Our sojourn in Ethiopia looked quite different than most adoptive parents. Usually families are able to spend a week with their children in the capital city. Because of the unique circumstances of our children's cases being held up in the south, we had many free days to spend frolicking the countryside. Though of course we would have rather hung with our babies those days, it was rather thrilling to be able to hop in the van and take off to behold some pretty amazing things. Here are a few shots of a day we spent at a place about 2 hours north of Addis called Debre Libanos.
When we first arrived, the fog was so thick we couldn't see a thing.
Within a few hours though, the fog lifted and we were able to behold an amazingly beautiful gorge.
The elevation was quite high where we were which made for quite a bit of huffing and puffing as we hiked. We felt so out of shape!
There were wild baboons everywhere along the gorge. It was so much fun to watch them bouncing all over the place.
This sweet little guy was our "tour guide". He shared with us about his life up on the mountain, his extremely long hike to school everyday, and how he needed a new pair of shoes. Him and his mother carve necklaces out of marble and craft handmade baskets for a living. It was extremely heart breaking to see the poverty of the people everywhere we went. We discovered during our time there that $10 a semester would put a student through college. We also learned that for around $30 a month a child can be fed, housed, and educated in Ethiopia through groups such as Compassion International. For so little, our American dollars go so far in so many countries abroad. Seeing these realities up close really causes one to realize how truly rich we are in America,and how we have been blessed in EVERY way to be a blessing to the nations.
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