On Our Way!

blogpost1blogpost2 June 1, 2013

After many months of planning for the trip and fundraising for the donations, a group of nine of our volunteers left Toronto for Addis Ababa to serve the women and children in Ethiopia.

Of our 18 pieces of luggage, very little was filled with personal items.  We have suitcases upon suitcases of items that have been donated or purchased with money that has been raised through our necklace sales, Gems & Java and donations.  Awaiting for us in Ethiopia is also 700 pairs of leather shoes and many, many supplies for school kits, orphanage supplies and items for the Reward Store for the women who make the necklaces we sell.

All nine volunteers are excited to be going to Ethiopia to demonstrate in practical ways the care and compassion our volunteers and donors have shown over this past year and a half.  I am so excited to be able to share with the women and children who will be receiving our donations, the effort our volunteers have made and the generous giving of our donors to help make a difference in their lives.  I can only imagine the sense of hope this loving message will provide to the women and children.

A 13- hour plane ride and we will be in Ethiopia, learning, observing, donating and showing love.

Thank you to all our volunteers and donors for making this possible!   Although we are a group of nine, I feel that you are with us too in spirit and commitment.

Shelley

Special Birthday Presents

Emily Longworth, Feb.2013 Birthday donation 004 Emily wanted to make a difference on her birthday and decided to ask her friends to bring school supplies and toys for children in Ethiopia instead of receiving gifts for herself.

Emily, you are a special girl with a loving heart. You are a wonderful example for other children.

I am excited to give these gifts to children in Ethiopia this June and to tell them about a girl named Emily who wanted to show her love for them.

Thank you for thinking of others on your special day! Happy birthday Emily!

Love, Shelley

St. Jude's School- Compassion With Action

St. Jude's School- Compassion in Action

St. Jude's students in Ingersoll, Ontario are compassionate, caring, motivated and dedicated to helping the children in Ethiopia.

Their campaign "Compassion With Action", challenged the children to raise money by working. The children babysat, walked dogs, cleaned, did errands, created pieces of art for sale and did what they could to earn money.

This group of just over 200 students ages JK to grade 8 raised $1850.00!!!!

The money will be used to purchase 650 pairs of shoes for students at a rural school in the southern part of Ethiopia.

Thank you St. Jude's! Your desire to make a difference in the lives of Ethiopian students has touched my heart and I cannot wait to tell the students in Ethiopia that you have worked hard to show them you care about them.

Gems & Java Woodstock - touched my heart!

It was April 28th, 2012 and our very first Woodstock Gems & Java.  The event was sold out with a waiting list and everything had fallen in to place beautifully.  The Jewellery/Purse Room looked like a beautiful dressing room/boutique with a huge selection of gorgeous jewellery and purses to choose from, the desserts shouted "you cannot resist me", the Silent Auction table invited all to bid with items for everyone's taste and lifestyle and the piano playing of Pam created a background for the afternoon that brought music to our hearts. 

As you entered the hall, you were welcomed by the aroma of freshly brewed Ethiopian coffee and Mehret offering an traditional Ethioipan Coffee Ceremony.

The hall was filled with women of all ages there to support women and children living half way across the world in Ethiopia.  The power of women helping women was felt so deeply and filled my heart so completely, I was brought to tears.

It was my pleasure to provide our guests with a pictures of what my mother and I experienced when we went to Ethiopia to pick up my precious daughter to bring her home to her new country and home in Canada. 

It isn't until you have visited a country like Ethiopia that you can truly understand the depths of poverty and how that poverty impacts the lives of the millions of children and women living there. 

A two-week trip provides limited knowledge of the realties of life in another country but sharing what I learned and felt was what I did for our guests at Gems & Java.  Our guests became aware of how their support could and would make a difference. 

Guests shopped in our Jewellery/Purse room and made donations for many, many beautiful pieces, bid on Silent Auction items and purchased our "2012 Ethiopian Necklace". 

