Day Nine: Debra Zeit, Packing and Airport

Our ninth day in Ethiopia felt like a "you survived, now relax a bit" kind of day! Tegist took us outside the main city into a town called Debra Zeit (I'm not sure if I'm spelling that right or not). We went to a resort that was ah-mazing. Amazing! It was so very different from the villages we had been to and the capital city. The resort we entered was lush with flowers blooming everywhere. There were little villas you could stay in, a pool, a small lake, a spa - gorgeous! All the ladies had planned to get manicures but we didn't make appointments in advance and everything was booked. Instead, we toured the property, enjoyed a yummy lunch outside by the water and had some time to chat. We joked this must be where Angelina Jolie stayed when she came to adopt her daughter - it was that incredible! If we ever go back (I mean WHEN we got go back with our friends - 10 years - right, people?), I certainly want to stay a night or two there!

I should backtrack a bit - as we spent an hour or so driving into Debra Zeit, we saw a lot of the Ethiopian countryside. And by this time, our hearts were so overwhelmed with the needs of this beautiful country. Spending time driving this day really pounded on our hearts with the hefty opportunities there are for us to be a part of .... of what, we don't fully know. But a part of something - of spreading the blessings God has given us - of getting out of our comfortable North Dallas-ness and into something so much more meaningful - of loving on those that are considered the "least of these".

Kenny and I spent this day with very heavy hearts and a sense of not knowing how we - two Americans - can actually make a difference. It was so wonderful to have Tegist and her husband talk us through some tangible, realistic ways we can get involved.

After leaving Debra Zeit, we headed back to the Guest Home to pack up and eat dinner. Tegist's husband, Getahun, stopped by to chat. I wish we had gotten a picture with him so you could see this incredible man. The first time I met him (in America) and seeing him in Ethiopia, I was immediately brought to tears. Something about this man ..... a servant for the Lord .... inspires me so much. As we said our goodbyes to him, he prayed over us. What a great note to leave on.

We ate dinner, packed more and more and more.....

....and then finally loaded up one of the vans and headed to the airport. I cried the whole way there. Something inside of me snapped once again. I was hit with feelings I didn't expect to feel.

All of a sudden I felt this strange sense of loss for Ellie. She was leaving the only home she had ever known for 15 months. She was losing her culture. She was losing her heritage. She was losing contact (on a regular basis - not forever) with her birth family. All of these losses for such a tiny little girl. Some people think they are not real or reasonable or that she will not even ever miss these things. But somewhere deep in my heart I know that's not true. And, I will do my dangtest to help her hold on as best I know how.

Once we arrived at the airport, I pulled myself together (well, okay, I stopped crying). I was still a grumpy travel companion. I think we arrived about 3 1/2 hours ahead of our flight departure time. On my previous trip we arrived only 30 minutes before departure so I really thought we'd be bored out of our minds in the tiny airport. Nope! I am so glad we got there when we did because it literally took us that long to check in. UGH! The computer systems were all down, and we stood in line that whole time waiting to be checked in. It was miserable! We were exhausted (it was close to midnight by this time), Ellie was fussy and wanted to be walked around and we were all hungry.

I remember that we got in line once in the gate area to board first (infants/elderly line) and someone pushed me out of the way - who does that to a momma with a baby? Basically, we all wanted to board first as the bulkhead seats (the seats with lots of leg room and a bassinet for Ellie to sleep in) were first come, first serve. It was a mad dash! I've never seen people move so fast at 1 a.m.!

And, that's all for now...I think I'll save my day of traveling home stories for a separate post!