Our Trip to Ethiopia

April 20th, Monday

Woke up at 5:00 to what I thought at the time were Muslem prayers being sung in the neighborhood.  It is 7:30 now and I can still hear them.  I have since found out that it is the Orthodox Church that is chanting prayers.  The sound is almost tangible in the early morning air.

We can hear the sound of children's voices and busy activity.  Looking out the window I can see girls washing clothes and diapers in 2 concrete tubs below.  They are up to their elbows in laundry!  We can see our driver pulling out of the court yard.  There is a girl in the back seat and I think Jericho is setting on her lap.  I can not see his face only his legs and I am assuming they are taking him  to the embassy to get a final exam for his visa.

Out of our window there is barbed wire that lines the top of the wall around the House of Hope and acoss the street is an area where their are several brightly colored buses.  The court yard below is painted with cheerful, bright colors.  There is a bright green wall with what I assume is a scripture in Amharic writing.  The letters look as if they are happy and dancing.

We met Almas and Tsegay today before we left our room.  Almas came to invite us to breakfast.  Earlier this morning we could here Almas praying in the room below us.  We had our first breakfast which was delicious pancakes and hazelnut spread.  We are free to wander anywhere here at the HOH so we wandered into Tsegay's office and talked with him for a while this morning.  We found out that Jericho is at the Embassy getting his physical for his visa.  We have not met him yet.  

Tsegay showed us the toddler room where Jericho spends his time.  All the toddlers flockedto  Chuck.  They loved him!  

Almas say's that Jericho is quiet and very sweet as she patted her heart as though he were hers.

We met Abduselam/Jericho as soon as he returned from the Embassy.  He is so quiet!  Huge eyes and he seems very untrusting.  One of his nannies got a piece of bread and gave it to us and then gave Jericho to us and said to him "Mommy - Daddy - kiss"!  He has a cute blue teeshirt and kakie overalls on with sketcher sneakers.  Later in the evening we discovered it broke his heart to take his shoes off.

We took him all day.  He eats very well and we made a big hit with him by giving him orange pop.  we mistakenly thought it gave him diarrhea.  We later discovered that all of the babies on the plane that had been adopted and on their way home, about 7-8, had the same diarrhea!   While changing his diaper we discovered how much he loved his shoes.  He slept in them this night.

Tesfu took us for a tour of the city.  We saw goats, sheep and cows in the street within the 1st block of HOH.  People everywhere!  They told us the number one cause of death here is car accidents.  No wonder!  The streets are lined with one shanty after another.   I know where all of the old corrugated tin roofing went... it is all in Addis!  Our driver, Tesfu, is great in only 4 months he has learned to speak English!

At lunch time we visited with Tsegay.  He is very interesting.  He told us how they started HOH and all the red tape of beginning a new work.  He and his wife are very good Christians.  Here he said all Protestant church denominations embrace speaking in tongues and fellowship with on another.  So you are either Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox.  There is the division.  Not so many denominations and even if there are they are not separated like here in the states.  Tesfu brought us a phone card so we could call home.  His phone plays "This World is not my Home" by Johnny Cash when it rings!  He is a kindred spirit!  Jericho sat on my lap the whole time with out a peep!  He's so quiet!  He likes his car sippy cup but does not like the lid!  He took everything in with his big eyes.

Tonight Jericho has called Chuck "Bah Bah", Dah Dah and Daddy and me MaMa.  He is wanting me to hold him all the time.  I know that this is good but very tiring.  Chuck isn't holding him as much but Jericho doesn't let him out of his sight.    I think he was impressed with Chuck trying to get the TV to work.  Finally worked and has only one channel in Amharic and runs the same 5-10 min show over and over!