So, we eat breakfast in the morning and know that today is going to be a tough day. We decided from the very beginning that we would like to meet Hagirsa's birth mother for a lot of reasons. Mostly, so we can tell him about her. We get on the bus to drive to Awassa with about 20 people - eight families doing the exact same thing. I was an anxious mess the whole day. The scenery was beautiful but I was very distracted wondering the unknown. The countryside was beautiful. Mountains were on both sides of us most of the way down. There were lots of little "towns" on the road. Most with just a few shops and houses. There were a few lakes and we got to see camels. One guy was herding them and another was a camel farm. We arrive in Awassa and eat at a very beautiful restaurant. We then head to the orphanage where Hagirsa started and lived for about a month. We knew the birth mom was supposed to be there when we arrived. We first got a tour of the orphange. It was heart breaking to see so many very teeny tiny infants that were in the cribs. Way too many. It was also heartbreaking to know that they do not have an organization working with them now to adopt these children. Tears were rolling at this point. Kreg cried when we saw twin boys 2 months old in adjoining cribs. He truely wanted to take them home if we could. I would have been okay with that. The kids that were older waved and blew kisses to us. We then walk out back where sits unfamiliar faces to all of our group. Everyone is wondering who goes with who. This was the most awkward moment of our lives. So, we are all sitting there and our social worker from Ethiopia comes over to us and says this, "Your birth mother changed her...............address." My heart sank because for what seemed like a lifetime I thought she was going to say, "mind." She said that she would be here in an hour. So an hour passes and the couples are meeting their birth parents/grandparents. Things are going awesome for everyone. I ask after an hour has passed if they are getting close. She checks and has a very sincere look on her face. She says that they can't find her. Wow, speechless and lots of tears again. When in the world would we ever get this chance to meet her I'm thinking? What if they don't find her before next Saturday? My heart is racing and I think I was going to be sick again. They said they are still looking for her and not to worry. No, I don't worry at all!! So, after some more time and tears, Mahi, our social worker, comes over and says that they found her father and that she got remarried and moved. He knows where she lives though and can find her they say. Another hour goes by. No word. Finally, they tell us that she is on her way and that she would be here in about an hour.
The last picture was inside the Shalom orphanage in Awassa.
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Stacey Sills
Health and Prevention Consultant
Ottawa Area Intermediate School District
13565 Port Sheldon St.
Holland, MI 49424
1-877-702-8600 ext. 4111
ssills@oaisd.org
He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything. ~ Proverb quote
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