Our first Woodstock Gems & Java raised an incredible $6,600 after expenses!!

The comments as people were leaving that Saturday afternoon in April, 2012 were validating, confirming, touching and encouraging.  We heard "I am definately coming next year and this time, I am bringing my mom and sisters too.", "I loved this afternoon, I feel like we have had a wonderful time and helped make a difference while enjoying ourselves.".

Thank you to all those who made our Gems & Java such a success. 

Thank you for touching my heart!!

Shelley Green

 

 

 

 

Paula's interviews with Women from Mission Ethiopia

During my trip to Ethiopia in November 2011, I  had the  honour of  meeting and spending  time with the women involved in Mission Ethiopia. These are  the women that  suffer from Leprosy, HIV and severe poverty, these are the women that we are start ing a life long partnership with! I was able to interview  5 women that represent the majority of the group. The first woman's name is SINKNISH

1. Question: What  do you like best about being a part of Mission Ethiopa?

Answer:   The link with people, the feeling of unity , the church and  the offering of hope

2. What do you love and value about your country Ethiopa?

Answer:  I love the right to be equal, even suffering from Leprosy

3.  What do you hope to accomplish/goals about working together with the  group of women?

Answer : M y goal is to  help others

4.  What are your thoughts about us (Canadian adoptive mothers of Ethiopian born-children, coming here to start a partnership with you? Do you have any questions or concerns?

Answer:  Excited!!!

5. Do you  have any dreams for your life?

Answer:  more education, currently have grade 6, would love to be a Doctor for humans

6 If you could purchase one thing for your child what would it be?

Answer:  a home for shelter and then a car to drive my child around

7. Do you have an important symbol in your possession?

Answer; Bible

 

#2  Name:  TSEGANESHI

1.  What do you like best about Mission Ethiopa?

Answer:   having a job through the support of the church

2. What do you love and value about your country Ethiopia?

Answer: women's rights improved

3. What do you hope to accomplish /goals about working together with this group of women?

Answer: work hard within the community and within this house

4. What  are your thoughts about us (Canadian adoptive mothers of children from Ethiopia) coming here to start a partnership with you?

Answer: excited!!!

5. Do you have any dreams for your life?

Answer: I would love to be a Teacher

6. If you could purchase one thing for your child what would it be?

Answer:  essential clothing item

7.  Do you have an important symbol in your possession?

Answer: Bible

 

#3   name: MEDHANIT

1.   What do you like best about Mission Ethiopia?

Answer  : unity and assistance with physical needs

2. What do you love about your country Ethiopia ?

Answer:  love the country in general, government improving  acceptance of   leprosy survivors

3. What do you hope to accomplish/goals about working together with this group of women?

Answer;  working and learning something new

4. What are your thoughts   about us ( Canadian adoptive mothers of children born in Ethiopia) coming here to start a partnership with you ?

Answer: We appreciate what you are doing to share the burden of  our children that need loving families , we sometimes feel overwhelmed and helpless with this profound situation, . Excited to work with you

(This response brought me to tears)

5. Do you have any dreams for your life?

Answer:  many dreams: teacher , secretary (skills for this now), singer , writer, author  of fiction book of family ( would like to have it published)

6. If you could purchase one thing for your child what would it be?\

Answer: computer

7. Do you have an important symbol in your possession'

Answer:  No I do not have anything ''

 

 

#4    Name: ALEM

1.   What do you like best about  Mission Ethiopia

Answer: Unity with my sisters

2 What do you love and value about Ethiopia?

Answer:

land is good and green, hope for the future

3. What do you hope to accomplish with Mission Ethiopia?

Answer: complete more business, possibly a green house

4. What are your thoughts about working with Mothers with a heart for Ethiopia?

Answer: Excited

5. Do you have any dreams for your life?

Answer: To become a doctor to help street children

6.If you could purchase one thing for your child what would it be ?

