOPIA!!!  THAT MAKES MY HEART SING!!!

BONUS - CHAD, SIERRA, MY MOM, AND 11 OTHER AMAZING PEOPLE FROM MY CHURCH ARE COMING WITH ME!!!

IT IS ALMOST TOO DREAMY TO BE REAL!

Truly!


Today, I was able to watch as Jamison received the "President's Outstanding Academic Achievement Award."

 

Although there was a track meet today, his track coaches decided to have Freshman attend this award ceremony instead of running.  I really appreciate that they encourage their athletes to be good students.

 

As far as Chad and I go - we want our kids to develop Godly character.  In all areas of life, we want them to work hard, be kind, compassionate, encouraging, respectful people who stand for what they believe in.  While I am extremely proud of Jamison's measurable accomplishments this Spring, both in track and in academics, what I am most proud of is WHO he is.

 

One other observation I made about my son today is that he has become TALL.  I know I call him my tall son often, but today I realized that he really is!  I have seen him in mixed age groups this year.  He is never short - even when surrounded by seniors.  I figured he was just a bit on the tall side of average for his age.  I realized today that he is tall for his age.  It surprised me a bit because although I have many tall family members Chad does not! 

Sierra had her final track meet of the season today.

It was in Minot, and there was no way that either Chad or I could take the day off to road trip and watch her.  So, she graciously texted me throughout the day with updates.  Since I am a mom who prefers to be in the stands than behind my desk, I really appreciate her keeping me in the loop.

Here is a track meet via text:

Sierra: 6th in 200 hurdles!!! :) i did the best in horrizon 7th grade hurdlers!!!!!

Me: EEEEEEK!!! So so proud of you! Congrats!

Sierra: Me too just ran a 100 dont know the results but i got 19.36 wich is a great time for me!!!  Sad that this is the last meet but excited about results and times

Me: Coolio!  So happy for you!

Sierra: Got 7th in the 100 hurdles u really did good today!  So happy and proud of myself

Me: We r so proud of u :)  :)

Sierra: :) thanks

So - I am bummed that Chad and I missed her most successful meet.  Yet, I am thrilled she was able to communicate with me some throughout the day!

(Please pray that the same will be true when Jay runs on Monday and I am in Ethiopia!  His meet starts at 2 pm here, which is 10pm in Ethiopia.  It may be a really, really late night for me in ET - but God willing I will get a few details about his run!)

This evening I began packing.

I could/should probably become a spokes person for Magicbags!  Without this marvelous invention my bag would only have held gifts for the Jemo kids.  I would have been OK with only an outfit or two for the trip - but we are all glad that after vacuume packing the gifts I have room for 7 outfits!  What a blessing technology is!

 

One funny from the day:

 

Joshua was with me at my office at church this afternoon.

 

I asked him, "Joshua?  Since you are the only Ethiopian in the room, and we are all traveling to Ethiopia this week, do you have any advice for us?"

 

He thought a minute and replied with a cheeky grin, "Make sure to drink coffee every day!"

 

"I got that!" I said.

 

My travel partners agreed!

 

Then he added, "Take a lot of pictures.  And when the car is driving skip a seat belt and stand up in the car just like Eyob let me do!"

 

 

Traveling to Ethiopia brings so many memories and emotion close to the surface.  I have been overwhelmed often as a memory catches me off guard this week.  I am so thankful that what Joshua remembered today were happy things.  His sharing about anything Ethiopian in public is new!  It made me so joyful to have him share advice proudly and happily!

Tomorrow there is way too much to do in  way too little time, and then we are off!  A long nap on a plane is in my very new future.  Hip Hip Hooray!

Rockin' the Track

My little world was busy, busy, busy last week.

I leave with a team of 14 in 4 days for Ethiopia.  Let's face it - a mom of 5 with 2 jobs, should never even consider a weekend away.  10 days in Ethiopia is pure craziness!

I am so thankful that I serve a God that makes crazy possible.

While I am not ready yet, I am getting closer.

And while preparing both of my offices and my home for my departure is A LOT of work - I am completely sure that going is what I am supposed to be doing.

The sun shone through my duty driven life last week in the moments I spent watching my tracksters run.  I can not even explain how much I love to watch my kids run.

The biggest blessing of my week was a cold rainy track meet on Monday!

