Change - 1 story from our trip

We just finished a tour of the main care center where our little girl spent many nights prior to being transitioned to Addis. Walking through a house no bigger than ours seeing it full of 70 children was really an eye opener. We step to the lower terraces of the care center taking in the surroundings. There is little talk amongst the group, we are all running through our heads what it must have been like to experience care center life through the eyes of our children.

We will remember that moment forever as we enter a room lined with toddler beds and hear the sweet voice of children singing in the background. There are moments in life that take you by surprise almost as if you can feel something change inside of you.

We turn the corner walking from one building into the building that we hear the children singing. I have a vivid memory of time stopping for a moment as we stared looking at those beautiful brown eyes, the innocence, the simplicity of that moment. The same eyes that will look at us as we tuck our little ones in to bed or those same eyes we will see looking through the window as we wave goodbye to go to work.

The children in Ethiopia have something that seems very unique in their eyes. It's as if with a single glance they can tell you an entire story just by looking at them. You get a real sense that although a three year old has been through more than you will ever go through that their is a hope that is not explainable in words. Take this feeling and multiply it by 70, 70 sets of eyes, 70 little beating hearts, 70 of millions of children living without a family in this country.

A heaviness sets in as we turn the corner to the lunch room. We are all holding back tears and suddenly our entire group seems to be sobbing. We walked in one door of this little house and came out the other door different people. We didn't need to talk with one another to describe what we saw, what we experienced. From that moment on we all knew that life would be different, that the gift of our children would never be taken for granted. From that moment on we knew that life is more that we can see and touch, but about a hope, a love, a simplicity that we could not fully comprehend in this lifetime.