Answer: house, car,  opportunity to see the country

7. Do you have an important symbol in your possession?

Answer: Hope

 

 

#5    Name:  AMSALE

1. What do you like best about Mission Ethiopia?

Answer: opportunity to have physical needs met and spiritual needs

2.  What do you love about Ethiopia?

Answer: leprosy rights integrated into society

3, What do you hope to accomplish?

Answer: creative, grow together

4. What are your thoughts about working with Mothers with a heart for Ethiopia

Answer:   you are helping our children, we can do more together!

5. Do you have any dreams for your life?

Answer education- to become a nurse

6. if you could purchase one item for your child what would it be?

Answer:  currently renting a home- would like to buy a house

7Do you have an important symbol in your possession?

Answer: Positive attitude

*  I would like to formally thank Bissrat who is a wonderful citizen of Addis, who was the  official  translator for these interviews

* The live interviews were videotaped and will be available for viewing  very soon on our website, so please look for this.

St. Jude's School in Ingersoll

The St. Jude Catholic community donates over $1400 to Ethiopian charity, Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia.

Shelley Green and two other mothers who adopted children from Ethiopia, have founded the charity, Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia. During their time in Ethiopia, these women were significantly and forever impacted by the severe and unbelievable poverty they witnessed. Recently, Shelley Green was a guest presenter at St. Jude School in Ingersoll and shared some of her experiences and pictures of her time in Ethiopia. Shelley's presentation was a strong reminder that we should be grateful everyday for what we have and where we live. She also empasized that we need to show compassion through meaningful action. Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia sell necklaces handmade by women living in Ethiopia. Each necklace costs $20.00. All proceeds are returned to Ethiopia to an Ethiopian organization called Kingdom Vision International. This organization currently supports families, especially children living in their orphanages.

Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia are looking for more groups who want to hear their message of gratitude and compassion.

-Denise Does, a grade 4 teacher at St. Jude's school in Ingersoll after a presentation was made by Shelley Green, one of the founding mothers of Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia.

Paula's Blog #1 - Ethiopia 2011

Paula’s experience in Ethiopia November/December 2011-12-20

Background information leading up to recent visit to Ethiopia:

 Since adopting an incredible little boy from Ethiopia in 2009, my life has forever changed.  I fell in love with my son and also Ethiopia for all of it’s deep deep rich history and resilient human beings like no others on earth....  The first time I touched down on Ethiopian soil I felt the history rush through my bones and I shivered and cried with as much emotion as humanly possible.  We then had only a few hours before we would first meet our son in person. A son that was meant to be ours,  a child that was in our future even 10 years previous.. he was the one for us.... My husband and I had agreed on a name of our first child a decade ago. We agreed on the name “Malin”. At this time we did not know or think that our only child would come from Ethiopia. We assumed like most that this would be a biological child coming 10 years ago..... However, when we first received the referral for our  adoptive son, his Ethiopian name was “Miki”. We researched this name and the one we had chosen. They both happen to mean “Little Warrier!” so he has both names!!!!! 

 

 

 

I have felt the urge to return to Ethiopia ever since the  first visit. I promised myself that once my son was settled in Canada and  he had a “village “ of support around him. We would return several times. The goal would be to  learn more about Malin, give back and say thank you to a country that gave us the most important gift of all!!  Learn more see more and enjoy such a  unique country !!

 

My close friend Leah also adopted from Ethiopia and our experience and friendship before and during this goes without words how deep and cherished , and meaningful our relationship is!!!  Leah started to discuss returning to Ethiopia earlier this year  and I was also getting a strong urge to go, it became so strong that I honestly can only explain  this type of feeling as  a true message from God or higher being!  I kept dreaming about it  and wrote a stick it in my closet  Ethiopia 2011 and wondered if it would happen?!  I became a member of mothers 4 Ethiopia with Leah and Shelley this year . I was ready for a change form my full time career . I chose to  resign from my career in June, and continued to live on my savings.   My focus was on taking care of myself, my family and fulfilling the need within myself to give back to Ethiopia via humanitarian efforts.

