Ethiopia Days Five & Six
On Monday morning, we woke up bright and early to make our return trip to Addis. I was sad to leave the beautiful Ethiopian countryside, but so, so anxious to get back to our little boy.
This day was definitely a turning point for me; this was the day when Josiah Marefu became my son and not just a cute baby we were trying to love. After meeting his birth mother the day before and traveling through his beautiful country, I felt like I knew this sweet little boy in the same way I know Caleb.
The ride home was just as enjoyable as the day before. We took a different route back to Addis so that we could see a different part of the country. About halfway home, we made another pit stop. We all bought our usual Coca-colas, which I was pleased to find is available in even the remotest parts of Ethiopia, and then I noticed that they had candy bars too, and not just any candy bars – American candy bars! That Snickers will always be the best I have ever had.
When we got back to the Union Hotel in Addis, I was anxious to run next door and scoop up our little boy, but, unfortunately, it was nap time, so we had to wait a few more hours. Casey took the opportunity to walk up the street to a grocery store. While he was out, he made friends with a little boy, named Danny, who lives across the street from the hotel.
Later that afternoon we walked next door to the Holt Care Center to take custody of our son. I expected a little more formality, a form to sign or something, but we simply walked out the door with him with no fanfare and hardly any notice.
It was so surreal to take him away from the center and back to our hotel room. It reminded me of bringing Caleb home from the hospital. I kept waiting for someone to chase us down saying, “Stop, you can’t just take that baby home with you!”
First thing on the agenda when we got back to our room was a bath for little Josiah Marefu. I scrubbed him down good and rubbed lotion all over him. He smelled so good, and it was so fun to see him in Caleb’s old footy pajamas. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying our time with our new son.
When we went down to the hotel lobby for supper, it was wonderful to see all of the families with their new kids. I loved seeing the sweet little children, fresh and clean in their new clothes, watching their new mommies and daddies with big, round eyes. They weren’t orphans anymore. It was such a blessing to have a front row seat to watch these sweet little ones become sons and daughters. It reminded me of true redemption. Suddenly we are washed and clean; no longer lonely orphans, we have a family and a future.
On Tuesday we had our visa appointment at the US Embassy. Someone compared it to a glorified appointment at the DMV, which I felt was pretty accurate. This is only the second time I have been to a US Embassy; the US Embassy in Romania was in a beautiful, old building. The one in Ethiopia felt more like a military compound, but it was nice to see a few American faces and hear American English.
The rest of the day was spent at the hotel. We weren’t allowed to take our children out in public, so most of us opted to spend the day in the hotel with them, rather than out touring the city. No tourist sites or experiences could compete with holding and playing with our sweet babies.
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Grammie
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Grandma Syble and Grandpa Pick
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Lee Lee