Last Day…First Trip…a day of HOPE!

(December 10, 2010…over three months later, yet I need to include this day of HOPE, in our future “blog to book” for our daughter!)
^{Psalm 130:5}
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
   and in His word I hope;
Waiting…typically a difficult process for us.  In our flesh, we yearn to bring completion to a task or a decision and we get frustrated by anyone or anything that thwarts our efforts.
As we ventured into our last day (of trip #1) with Hermela, we sensed a peace that God was giving us for the thing that we dreaded…leaving without our daughter. Even though we could officially call her our daughter, would the “international adoption red tape” allow us to bring her HOME in a month or would something go wrong, putting this reunion off for a longer time?
Pastor Mark’s sermon on the “comfort of the King”(John 6:20)was truly a comfort to us! I’ll need to write some reflections on this at another time…it’s GOOD!
Hermela just loved taking pictures!  It was a lot of fun to look at the hundreds of photos she captured. I’d love to blog more of her photos, but have decided to wait until I know the children have come home with their families.  I just hate to block out so many of their beautiful faces.

She even liked photographing me while I was taking pictures of her!

This is a detached room behind the outside play area where the kids have some instruction on Saturdays.   A woman comes to Hannah’s Hope to teach them English words and phrases.

The kids (and Wass!) had fun with the rocket balloons!

As we tried to prolong our last day at Hannah’s Hope, the kids were finishing up their “showers” for the day.  (Hermela still calls her bath a “shower.”) It was so great to see so many of the kiddos wearing the many p.j.s that our church donated! They were so excited to be wearing something new and had to show us the fun characters or bright colors!

We know that as we leave Hermela and wait to hear of our Embassy appointment, that she is in good hands at HH.  The tough part is that we didn’t really know what she ws understanding about the whole process…that we would come back for her and that she would be going to America. 
As we left, we felt a confidence in the fact that she is so perfect for our family.  We were not blinded by the challenges ahead, but left with a feeling of HOPE that God would direct our future with our new daughter!
Almaz (HH director) said that she thought it would be a good idea to leave the beautiful quilt that Shannon made, on her bed as a reminder that we were coming back.  This meant so much to us, because this quilt is all about HOPE-Hope in the new life we have in Christ symbolized by the “living water” and beautiful transformation that comes from trusting in Him represented by the butterflies and flowers.

We said good-bye to the beautiful Ethiopian people with great anticipation for our return!

Before we document our second trip in January, I’ll be back to share what Hermela and her family have been up to over the past few weeks!