A morning of 2 Extremes!

This morning I (Adam) took Eyerusalem to visit the orphange that she came from before she was sent to the Transition house. I then took her to the Sheraton to withdraw some money from the bank there. Here are the stories from this morning.

Eyerusalem had been asking to visit her best friend at the old orphanage. Mahlet wanted nothing to do with going back there. I don't blame her, I think that she is afraid that she would get left. Even Eyerusalem kept looking for me when we were there to make sure that I was still close by. The orphange was on the far side of town, we were driving by one of the African Embassies, (whose President is in town) and about every 30' there was a guard with a rifle in their hands. We were driving slowly, looking for the right road, and all eyes were on us. It made me think that we were not really wanted around there:)

When we arrived, Eyerus was greeted like a hometown hero. She is getting out and getting to America! About 30 kids came and ran up to greet her, right away. Everywhere she walked an entourage of around 10 kids followed her. The orphanage is home to around 150-200 kids I guess. It is located on about 3 acres and has a lot of area for the kids to run around. The kids were all dressed appropriately, mattresses on all the beds and the place was well kept. There was new play equipment and a basketball court as well. One of the coolest things was the HUGE garden that they use to grow most of their food. They have 250 egg laying chickens. They had 5 Holstein milking cows, and a calf. They had a great system. All the waste was washed right into a few different tanks, then to the compost area and ultimately it is directed right into the garden. They even have classes for some of the older kids so that they can learn how to do things.

The hard part was when Eyerus showed me the room she lived in. We walked into a room that is just barely bigger than the average size living room. It was crammed with bunk beds. She then walked towards the wall to what I thought was a full size mirror. Only, it was not a mirror it was a hole in the wall with another room just like the first. There were 20 bunk beds in these two joined rooms, which means 40 beds, and pillows for 70 kids to sleep in. The beds were so crammed that you had to climb into them from the foot end, as there was not even walking space between them.

Mahlet stayed in a similar room for smaller kids, only their beds were a little bit smaller. Just off of the bedrooms were the dining rooms. These rooms were stuffed with kids watching some junk (adult soap operas) on TV. From the stories of my girls and seeing their habits, I think that this is a normal day long routine.

This orphanage is home to mostly girls between the ages of 8-16. Though, there are some younger kids. I felt like I had walked into a junior high camp for girls, only to realize that these kids are all orphaned. They are all hurt, scared, and longing for attention. It broke my heart.

Getting back in the car, we went to the Sheraton. Our car was not even allowed in the gate, as there is a HUGE African Union meeting there, with all of their Heads of State and delegates. The cars that were allowed in all were getting searched for bombs. We had to walk through a couple different security check points. Riflemen, stood by everywhere keeping a close eye on all the people. Once inside, Eyerusalem was astonished. Everyone was walking around in very fancy suits and their own entourages. We got a couple of chocolate treats from the bakery, for a ridiculous price by Ethiopian standards, and sat outside in a garden by a huge fountain eating them. We then went to this machine. I put a little plastic card into it, pushed a few buttons, and out came a wad of money! Eyerusalem was astonished! She could not believe that money could come out of this machine. She asked if she could put the card in, and more money would come out for her. "I don't think so dear:)" I replied. I still don't think that she gets the concept of the whole ATM thing yet.

I have been trying to spend some 1 on 1 time with each of the girls as I am getting ready to leave in 3 days. Eyerusalem lucked out on this one. The next one is going to get a little walk down the street for 50 cent french fries:)

We have been having a really hard time these last few days. We have been really under attack by the evil one. Last night, London developed a high fever and we were up most of the night. It is really hard for me to think of leaving when some of the kids are sick. It is also really hard for Heather to think of being by herself with a sick kid and trying to get to the hospital if needed.

Please pray that we will be able to withstand the attacks of the evil one, as they continue to come. We want to remain strong, steadfast and continue to give all glory to whom it belongs, our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit will sustain us and give Heather the strength that she needs as I depart.