 

The three adoptive mothers group, started fundraising efforts and the idea of going to Ethiopia was starting to make much more sense. Leah  and Shelley were not able to go for very good reasons this year. I now had a specific reason to go besides just an “urge”. I proposed the idea to my husband. After much discussion it was a go and I would also take  my sister and my son Malin.  We  planned for middle of November.  Two weeks before leaving I had the instincts that I should leave Malin in  Canada. Extended family members also voiced  some legitimate concerns  about this trip.  Malin remained in  Canada, and he presented to understand to the best of his ability why he would not be going this time.  We  talked about and practiced skype so we could stay connected.  He was excited about the camera.

 

Plans and goals for the Ethiopia trip:

1)      Complete the Great Ethiopian Run (train too)

2)      Meet and teach the women of Mission Ethiopia how to sew bags, bring back necklaces, interview and start and life long partnership with these women

3)       Provide donation to KVI and spend time with children and staff at the orphanage

4)      Tour Northern Ethiopia with my sister “Ras Dashin”

5)      Meet with Solomon our family co-ordinator

Highlights of the trip : (not in any order of importance)

 

 

1)      Spending time with my sister Cheryl ( she put up with alot  not just finances to go)

  • I lost two cell phones, camera and many other things, she kept me organized
  •  Technology was not reliable, she never gave up,  networked with people to assist
  • She helped me train and ran the GER with me and 35,000 other people!
  • We laughed and cried together many times

 

2)      Meeting the people of Ethiopia! Especially Eyob Kolcha. Eyob is the Executive Director of KVI.

  • He went above and beyond to provide us with transportation and  or so much support almost daily! We learned so much from each other including how to complete and Canadian day in Ethiopia! ( Please refer to attached e-mail for details on the very first day in Ethiopia!!)
  • He arranged for us to stay at KVI guest house ( and were treated with  up most respect and like family too)
  • He escorted us to Ras Dashin. If he had not have assisted with this process it would not have been possible for us to go. 
  • He took me to his church as a special guest, I was the only white person  our of  of 3,000 people, I have never felt so comfortable and only looked at out of interest  and respect (Apparently  white people go to an English speaking church)  I did  not understand the language but definitely felt the presence of God there and very safe!!
  • Goodbye coffee ceremony. I wore my traditional dress and was allowed to serve a cup of coffee too!!
  • Eyob also shared his passion with KVI orphanage. He truly cares about the children and his staff. He was accountable to showing how our donations were used completely!  He turned this around to also empower and motivate the entire orphanage and everyone  involved. We ended up having a good bye party there and the children were excited to show their new PJ’s. Nobody wanted this evening to end.  Eyob is an incredible visionary leader full of compassion and fun too!!!

3)      Meeting the women of Mission Ethiopia

  • What an absolute privilege!! These women are resilient and have a strong bond together, They were open to sharing everything with us. They worked happily and diligently even when the power went out and it goes out lots!!!
  • I was able to spend three days at separate times with them. The interviews were also emotional. One women had me in unexpected tears when she talked openly about adoption and  expressed thankfulness and understanding of our roles as adoptive parents and this made our connection and bond even stronger. These women deserve to have more than just strong spiritual belief and  a place to go like Mission Ethiopia, They deserve   a better quality of life for their families also. This will happen with our partnership and it was very clear they believe this and are excited about  the future!!!!!
  • Watching them enjoy their first experience with Canadian maple cookies was also fun

4)Being able to connect with My son Malin in Canada. We had some frustrations and complications with technology, But it was rewarding when we  could connect. I was even able to show him the new traditional dress that I purchased !!

 

 

 

There is so much more I could add and will when I get more time.   I am counting the days to when I can return to Ethiopia. Apart of my heart is there and I cannot wait to share that with my son many times in the future!!

 

Paula 

Shelley - update #5

Hi!  

