A tour of Addis and visits to the orphanages

Well, it is about 4:30 in the morning here in Addis and neither Leigh nor I can get much sleep. Yesterday we had the opportunity to drive around Addis a bit on the way to the three state run orphanages - two of which Meti lived in for a while.

We were picked up around 11:30 by our driver, Tafesse, a very pleasant young man whose family mostly live in the States. Everywhere we were driven, there are signs of poverty as our car was constantly approached by children looking for some assistance.

The new government seems to be attracting investments into the country which may mean some hope for all as there are new buildings being erected everywhere. Construction is slow though as the tools and machinery are not available as in more developed countries.

We met Ryan and Abby Brown - the couple for whom we carried the Mexican food half way across the world - and they are truly amazing. They are in their late 20's and are the in-country representatives for Gladney Adoption Agency. It is very humbling to meet such an incredible couple with such huge hearts and so much love for the children of Ethiopia. We had lunch with them as well as Belay, the Ethiopian liason for Gladney, and another couple who leave today from Richmond, KY who have adopted a darling little 5 month old girl.

After lunch at the Beer Garden - serving German food - where I had pasta and Leigh had pizza, we headed for the first orphange that Meti was housed. We met the director who was very, very nice and was so glad to know Meti was being adopted. We promised to bring her back by there before we left.

It was into this orphanage that Meti was first taken. We also had a chance to meet a beautiful young lady who they call "Sister" because she has nursing skills.

Sister is the first person who met Meti. It was she who went to the police station and picked her up when the elderly lady first brought her to the police after her mother had spent the evening in her home and departed in the morning. Sister told us some about the kind elderly lady and her role in Meti's life. It was also Sister who first gave Meti her name. she told us that the word means necklace, jewelry or something of value and that is what she thought of the first time she saw her.

At the orphanage, there are so many children who just want to be held and loved. They scamper all around you as you walk through the buildings. Ryan and Abby shared with us that most will never be adopted and it breaks your heart to see their smiling faces. We were told that the infants are adopted readily but that after the age of one, the odds start to really drop off for the children to find homes.

This orphanage has about 85 children in it. All of the infants are kept in one room. When we first entered the room, we thought all of the cribs were empty. But, upon further notice, they were all full with bundled babies. The babies were all lying there quietly. Even when we played with them, it seemed that they giggled quietly.

They all seemed to love to be held. I made one little friend that is expected to be referred shortly to a family in the USA. He was very adorable.

Unfortunately, the children do not wear any diapers because of the high cost, so .....

The second orphanage we visited was bigger (about 160 children) and better looking (a very relative term) with about 10 separate buildings making up the complex. The director at this orphanage was less welcoming and so we were not able to get many pictures. He basically only let us get a picture of the bed that Meti had slept in while she was briefly there awaiting adoption with a family from Gabon. Each time the family visited, Meti was sick so they ended up not accepting her and thankfully so, because now she is in our family.

The third orphanage that we went to did not allow us to take photographs. I wish we had. It is a boy only orphanage with boys from 7 to 20 and quite frankly with no hope of adoption. It was a very old army complex with all but two buildings have leaking roofs and broken windows. This orphanage gets very little financial assistance because the young boys do not get adopted. It is at this orphanage that Ryan showed his true passion. He has made a commitment to visiting every week and you could tell that the boys appreciate it. I am sure that they are not very welcoming since they feel no real love from visitors. But, with Ryan, they could feel his caring. Ryan wants to upgrade the facility so that the boys are not sleeping on the floor and windows are not broken and the roof does not leak and the lighting works. One of the buildings has been upgraded already and Ryan has lined up a contractor to do a second one. The cost is only $12,000 US but it takes a while to raise that kind of money here. One little boy had started a garden and he was so proud of the flowers that were growing there.

Overall, the trip has been great with the exception that our hotel has been basically without water service since we arrived. That has been a challenge as you can imagine (don't ask). But as I told Leigh, what can we expect from a hotel that only costs $300 per night (It is normally about $100, but we have the privilege of being here for the Millenium celebration so we get to pay more!) The internet connection is also very slow. It takes about 20 minutes to upload a picture. The weather has been a lot colder than we expected and the sky is constantly gray from the pending rain. It drizzles most of the day with an occasional shower. My thoughts are that I should not have brought mostly shorts. So if you see me wearing the same clothes in all of our pictures, now you'll know why!

We continue to appreciate your prayers and wonderful support.

We love you IT sisters!!!!

Greg & Leigh