Ethiopia Day 3: Court Orientation and Yezelalem Minch

After meeting L, we were on a strange sort of high. We were so thrilled to have finally met her, and pleasantly surprised that our first meeting had gone so well. But leaving her had been heartbreaking. We also realized that we probably wouldn't have time to see her again before we went home. Seeing her again would have to wait until our next trip.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Addis. This restaurant served English-style food. It was a meat and potatoes type of place. The food was pretty good, and very affordable. Brandon ordered a steak, and I ordered chicken. I think we paid 200 Birr for everything, which is about $12. Lunch took a while because our whole group went there to eat. We filled up 2 dining rooms.

Next on our agenda was a stop at the Bethany office for court orientation. It was a comfort to see the Bethany sign when we pulled up, and we were excited to meet all the staff we had heard so much about. Brandon had already met a couple of them who had been in the U.S. a few weeks before. We were led upstairs to a conference room. The staff gave us presentation about Bethany's goals and programs that are already established in Ethiopia. We also got to hear about the in-country foster care program they are in the process of setting up. Finally, they talked about what we could expect to happen at court the next day. Sisay told the group that they were expecting everything to run smoothly, and that everyone would pass.....with the exception of one family, who he would speak to privately. GULP. I got a bad feeling when I heard those words.



After the presentation, we had the opportunity to meet with L's social worker. She talked to us about her visits with L, and what she had observed. Most of this information was a review from what we had already read in the updates we received, but we did get a couple new pieces of information that were good to know. I felt relieved when the meeting was over because the social worker didn't mention anything about court the next day. Hopefully that meant that it wasn't our case that had the problem that Sisay mentioned.

The staff had arranged for some people from the community to set up display tables of handmade goods they had for sale. We decided to look through some of that while we waited for the other families to finish up with their meetings. That's when someone told us that Sisay had been looking for us. We went over to Sisay, and he explained that we would not be passing court the following day. Out of protection for our daughter's privacy, I will not be explaining the details on the blog. I will just say that there was a very valid reason, which we completely understood. It didn't make the news any easier to hear though. We had been hoping for a smooth and fast court process. Sisay didn't think our process would be delayed by much more than a week, but we had no way of knowing for sure. Tears were shed, and we were at a new low. We were not, however, going to let this news ruin our trip. We fought very hard to stay positive, and regain our happiness. :)

Luckily, we didn't have to fight for our happiness very long. Our next stop was at Yezelalem Minch to meet our sponsored child, Bilen. We pulled up to Yezelalem Minch when it was nearly evening. The sun was just beginning to set. The kids we were going there to meet had been waiting for us for at least 2 hours. It was so good to meet them in person! We had brought a care package for another family's sponsored child, as well as a care package for Bilen. The kids were so overwhelmed by the gifts, but you could also see the excitement in their eyes. We brought clothes, shoes, and school supplies. Bilen's grandmother was so grateful, and thanked us many times. We had been so excited to give Bilen her care package, but we had no idea how much we would be blessed in return. Seeing the joy and excitement in her eyes was an experience we will never forget. We are so proud to be helping this beautiful little girl achieve a brighter future. By sponsoring her, we're giving her just a small helping hand. The real work toward her future is up to her. I have a feeling she's going to do AMAZING things for her country and her people! :)

Giving Eyasu the care package from his sponsor family

Bilen, our sponsored child

Bilen and her grandmother

Dinner that night was at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant called Yod Abyssinia. We ate authentic Ethiopian food, and were entertained by traditional songs and dances that were being performed on the stage. I think this dinner was another highlight of our trip. Brandon and I love Ethiopian food. We have been eating it at Gojo's whenever we can, and have grown to love the food. To pair the food with the AMAZING dancing and music played on traditional instruments was incredible! You'll have to check out the dancing for yourself. Traditional Ethiopian dance puts hip hop to shame!

Our Food

We had even more entertainment when we FINALLY returned to the guest house that night. We were talking to Birtukan about her kids, and asked if we could meet them. A few minutes later, they were there! They sang song after song for us in a little impromptu performance. 4 of the cutest kids we have EVER seen.

I think our third day in Ethiopia was the busiest and most emotional day of our lives. So many highs with a few lows thrown in the mix. We were so worn out by the end of the day...I don't anything would have disturbed our sleep that night. Not even another dog fight. :)