We are home inCanadaand what an incredible feeling to be on your own soil and enjoy the complete luxuries and blessings of this fine land!

Our trip home was very long but for the most part, Julia did incredibly well.  She even thought the turbulence was a blast!  I guess compared to some of the roads we travelled on, the five minutes of turbulence was a walk in the park.

Julia has had a photo album since February with pictures of her family and this has really helped her in getting to know the names and faces of those closest to her.  She normally is shy when she meets new people so my mom and I expected that she would be somewhat standoffish when she met my family and my boyfriend at the airport for the first time.

We walked through the sliding doors to see my nieces holding welcome posters, others holding balloons and flowers and everyone with huge smiles on their faces.  What a wonderful welcome for Julia and my mom and me!  Lisa, my sister was at the end of the walkway and before I knew it, Julia was running down with open arms to go and meet her Auntie Lisa.  From there, she wanted to hug and be held by everyone.  She was all smiles and giggles - what a great way to start a new family relationship.

My family had a wonderful welcome dinner where Julia was playing with everyone and even went in the pool.

Julia has a lot to adjust to and it will take months I am sure before she is really feeling settled.  Her language barrier has to be a certain frustration for her as she cannot understand much of what we are saying and she cannot make her needs known (beyond the basics).  She is a bright little girl so I expect that the language will not be too difficult but rather just take some time.  A neighbor of mine has adopted internationally twice and her oldest was 3 when they adopted and she said within 6 months, her daughter was speaking English with no problems at all.  Knowing the personality of Julia, we are all excited to be a part of the conversations when she can speak English!!

Thank you so much again for all your support, excitement and prayers.  I am going to be laying fairly low for several weeks to help in Julia's adjustment but once I think she is doing well enough, I will start to introduce her to those who have been so excited to meet her.  Thank you for your patience.

Just a few cute stories to share about my little girl.... I pinned a Canadian flag pin on her sweater when we flew home and she kept looking at that and saying "Canada flag", she giggled with shear joy when we would say "we are going to Canada", she has started to dance with me when the music is playing while looking at me as if to say "am I doing this okay?", she loves the swing at the park and loves to throw/catch and kick the soccer ball,  she is such a mommy to her dolls and when I gave her the Little Mommy doll my friend gave me two years ago, she called me into her room saying "please mommy", she was bent at the waist and had her baby on her back and wanted me to sling the doll to her back (this is how the ladies in Ethiopia carry their babies), after she sings a song my mom and I have taught her, she says "good a singing" with her accent, she mimics me a lot (man what a lot of responsibility that is :)) and she will try to trick me saying "mommy, I finished" and then she will show me that she isn't done drinking or eating and mimic me in a much deeper voice saying "you're not finished" and then of course giggle. Somehow she heard my name as Shellina  so now to be funny she calls me Shellina sometimes. There are so many cute things she has done in such a short time.  We have only been together physically for just over two weeks but in many ways; it feels like we've been together for a long time.

The rest of our time inEthiopiawas eventful just like most other days we were there.  We were able to distribute 16 shoe shine boxes and take the boys out for lunch again.  They were all so grateful for this support and love.  We were also able to tell four other boys that through your generosity, we are able to send 4 more boys to boarding school this fall. All of the boys were so incredibly respectful, grateful and loving towards us and it was surely one of the greatest highlights of our time inEthiopia.

We were able to visit the community of Korah where people with leprosy, HIV, disabilities and many orphans live.  On the edge of Korah, there is dump and I was told by another adoptive parent who has been on many missions around the world that it was the saddest thing he has ever seen.  The children there are digging in the piles of garbage to find food and other necessities and because the glass is also dumped there, many of their hands and feet have significant scares because they have been slashed by the glass.  Also, the large trucks bringing in garbage and moving garbage are right beside the children and there are many injuries because the children get under the tires.  This man told me that the children are covered in dirt and ashes.

