Day 1

I've been told that I need to blog about our trip to Ethiopia soon so that I can detail every part of the trip and not forget anything. The truth is, there is so much about our trip that I want to forget, have over embellished or simply not talk about. However, I know that if I am going to be open and honest, I have to tell it all.

Telling this story may take me several weeks. Having two children is proving challenging and there is still much about Africa that I have yet to fully process; I may never fully process it all.

Day One:


Meg & I in Dulles during our layover. I BIG heart this girl!

Le and I left OKC at noon on Wednesday. We flew to Washington, D.C. and had the PERFECT layover time to meet Mike and Meg at the Dulles Airport for dinner. Meg and I had never met in person but they are also soon to be adoptive parents and our layover was the perfect excuse for me to throw my arms around her!

We flew for 15 hours from D.C. to Addis. We arrived in the middle of the night on Thursday and met our driver, Henock. I don't know what you've heard or know about drivers, but we could not have had a successful or even decent trip in Addis without our amazing Henock. Not only does he have great English, but he is also an aspiring rapper and sounds EXACTLY like Notorious B.I.G. If you are ever in Ethiopia, I have his cell number and he is a must have for great survival tips and perfect dinner suggestions.

All of our luggage arrived safely and once it was loaded into our car and another cab, we were on our way to the Ayat House. I was so tired I couldn't sleep, so Le and I spent the first night up until 2a.m. unpacking. We collapsed in preparation of an early morning meeting about our kids and embassy date.

Home & Some Major Adjusting

We are officially home! When we landed in Dulles, I teared up at the thought of being on U.S. soil again. I cried in Denver when we stepped off the plane and some DEAR friends of our had driven to the airport to spend 15 minutes with us in between our flights. But I bawled when we landed in OKC and saw the sight of our family and friends!

The kids are adjusting to life at home okay. Alazar still is not sleeping through the night, which is draining us all. Alazar also hates our dogs, so we are having real issues about what to do next. There are so many things about our trip to write about, but I'm not ready to fully process them. It hurts too much. And crying while doing laundry just doesn't fit my personality, although the amount of laundry I now do in a day would bring any sane woman to tears.

Here are some pics of our trip:



Alazar's first pic with his daddy:
Mommy and her girl's first pic together:

She's just SOOOO perfect!

Footie pajamas are still the cutest!

Tickle fights with Daddy:

All About the Ahhhh....

We are winding down our trip. Only two more days until we leave. While I am excited about beginning our life at home, my heart just hurts at the thought of leaving this place. The kids are adjusting really well. Ruta had her first major tantrum today and it lasted longer than I thought possible, but after it was over, it was all smiles and everything resumed.

Hearing them say "mama" & "papa" melts us both, but their new word for Le is "ababa", which literally translates to "daddy". Ahh. Heart melting. Sometimes out of the blue, they will grab our faces and give us kisses unexpectedly and sometimes they both just come over for a hug. It is in these moments that I am reminded of what it must be like for our Heavenly Father when we lean into Him, trust him, and crave His attention.

Some days, it's the moments that make you breathe in and sigh deep that make it all worth it.

2nd Update From Addis

We were unable to change our flights to come home earlier and while we are REALLY homesick, we are excited for all of the things we are experiencing here in Addis. This place is beautiful. hard. life changing. And a constant reminder that we must treat EVERYONE like Jesus would. We are still unable to upload pictures, but I promise that the camera is full and I will update as soon as we get home.

Hugs and Love,

The Andrews Family

Update from Addis

Well we are here! We actually have been here since thursday. Our embassy appointment was moved up from Thursday to Monday so we had to meet the kids earlier than expected, which ended up being Saturday. There is so much going on and so much for me to process, that it might be awhile before I can truly blog about Ethiopia. The kids are amazing. They seem to be adjusting well. They are truly adorable.
I am having trouble loading pics but I will try again soon. We love you and miss you all!

24

In twenty-four hours we will board a plane. A plane that will take us to Ethiopia. A plane ride that will forever change my life. Am I ready? Everything is in order, but I can't help but know in the back of my mind that everything in my life will be different after this trip. Not just our day-to-day lives with the kids here, but also just my perceptions and responses to things will be different after being in Africa, meeting Kaleab and finally experiencing a place I've only imagined.

If you wake up tomorrow and we cross your mind, please say a little prayer for us. Pray that all of our luggage arrives because it is 85% donation items. Pray that God's peace fills me while we fly (remember, I HATE to fly) and pray that our children's hearts are strong and courageous as they embark on a new life, with new people they've never met. And pray that this new momma is renewed with purpose and that God receives ALL of the glory.

I will try to post as much as I can from ET, especially about the Kolfe pizza party! We love you all & cannot wait to introduce you to our family of four!

Hugs & Love,

Le & Lindsey

It's Time To Celebrate!

A lot of people have asked if Le & I were going to have a baby shower to celebrate Ruta & Alazar coming home. We have prayed about this a lot and how best to honor our children. After a lot of discussion, we've decided to fore go the baby shower. Instead, we are going to throw a pizza party for the boys of Kolfe Orphanage in Addis Ababa.

Kolfe is home to 140 boys who range in age from 10 to early twenties. Most of these boys have never had pizza or even a soda. I know you might be thinking that in a situation where they need so much, why would we throw them a pizza party? I firmly believe that these boys need to be SHOWERED with love and affection and since most of them have never celebrated their birthdays in true fashion, we want to give them that joy. We are also planning on visiting a leper colony in Ethiopia and bringing them some medical supplies and Bibles.

But since I am not a person who easily passes up a chance to party and hang out with friends, Le and I also wanted to say "thank you". So this Saturday, between 2 and 4p.m. at our house, we are having a celebration so we can say thanks. If you are in the area, come hang out for cookies and punch and spend a little time with us before we embark on our journey to Africa!

If you are interested in sponsoring our Kolfe pizza party, click the paypal button and write "Kolfe pizza" in the memo. We will post pics as soon as we can. If you are interested in learning more about Kolfe, or want to sponsor one of the amazing boys there, go here.