Okay everyone! This is the day we have been waiting for… the day Wendi got to meet her new son, Nebeyu! We started out at Joey and Destiny’s house, where they made for us the most amazing breakfast of eggs and banana bread and of course, amazing Ethiopian coffee!
As we loaded up in the car, I got this picture of Destiny through the car window. She is such a beautiful person, but what is so amazing is that her heart is even more beautiful than her face.
And Joey is seriously one of the coolest guys ever. Totally real. Walks every day in a faith that I cannot fathom. Loves Jesus and loves the people of Africa. And totally loves his wife.
Before making the hour-long car ride, Wendi and Rick signed the necessary adoption paperwork for teh next day’s embassy appointment, and then we headed out to Holeta, the little town where the orphanage is…
When we got there, Nebeyu came right out to greet his mom with a kiss and a hug that Wendi said was the best hug she has ever received in her life…
From the looks of it, Nebeyu was pretty happy, too…
He is a perfect fit for the family. And Wendi could not stop smiling!
The brothers bonded instantly…
And even Dad got a little choked up when he hugged his son for the first time.
This is Semane, and she has been Nebeyu’s “mom” while at the orphanage…
This is a friend. She is unbelievably sweet and incredibly athletic. She can totally take those boys in soccer!
The cook for the Covenant House orphanage is Shibaray. She is so kind. Everyone here is so kind.
This is Pochi. All the kids call her “Mama.” She is the one responsible for rescuing most of them from the streets, and she comes by often to look after the children. She also has just opened another orphanage in another town.
We brought backpacks and bows for the kids here, too… with Nebeyu leaving, there’s only the three of them left.
We also brought gifts for Semane to thank her for all she did for Nebeyu. We found out that she really just needed a pair of shoes, so that is what Wendi and Rick got for her.
She was so grateful… she cried and hugged Wendi.
One of the biggest needs the orphanage had was to build a concrete driveway in the front. Our team got to work, helping move stones and place them so that they could pour the concrete grout.
Here there’s no such thing as wheelbarrows. They carried everything by hand…
It was grueling work for everyone, and the team was glad to help. The workers who were there get paid by the square meter, so with us helping them, they were able to get paid faster for all they did.
While everyone was working, Colby and Nebeyu decided to play a little soccer scrimmage. Nebeyu is wearing his new soccer jersey that Colby picked out from our donated ones.
This boy has some MOVES. And notice: HE IS PLAYING SOCCER IN CROCS. AND WINNING. Check out his “game face”:
Oh yeah! Colby is so excited to being him home. Nebeyu will get to be on Colby’s soccer team this upcoming season.
It was a great day of getting to know the orphanage and the people there. I staill have so much to share from this time at Holeta, but this post is already getting to be long. More soon! Thanks for reading!
by jessie
9 comments