One of the ministers, Sammy, who works for the church in Korah, lived in the dump as a young boy until he was sponsored and was taken out of that life.  He spirit is incredibly positive and beautiful and he works with the people in Korah and the dump to bring hope and a better future.  He is another example and indication of what sponsorship can do for these children who have nothing. I was able to meet with and talk with some beautiful people who have, through sponsorship, been able to rise above their situations.  What has hit home for me is that these individuals have all the potential in the world and what held them back before was education.  It isn't to say that children and people wanting higher education will have the life we have here but they could live so much better and help to create lasting change for their country.

In Korah alone, there are 800 orphans!!!!  There are 5.4 million orphans inEthiopiamostly due to AIDS and poverty.  The rainy season has come toEthiopiaso harder times are now upon these people.  Many more children will be sent to the streets because their parents cannot beg when it is raining and therefore do not have enough to care for their children.  The downpours will make it very difficult to beg, to stay dry and to stay warm.  This also means that food becomes more difficult to find and to acquire.  My mind finds it so difficult to imagine a season that is worse than what we already saw!!  How can things get worse for these people???

When we were driving up the very muddy roads in Korah, several children dressed in rags met our van and one of the little boys was so cold his teeth were chattering.

The summer school program is being run out of the church at Korah and we visited for a short time.  The boy Telahun I am sponsoring was there and came out to greet us!!!  Wow, what a blessing to actually know the child I am sponsoring and to have met and come to know the spirits of the other 5 boys who are now being sponsored through your generous support.  The other boys should be in the summer program very soon and I will follow up by e-mail in the next few days to ask what their status is.  For those of you who have sponsored a child, I will be sending you a picture of your child very soon.

I was so incredibly humbled by the people I met inEthiopia.  Their appreciation for what we did while we were there, their perseverance, their sense of hope and their love for the children is unbelievable.

My work and relationship withEthiopiahas just begun.  I am hoping to return toEthiopiamany times over my lifetime.  One of the purposes will be to invite people from Canada to have them see first hand the needs of the country and to have them meet with people who have been positively affected by the donations of people from our country.

I used to question the value in sending people for 2 week missions to countries far away but now I totally get it.  Now I see the value in having people from our country go and experience, see, hear and witness the realities of the struggles in lands that we are supporting.  Some of the value for me is that I have an even greater appreciation for the many blessings I enjoy in this country (e.g. our roads, our government programs that protect people and care for them, food, running water, my home, the lack of people congestion, my rights and voice as a female, etc.).

My litter girl will be waking up soon and calling "mommy" so I better run.  It has been such a gift to have so many people truly interested and caring about both my adoption and the people ofEthiopia.  Thank you again!!

Shelley

Shelley - update #4

Hello again fromEthiopia! Thank you to all of you who have been reading my updates and have been thinking of and praying for my mom, my daughter and me!  Thank you as well for all of you who have donated to help the street children and people ofEthiopia!!!  You have donated now a total of $2,600 with three ongoing sponsorships for schooling which will take 3 boys off the street - PRAISE GOD!!!!!  You have no idea the difference it will make for these boys.

I have had the good fortune of meeting a woman namedSumerand her husband Cory who have come from theUSas volunteer missionaries to support the children living in Korah which has many people with leprosy, HIV and physical disabilities.  There is a summer program starting tomorrow for a couple of months to prepare the children for boarding school in the fall.  The boarding school will provide shelter, schooling, a uniform, food and teachings of Jesus.  The amazing difference this will make in the lives of the children is like the difference between night and day.

I am so excited about the three boys who have now been sponsored from those of you who have responded - THANK YOU!  We have met these boys, touched them, heard their stories and now know that the sponsorship money will go directly for their good - all of it!!