Towards the end of the cross country season, Jamison started making goals for his track season.  He said that he really wanted to break 5 minutes in the mile.  He ran all winter - including Christmas Eve - snow, wind, cold, rain, or shine.  He worked through some PT.  He grew and grew and grew.  He lifted and ran and then lifted and ran some more.

You get the point - our son is a talented runner.  His talent is no coincidence.  He has invested heavily, working long and hard, to be the best he can be.

I have been selfishly worrying that Jay would accomplish his sub-5-minute mile goal while I was in Ethiopia.  Whether or not I am in the stands, I would be thrilled for my tall son - but I really, really, really, really wanted to see it happen.

A lot!

Last Saturday, he ran great.  He came in just over 5 minutes, not quite his goal time - but faster than his coach asked.

Racing is hard on a body.  He was not sure if he could run faster still on Monday, just 2 days after his last race.  He WAS determined to give it his all.

I am SO THANKFUL he did!  Because on Monday, April 29, 2013, I saw my son run a mile under 5 minutes for the first time.

He is such a good boy!  He accomplished his goal, AND he allowed his momma to see it happen.

It was such a blessing to me.

We watched every split through the race.  We knew he was so close.  We knew conditions were bad.  We held our breathe.

Until he crossed the line in 4.56!

It was a moment - photo or no photo - that I will never forget.

Through out the rest of the week, I worked like a crazy person preparing for the trip.  Trying to close up offices, pack up stuff for 150 kids, etc was and is crazy.  However, more track meets sprinkled my week with FUN and JOY.

On Friday, I watched Sierra run for the last time this year! (She runs one more meet on Tuesday, but it is in Minot.  I just can not take the day off to watch her - so my final meet was Friday.)

(These photos stink.  Sorry!  I forgot to charge my camera, so this is all I got!)

 

Sierra improved so much during this track season.

Both her hurdle form and her speed jumped meet to meet.

 

Sierra really struggles with foot and shin pain.  Growing so much has taken its toll on her legs!  She fought through the pain, and learned so much this season.  I am SAD to say it is over!

 

I am THRILLED to say she is flying away with us to Ethiopia this week though!  This girly says she will live in Africa just as soon as she gets some sort of medical degree.  She wants to go and serve.  I am thrilled that I will be at her side on her very first trip to Ethiopia.  Her enthusiasm, energy, and sincerity are such an asset to our team.

__________________________________________________________________ 

Yesterday we watched Jamison run the 3200 for the first time.

 

Running this race is an honor of sorts.  He is the only Freshman on his team that the coach has felt is strong enough to run the 3200.  In future seasons, his having experienced this race will be really valuable.  The first time is always the hardest, as you try to decide how to pace a race and what it feels like.  You do not want to "hit a wall" mid-race.  You also do not want to end with too much left in the tank.  There is nothing easy about distance pacing, I am learning.

 This race ended up being an extra hard race to pace because there were not very many entrants.  Each boy ran much of the race essentially by themselves. 

 Jay finished up 3rd in the JV race.  He clocked a time of 10:58.  He was pleased with that - for a first race.  He does think he could shave off significant time should he run it again.

 

And he may.

 

Jay has 2 or 3 meets left this season.  He does not know yet which events he will run.  Two of his remaining meets will be while we are in Ethiopia. 

 

 Boo Hoo!  I am more sad to miss Jay running than anything else while we are away.  In fact, I have promised him that I will not travel during xc or track season again until after he graduates!  At the same time, he is OK with us leaving.  He is excited to travel to ET with us sometime in the future, and he fully supports this trip.  (I am so thankful!)

 

So think of and pray for Jamison on May 9 and May 13!  Those are the dates of his final meets as a Freshman!

I know I will be routing for him from half way across the world.

I Am

By Sierra Dietrich

(Photo credit to Sierra as well)

 

 

I am Sierra Dietrich.

I am lemonade on a hot summer day.

I am music at a school dance.

I am words in a book.

I am a volcano waiting to blow.

I am not the baby, but not the oldest.

I am something in the making.

I am my Mom's tender heart.

I am my Dad's competitive spirit.

I am bullet proof.

I am all legs.

I am golden - NOT blond.

I am irrepressible.

I am not afraid to fall.

I am a child of the One True King.

I am Sierra Dietrich.

I am confident in me,

Are you?

 

 

***Sierra wrote this as a class assignment.  I love it, and I asked if I could publish it here so it would be hidden in my heart forever.  To me, it is the perfect description of my beautiful golden daughter.