Number 3

Who would have thought it? Well, evidently several. Todd and Diana are expecting our third grandchild this summer. Chad and Lesa started things off in June 07 with Madi, Jill brought us Mari in January 08, and now Todd and Diana are going to triple our blessings with another grandchild. That is with God's help. We are a ways from celebrating yet. What would I like? Well, you would have to know me to understand, but granddad wants another granddaughter. Grandsons would be just as precious and loved just as much, but I think it would be fun to watch 3 young women grow up together, almost the same age. But what ever they have, we will be very thankful for.

I got my new Shuttle computer today. Haven't done anything other than unpack it and make sure everything is still where it should be inside. Things sometimes want to loosen in transit in computers. Don't have a clue when I will have it up and running. Too many projects going at the moment.

The downstairs half bath is 85% complete. We have Todd and Diana's project in full swing. We are closing in an open area to create a new bedroom right off the living room. It will be nice when done, and I think will add value to their home.

We are very excited about this new grandchild, but somehow he or she seems like a fourth instead of a third. We all followed Randy and Deborah's journey to get Kaili it seems like this is the fourth time we have been down this road of waiting and expecting in 2 years. If you haven't visited their site lately, you should. Jill and I both have links to the Wheeler's blog. Kaili is growing up so fast. And she is going to be such a pretty woman. God sure had an eye for beauty when He created women.

Stay tuned! And check into the other blogs.

Flying to Rome Pics

This ATM @ Dulles caught my eye. Who would have thought that dip was a synonym for insert?

Out over the Atlantic, I find on my meal tray a Shenandoah Pride creamer.

This a shot of the Alps. I have no idea what part. But from 6 or 7 miles up, even 6 mp is too grainy to blow enough to see details. I think there is a small town or village on the left side of the river there.

Ephrim

This entry is mostly for Ethiopian adoptive parents. I have had our driver interpreter guide on my mind for the last couple of days. These are pictures of him. Ephrim is his name. There are two young men that the House of Hope orphanage uses as drivers for families going to Addis that are adopting from the orphanage. The other driver’s name is Tesfu. We saw him at the orphanage but did not officially meet him. By circumstance, or otherwise, we were assigned Ephrim. I believe his name is actually Ephrem, but for his email address, and other things, he changed it to Ephrim. I don’t really know which is correct or proper.

Ephrim is by self admission and proud to be a born again Christian. If you are unfamiliar with that term, it’s OK. It just means he has experienced a complete yielding of his life to the worship of Jesus Christ. I won’t get into all of that here, if you understand it, great, if not, Ephrim is still a wonderful driver, interpreter and guide. I presume Tesfu is just as good.

Being what is known in many circles as a born again Christian myself, the term and Ephrim resonated with me. I did not discuss theology with him, and he did not press the issue. He is a part of the African evangelical revival that is growing, but he won’t try to proselyte you in any way. He is just a great young man, in his 30s, whom you can trust implicitly and enjoy being under his protective hand.

Ephrim was at one point a taxi driver in Addis so he knows how to get from point A to any other point, regardless of the alphabet. English you only have 26 options, in Amharic you have hundreds. And Ephrim knows all of them. He knows how to find you the best deals on everything from baby formula to Coke to Internet access. He will lend you a phone if you would like to stay in touch with him or call home even. He is just an amazing person. Not like anyone you could find here in the US as a tourist.

I just wanted to introduce you to Ephrim as more of Ethiopia begins to filter through my sub consciousness to expressible words.

I will be posting pictures and more narrative on the experience, but as each person’s experience will be somewhat different, I don’t want my personal take on things to overshadow what you will experience. Africa is an amazing place. For those of us who have no issue with blending creation with evolution it is the birthplace of the human race. And even if you ascribe to one camp or the other, it is still where it all began. So if you are going, be patient, go with the flow, and soak everything in.

Home again

Yes, the countdown to Addis is gone. Addis was a lifetime experience. Not a trip for the fainthearted. I think it would have been a serious shock to me had I not have been to similar places before. Addis is the economic and political capital of Africa. But you wouldn't know it by driving through the city. Life is difficult in Addis.

Jill and I were able to have Amari Roza on our first full day in Addis, Wednesday. She became completely ours on Thursday at a meeting in the US Embassy. We all traveled 3 hours out of Addis to meet Amari's mother and 4 year old sister on Friday. That was heart breaking for me, and I think for Jill. We met a very poor and broken but brave woman. She realized her inability to care for her new daughter early and wanted her to have a better life.

Saturday we shopped. Sunday we began our flight home, where we arrived safely before noon yesterday, Monday, thanks to Chad and Georgiann.

I have downloaded all of my pictures to the computer and will be posting a few select ones here in the next day or so.

Ethiopia is an amazing place with an amazing variety of peoples. They need much help. Your prayers are certainly warranted, as all nations and cultures are. Thanks for staying with us.