Today, my mom and I were given the great privilege due to your generosity to take 9 girls and their two babies out for lunch and provide them with blankets and tarps to keep them both dry and warm.  They said "God bless you" and I was thinking, we have so many blessings, we want the blessings to come to you.  One 11 year old girl just arrived in the very overcrowded and busy city ofAddisyesterday all on her own.  Her mother told her to come here and do the best she could because they couldn't afford her at home.  She was told that she should beg and that when she is able to make enough, she should send the money home.  She was absolutely beautiful.  Her hands were black from coal or dirt or both.  I thought of my two nieces again and thought about if they had to go to the streets - unthinkable.  She is so vulnerable, so young and so innocent.  How can this be happening?  We had our driver talk to her about boarding school as I was hoping we could sponsor her and get her off the streets but she is unfamiliar with boarding school and does not want to go.  The problem is that the kids have to be very serious about the school program and really want to go to qualify.  When you think about it, and when you see the sheer number of children on the street, this qualification makes sense.

Another lady told our driver that she had been travelling (believe me, the travel here for the Ethiopians is nothing like we are used to) to go to visit family and when she came to Addis, her money was taken.  This lady has come from the countryside and has a 9 month old baby.  We asked if she would want to go back to her husband if she had the bus ticket.  She said yes so on Sunday, we will go and buy her a bus ticket to ensure that the money is not used for other things.  Hopefully this will better her and her baby's chances of safety. We will also buy the young girl shoes as her's are falling apart.

Many street girls are raped and therefore have children to then care for on the street.  There was a group of 7 girls in their late teens early twenties at the lunch.  The one girl had an 11 month old baby who was so cute.  This baby girl is now being cared for by the group of girls but is being raised on the streets.  What chance does she have at life?

We then went to have our translator buy jackets and pants for the 16 boys we have had lunch with twice.  You cannot imagine the open market that the nationals visit.  There are wall to wall people and our driver and translator told us that this area was not the safest for us as foreigners so we had to stay in the van with our driver and not show our cameras.  It is interesting because during our whole trip toEthiopia, we have not felt unsafe and we have been in some very interesting situations.  Our drivers and translators have truly protected and guided us as well as our main driver and translator have allowed the work with the street children to happen.  They have told us many times "do you know that you have done such a good thing?"  We remind them each day that they are just as much a part of this work as we could not do it without them.

As soon as the boys saw our van, the boys, my mom and I were all waving and the boys came running to see us.  We went into the same restaurant as we had lunch the last two days so we could distribute the clothing.  Had we distributed it from the van, it would have attracted many, many street children and it would have been a precarious situation.

My mom, Julia and I went in after all the boys were in the restaurant and as we walked in the boys stood up and clapped!  They were clapping for all of you who have given as well.  They have been so touched by the generosity of our friends and family.

The boys also said thank you for sponsoring Telahun to go to boarding school.  I thought that was absolutely amazing that here were these boys who have literally nothing, all of them who want a better life and they were thanking us for sponsoring their one friend!  I told them through our translator that we so wished we could send them all to school.  I also told them that we are going to buy shoe shinning boxes (this was the idea of Bisrat who has lived an incredible life and most of it in abject poverty and who has worked with street children) that will contain the supplies they need to shine shoes (quite common here in Addis as there is a lot of dust and dirt in this city) so they do not need to beg anymore and hopefully make enough that they could live a better life.  They thought it was amazing and many of them were holding their hands to their hearts looking at us.

We took pictures of the boys and were able to tell the youngest boy that my mom and dad would sponsor him to go to boarding school.  We took a picture of him with my mom and as we left, I hugged him and kissed him on the forehead.  When was the last time he was hugged and kissed?   It is an incredible thought to know that this boy's and Telahun's lives will change in the next couple of lives.

What was sad is that when the boys were leaving, three of them gave me hand written notes neatly folded in my hand as they shook my hand.  Each one of those letters explained how and why they came to the streets (in broken English) and that they wanted to receive education.  They addressed them to "sister".  Each one of the letters expressed such gratitude for what we have done for them.  These boys are mostly orphaned or sent out to the streets by their parents because they cannot afford them.

