Monday, February 22, 2010

Monday Update from the Hams

Hello!
Sorry it has been so long since we've had time to update. Our days here have been very full!

We are very emotionally spent. What we have seen and heard has definitely changed us..........it's hard to explain the heartache we have felt for so many of the people here. I can't help but cry now as I even think of it. Last night Sammy, a wonderful young Christian man that drives/translates here for our guest house took us over by Kora, the leper colony. Sammy (and also his friend that accompanied us) grew up there and mostly lived at the nearby city garbage dump because they were so poor that was where they got their food. We went to the dump...........Sammy knows all the people who live there now because he tries to minister to all of them. Just these huge massive mountains of filth and garbage............... some piles are burned as they are dumped and the stench was more than I could bear! There were mothers living there with babies strapped on their backs.........there are pigs and dogs that live there, too. All the children there had on two different shoes on.......whatever they find in the piles of garbage. It's just hard to process it all........so hard to believe people really live like this and children grow up digging for scraps of food in a garbage dump.

Over the weekend, it was arranged for us to go and visit Leku, 5 hours south of the city where Hana's birth family lives. Hana's birth mom had been brought into the city to meet us, and so we were given the option of going with them to take her back home. She is just the most beautiful Christian woman who is very, very destitute. Actually, the entire community she lives in is very poor. She attends a protestant church in her community and her faith is very strong. She told us she had been praying for a long time that a wonderful Christian family would adopt Hana. She was so happy to be able to meet us. It was such a huge blessing to all of us to be able to meet together! I really feel like the details of our meeting were ordained by God. But also, it was one of the most difficult things emotionally. Eric and I just wept and so did all of her family as we said goodbye. Meseret, Hana's mom, and her older brother and sister all live in a very small little dirt floor room ( maybe 6 x 8 ft?) with a small grass filled mattress on the floor where they all sleep. Everything they own is in a little corner of that room. The walls and ceiling have large holes everywhere so there is no shelter from the rain. This is where Hana lived before her mother brought her to the orphanage. It was so much to take in emotionally.........I felt like I was going to break in two from the pain of seeing it. We also met Hana's aunt, Meseret's sister, and her children and husband. Please pray for them. They hugged us and didn't want to let go as we wept. We were able to take Meseret to the local store to get some groceries for her family............mostly dried beans, rice, and corn and some spices. As diffiult as all of this was, we feel SO very blessed to have had this time. It was priceless!

Today we have our Embassy appointment and we'll be bringing the kids back to stay with us for good tonight. We've really enjoyed getting to vist them twice and spend time with them. Edilu, I think will be a fairly easy transition.......he is such a sweetie. Hana has done pretty well. She's taken to Eric and I pretty well, but for SOME reason she is not so sure about Caleb. Poor Caleb keeps trying........but she doesn't really want anything to do with him. Hopefully it's short lived! They told us she gets homesick sometimes and can be a little bit sensitive. I think with time she'll be just fine, but she has so much to process. She is old enough to remember her mother and brother and sister. She's been moved to different orphanges 3 times........ I think I would be feeling much the same as she is . Confused, sad and wondering if THESE people (us) are going to go away after a while, too, just like all the others do. Please pray for her little heart. I can see sadness in her eyes and I can tell she is thinking/remembering.

That's all for now. Love to you all!

14 comments:

  1. Nancie, it is so good to read your update and hear how things are going. How wonderful to be able to spend so much time with Hana's birthmom and family. Those will be wonderful memories to pass on to your little girl someday about how much her birthmom loved her. I am excited that both of the kiddos will be in your arms for good, today! Praying for the remainder of your trip and your traveling home.

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  2. Praying and praying!!!!

    P.S. Ethan spent the school day with us yesterday (snow day at school) and he is doing great. He misses you guys, but he is keeping busy. He and Micah are going to play again today.

    Michelle

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  3. Hello Dear Friend,
    Praying for you. Sending a hug your way too. What an indescribable gift to be able to tell Hana that one day she can spend eternity with her birth family. How amazing to watch God's love for children in such a tangible way. Thanks for letting us follow along with you on this trip :)

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  4. Eric and Nancy-
    What an incredible update. I'm thrilled to hear you were able to meet with Hana's birth mother and it sounds like you were able to figure out a good schedule with the kids before you took full custody. That's great. I'll be praying for you and the rest of your trip!!!! And as an encouragement...Ellie was so excited to welcome Yonas into our home, but he was less than thrilled about her. It just broke her little heart into pieces those first weeks. But he came around...now it's going really well between them and there's definitely a mutual love. :)

    Love to you!
    Erin W.

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  5. I am so glad everything worked out so well with Tikuret! Wish I was there with you. :)

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  6. Dear Eric and Nancie,

    Wow! We will be praying for all of you.

    With much love,

    Suzanne W.

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  7. Hi Nance,
    I'm so happy to read your update! I was on the emotional rollercoaster with you the entire time I was reading! Hang in there, all of you. soon you'll be back home all together in your cozy little home and you can rest (ha) and get comfortable with each other. Tell Caleb not to worry; he such a sweetie. xoxoxo Laura :)

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  8. Wow! So thankful that you are all well and had such a great opportunity to meet Hana's birth mother. What a gift! We will be praying you all home safely!

    the Hahn family

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  9. Still praying for you all, Nancie! It sounds heart-wrenching. What a happy/sad state to be in, I just can't imagine! Can't wait to see you guys when you get back and settled in!

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  10. Eric, Nancie, and Caleb,

    We love you so much and are happy to hear that you've had a safe trip thus far.

    Your accounts of your time with Hana's mother and family sound both joyful and heart wrenching. It's good that you were able to have that time with them and visit those places.

    We're so excited for you to be able to see this much anticipated blessing come to fruition. Praise God!

    We'll continue to pray for you as you prepare to return home.

    God is so good.

    Love,

    Joel, Stacy, Edith, Clay, and Baby #3

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  11. Wow! Loved reading this post Nancie. I'm so glad that God worked out all the details for you. Sounds like the trip is going so well. We'll be praying for your trip home!

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  12. We're praying for safety for each of you, for your trip home (what a wonderful word!), for Hana's sad little heart, and for everyone's health. Most of all, praying that the glory of God would be seen in you and experienced by you. <3

    Much love from the Geers

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  13. thank you for this post, nancie. what an experience...we are soooo looking forward to your homecoming. we will be praying for your family as you make this transition.
    love,
    Jenny D

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  14. Such an amazing story you and your family are living! I have always thought of adoption as one of the most tangible illustrations of God's love for us in choosing us to be His children. How wonderful that you are able to share this love with these two precious children. Much love to you!
    Rachel H.

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