Tuesday

Today was a test of endurance. We drove 2 hours southwest to the town of Bantu to visit a Buckner/Bright Hope ministry sight. For about 3/4 of the drive, we were on a great highway that passed through towns and fields with small mountains around. Like many African drives, we shared the road with buses, goats, donkeys, horses, cows, and horse driven carts. The other 1/4 of the drive was on a washboard dirt road that jarred us half out of our senses! From time to time we pulled down onto the “service road” dedicated to horse-pulled taxis because it was smoother. We appreciated it, though the cart drivers didn’t seem to. Bantu is tucked in a beautiful valley with farmland and hills. The school was great. We were greeted by 200 children chanting “welcome, welcome” as we pulled in the gate. They have a total of 400 students, 200 in the morning and 200 in the afternoon. We toured the facilities and enjoyed talking to the administrators and the staff. This school has been supported by several churches in East Texas in a partnership much like FBC Amarillo’s partnership with the Baptist Children’s Center in Nairobi. Bereket really did well on the journey until about the last 30 minutes. He’d missed lunch and a nap, which isn’t a great combination for any almost-two-year old. Returning to the guest house and running in the yard was sweet relief. It didn’t take long for him to forgive his parents and for the smile to return.

Tonight is our last in Addis, as we’re taking off tomorrow at 7pm. I asked Mark tonight if he was ready to go home, and he said, “Not really.” He truly has been a trooper in a wide variety of circumstances and a big help to his parents. He was a little uneasy with the driving today, and Darcie told him to just think of it like a ride at Six Flags. His response was that he doesn’t like a lot of the rides at Six Flags! He was quite a hit at the school. All the children wanted to shake his hand, and he handled his “rock star” status well.

We’re excited to get Bereket home. We were talking today about how you’ll probably have to just take our word for it about his big smiles and his charming personality. We have the pictures to prove it! Around new people, however, he gets serious and observant. He’ll warm up over time, I’m sure.

I know that many have already asked about Bereket’s past and his birth mother. She made clear to us that she had no option for taking care of him, and that she wants him to have a better life. We recorded that conversation for Bereket so that when he’s older he will know about his past. Someday he may share more of that with you, but until then we’ll honor the fact that it is his story.

Thank you so much for praying for us! Our bonding with Bereket has exceeded all our expectations. We’ve been amazingly healthy, and Darcie’s back even endured the washboard road. As we were driving through the Ethiopian countryside, Darcie brought up the unexpected nature of God’s paths. To have suggested five years ago that we would be with Mark in Ethiopia, adding a toddler to our family, would have seemed a remote possibility, indeed. We are so thankful for this path, in spite of (and perhaps because of) the difficulty and the waiting.

Tomorrow we pack, run a few errands, and start the 50 hour journey home.