Wordless....Tomoca

A visit from MOWA...no seriously!

Adoptive parents are very familiar with the word MOWA, which stands for Ministry of Women's Affairs, they are responsible for overseeing adoptions in Ethiopia. Therefore MOWA has played a significant role in our adoption process, in our family. To my surprise we got a call a couple days ago stating that MOWA and a member of the Ethiopian Parliament were visiting adoption agencies and families across the United States, and that our family had been chosen to be a potential family! My heart was racing...what an incredible opportunity! We accepted this possibility with joy and awaited the next few days. Fast Forward to last night, we got a call from our agency confirming that MOWA would be at our house the next morning at 9:30! Let the excitement begin!

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy;

 they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” 

~Marcel Proust

As I drifted off to sleep that night my mind was racing...this was such an amazing opportunity, truly a once in a lifetime experience. Yes, we had written letters to the Ethiopian government during the adoption process of our desire and promise to our future daughter, we had sent updates on her progress, however now they would SEE the love and commitment to our daughter. I wondered how would we ever be able to express our GRATITUDE, APPRECIATION and LOVE for Mawerdi and Ethiopia! Words can't adequately express how this amazing little girl has touched our lives forever, how each morning SHE is the sunshine that starts our day, how proud we are of her, and of course how much we love Ethiopia and that Ethiopia is truly a part of our family and home. As I finally fell asleep my mind was at peace knowing they would see the natural integration and love of Ethiopia in our home, they would feel the abundance of love that we had for our daughter as well as feel the happiness in Mawerdi's heart, and they would hear the outpouring of words from our soul expressing our appreciation (as much as time would allow).

“Hospitality should have no other nature than love.” 

~Henrietta Mears

My grandmother always said clean your house as if you were expecting royalty...well I thought of her as I finished picking up before their arrival, knowing she was looking down on us smiling. The fruit was cut and coffee was ready to be brewed...now we were just eagerly anticipating the arrival of our friends. All morning we were talking about how are friends from Ethiopia were going to visit and Mawerdi was very excited "just like me" she said, "yes just like you babe, they are our special friends."

Such beautiful, sweet, compassionate women and the man was so caring towards Mawerdi! Once Mawerdi got over being shy she enjoyed spending time with each of her new friends. She showed off her dancing, basketball and soccer skills, and a bit of her large vocabulary. We sat back with pride as we watched her interact with these very important people! Amongst our conversation the delegates were very happy to hear about the large network of adoptive families and connection to the Ethiopian community for events, education and support. We wish we had all day to tell them about our time in Ethiopia, Mawerdi's incredible adjustment, and the complete happiness that fills all of our lives...however time only allowed for a morning visit...which was deeply cherished by all. 

We are so thankful for this opportunity and hope that the delegates walked away feeling the love in our hearts and dedication in our souls to Mawerdi and Ethiopia. 

We can't say in enough, Thank you!

Betam Amesegenallo!

On the road we're somebody else's guests - and we play in a way that they're not going to forget we visited them. 

~Knute Rockne