An amazing experience!

We have been having an amazing experience! Almost everyone is totally healthy again after small bouts with stomache upsets and we are finally starting to adjust to Ethiopia's time. We have had VERY busy days and are exhausted by the end of each. Tomorrow we get to bring Tarike back to the guest house where we are staying and Tuesday she comes into our care forever! She is so beautiful and very happy! Yesterday when our visit was over, she actually cried when we left - she likes us!! Today we all drove south to meet the birth families of our children and we were able to say thank you for blessing us with a daughter. It was extremely emotional, painful, and wonderful at the same time!! To do this, we drove 4 hours south of Addis Ababa! Driving in Ethiopia is a life threatening act! Since we made it there and back in one piece, I can enjoy all of the memories and photos of that trip. We were able to go through a typical hut, photograph many, many beautiful children who LOVE to see their photos on digital camaras, and see how beautiful the countryside of Ethiopia really is. It is amazingly green and fertile-looking. It is hard to believe that there is so much hunger but the hills, huge population, and dependance on rain makes this area known as "the green famine". So far, this has been a life-changing experience for all of us. Ethiopia is beautiful and the people are very welcoming, but we are looking forward to coming home!!