The Journey Begins...Days 1 & 2

Monday the 30th, this crazy journey began.

(Actually, I guess you could argue the
journey began in January,

when we asked for, but were not granted
 a match with a Kolfe boy.)

But in the effort of time we will fast forward to the end of August...

when we had 2 boys who had so solidly placed  themselves in our hearts, that the only thing I could do was embark on this crazy trip to go over there and hug them.

As you have likely already read, God introduced me to a stranger 9 days before my trip. The trip that wasn't going to happen without the aid of this beautiful, Christ-filled stranger...Cherrie.

We met through facebook, when our common interests over Korah, Ethiopia intertwined.

I saw that she was headed back to Ethiopia in just 9 days, and asked her if I could fly with her,  to get around John's fears of me going by myself.

This time, God said, "YES"!

 

Now, normally I wouldn't recommend planning a trip of this magnitude, and traveling this distance with a stranger, but when God provides, God provides, and ours is not to question how or why He does so in such unique ways...

God used her in a mighty way to propel me up and over my fears of the unknown that lie in wait for me thousands of miles away.

I now have a sweet relationship with Cherrie and her daughter Emily as the result.  They are two of the few people who truly "get" me...

So what began Monday morning

was a series of 5 grueling flights...

Phoenix to Seattle, Seattle to Portland 

where I met (literally) Cherrie

Portland to Amsterdam

(where we met up with Emily)

12 hour lay over in Amsterdam

I just had to take a photo of this kid...

This is what we did in the Amsterdam airport.

(After, that is, we raced around the airport
 in all directions

 trying to get on a quicker flight...
Funny thing...

we went DOWNSTAIRS in the airport to

get my luggage and recheck it...

 That qualified all of us for a passport stamp. 

 Funny, since we never actually left the building!)

 - - - - -

Amsterdam to Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi to Addis Ababa... where 1/2 my heart lives.

 - - - - -- -

A couple of memories              

               from the flights over...

Our flight attendant fell in love with the boys

(I happily pulled out my photo album...)

on the way to Amsterdam.

Dinner included a box of raisins.

Cherrie and I saved ours

for me to give to the boys.

(I had promised them their first

taste of raisins if I ever visited.)

This sweet stewardess handed me a bag with

36 boxes of raisins on my way off the plane.

(Totally a God thing, because John

wasn't able to find the small boxes

 at the store before I left,

and my bags were too heavy anyway. 

 Getting them mid-trip means they

 didn't have to get weighed.)

Meet  John...

John sat next to me on the way to Nairobi,

and captured my heart almost instantly.

I can't tell you why, now, but at the time, 

he looked so much like Gizachew who

I was on my way to see.

Although, I later told Gizachew
 that he and John were

complete opposites....
 where John was shy and soft spoken
 Gizachew is loud and outgoing.

(I had to keep my head next to John's
all night just to hear him share
 his story and pray with him.)
But there was something about this boy,

and his story that touched my heart deeply,

and I hope that I will hear from him again.

I told the gals, it was worth
every minute of sleep

I missed to get to know this young man.

This one's for Kyle... his one request of me was to take photos of the vehicles I saw on the way... This was in Nairobi, Kenya.

This is what we saw on the way up

the stairs to board the plane.

Notice anything wrong?

Ummm... not the best place to store your luggage.

We made sure to point this out to the crew...

Certainly didn't want to get that close to the boys,

and have the engines burst into flames...