As we were in the van and pulling away, we had attracted a lot of attention and had many other boys wanting shoe shine boxes (the word travels fast even without I Phones, Blackberrys, etc.).  One boy around the age of 15 was pointing at Julia and then pointing to himself with longing eyes.  I believe he was saying that he wanted to come to live with me too.  The destitution, the longing of these children is heart breaking and yet knowing that we have been able to do at least something during this trip along with the joy of the boys especially has been a wonderful opportunity to show God's and your love.

If you are interested in the sponsorship of one of the boys we have served through your donations, it is $700 US a year which would include their schooling, shelter, their uniform, food and teaching of Jesus.  The organization that is doing this work is all volunteer and therefore 100% of the money would go to your sponsored child.

The other opportunity to give would be to donate money to provide the supplies for the shoe shine boxes.  I don't know how much this would be but I would guess at less than $200.  This would give the boys an opportunity to make some money themselves and provide a better life than begging on the streets.

My mom, Julia and I went out of the city yesterday to a monastery and the countryside was absolutely beautiful.  We saw and got up fairly close to many baboons which was really great!  The peacefulness at the monetary was incredible and a stark contrast to the overcrowded, traffic filledAddis Ababa.  This country is truly beautiful.  We also visited the leprosy hospital and their gift shop where they sell the handicrafts that they make.  We were able to see the women weaving and some were without any fingers.

Tomorrow, we are leaving early in the morning to go to an Eco Lodge until Sunday to enjoy the nature of this country and have some quite time together.  I am really looking forward to some time with Julia without needing to go anywhere in the city.

She is doing so well with her English.  Every day she is picking up more words and is amazing us.  Each day we have had a lot of rain as this is the rainy season.  Yesterday as my mom got in the van from the leprosy hospital she said "thank goodness we brought our umbrellas" and later that night I heard Julia saying "thank goodness" with her Woylitian accent.  How cute was that?

My adoption agency treated us last night to a traditional dinner and show.  Two other families were there as well as staff who were visiting fromCanadaand a few staff fromEthiopia.  We had a great time and Julia was able to be reunited with a good friend from the Transition Home.  It was so cute to watch them together.  They sat at times in the same chair to watch the show with their arms around one another.  They laughed and just acted like little girls.

One of the families here through Imagine Adoption is staying at the same guest house as we are and she said that she thinks Julia is attaching very well to me as she was coming back to me often when she was with her friend as to check in and spend a bit of time with me before she went back to sitting with her friend.  That was good to hear as this lady has adopted three other children and now another baby and is very aware of attachment issues in adoption.

Julia is very much recognizing me as mommy and wants to be with me all the time. She wants to sit on my lap most of the time too in the van or when we are sitting at the table for meals. When she is on the toilet, she looks deep into my eyes. In the last two days we have now started to rub noses and then kiss on the lips many times.  I don't think she has kissed people on the lips because in this culture they kiss on the cheek.  She is catching on well and I find these times really special.

She is quite a ham and when we were waiting for Bisrat to buy the blankets (it took quite a long time), she was coloring in the van and said to our driver when he told her she was doing such an excellent job that she was the best and her mommy really didn't know how to color because she just went back and forth with the crayons :)  I explained to our driver that I had just been teaching her her colours by shading in a bit at the bottom of the page the day before.  I then coloured the pictures with her and asked our driver if he could ask her if she thought I could colour now and she said "yes".  She loves to have fun and her giggle is enough to melt you.

We have only had her for 4 and a half days and yet in many ways I feel like I have had her for a very long time.  It feels very comfortable to be with her and to be her mommy. She has told me and our driver that she is happy.

Off to Bisangari Lodge tomorrow for some bonding time and R&R.  I think all three of us need to catch up on some sleep and will really enjoy having this special time together in the beauty of my daughter's birth country.

I am hoping to send my last update on Sunday night because we leave on Monday.  It feels like we have been here for several weeks and it has only been one.  We are looking forward to seeing our friends and family again.

Bye for now,

Shelley