Phone Conversation

I love hearing that little voice come over the phone, "Hello? (pause) Hello?" And as soon as I hear that little girl on the other line, everything, (the year long wait, the struggles in making this all work, and even the despair of leaving her) all fades away. The conversation isn't long - but it's just so comforting to hear her voice and to hear her ask questions in Amharic and being able to reply and hopefully bring a little comfort to her that, yes, I haven't forgotten about her. Yes, I do still love her and miss her dearly. And yes, I do care about how her day goes and what keeps her busy all day.

I hadn't spoken to Bamlak for, gosh, many months. Maeza's cell phone was no longer working and there wasn't any other way to gain contact with Bamlak until her phone was working again. Maeza answered her phone after only 2 rings and knew immediately that it was me. She picked up and asked, "Bettina-yay?" "Yes, Maeza! Indaynesh?" A laugh came over the line, as it always does when I speak Amharic and then I heard her telling the girls next to hear to go and get Bamlak, immediately.

She spoke for only a few moments to let me know how school was going (very well, but difficult, and she's still LOVING it), and then Bamlak was there. We only had a few exchanges as she was having difficulty with the delay in the phone but we were at least able to say I love you and miss you to each other. Maeza came back on the line and said, "What do you want to know about Bamlak? Ask me anything" She is so sweet!

So I found out the following:
1. Bamlak went to the doctor last week for an eye problem, but she is doing well now.
2. Bamlak hates going to school everyday and begs Maeza to stay at Kechene all day so she can play. Bamlak won't say why she hates school, but Maeza thinks it's just because it's not a very good school and that she continues to learn the same things over and over again because they (all children her age) are put in the same class for 3 years. My first reaction was to ask if the teachers hit her but she replied no. Maeza gave me reassurance that they do not hit the kids at Kibebetsehay, they just aren't very good teachers.
3. Maeza continues to take care of Bamlak, in fact she was the one to take her to the hospital for her eyes. I love this girl!
4. Maeza continues to talk about me everyday and reassures her that I will return. Again, I'm so grateful for Maeza.

Hopefully, my next conversation with Bamlak will be next week and I can call her to say, "Hunnie, I'm coming in x many days. Maeza has x many pieces of candy in a jar. You can have one each day. When the jar is emtpy I'll be bringing you home forever!" (She loves the "one piece of candy" game, we did it every time I had to go out of the country for work or out of town for more than a couple days, with the except of this return to the US) Wow!! This is all so surreal that she really could be coming home so soon. I say "home so soon" because it truly seems to be happening! For real! Wow!

So surreal. So exciting. So nervous. So happy. So grateful.

PROUD MOMMY

I got the following update from Jessica at Gladney:

"Belay said he saw Beamlak yesterday and said she was all
dressed up to go to the airport to meet the Head of
State that was arriving to hand out flowers.  He said she
looked very beautiful and that is why she was chosen to
do it.  He also said she was on TV!!  I thought that was neat.
It sounds like she is doing very well and I'm getting
very exciting for you as your court date approaches."

That's my girl :)  I wish I could get photos and the video
footage of the presentation, what a wonderful memory
for her to have!  She has presented flowers to Heads of
State in the past as well and Nesredin tried to get the
footage from the Government-run media company but was
unsuccessful, I'll have to beg him to try again :)

One week!  Court is in ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY!  I have a feeling
I won't be notified of anything until Dec though because
Friday is a holiday, but gosh!  Finally...  it's just amazing
to think back to a year ago, having just recently returned
from Ethiopia I was completely devastated and though I wanted
her home so badly, I couldn't even function. It took everything
to get out of bed in the morning and I admit, it's still a
struggle some days.  But she is SO close to coming home forever! 
Just keep moving!

Wow!  I still am not thinking straight.  One week and one day...
One year ago, I began this journey knowing that there was only
a slim chance that I would be able to bring her home, and
we've gotten so close!  It still amazes me.

Above is a picture I received along with the update. 
Bamlak looks so much like her first mom in the photo it
is amazing!  It was the first thing I noticed, besides
just how beautiful and healthy she is of course :) 
I am eternally grateful to Roza and Maeza (two girls at
Kechene) for caring for Bamlak over the last year. 
Almost every photo I receive Bamlak has her hair done
and oiled up, her skin is no longer dry and she
looks like she is finally putting on a little weight
(even though she is only 42 lbs still).  But she's now
3 ft 6 in, which is just amazing to me!  She's growing
up so fast.

I am very blessed.

Please take the time to watch... they're worth it

I still get the questions... And I still get the funny looks...

Why were you in Ethiopia? How could you live there? You moved there by yourself? At 23? Were you a missionary? Is it safe? How could you stand it there? Do you speak African?

Is there really any question left to answer after seeing those faces? Each one of the 4.8 million orphans in Ethiopia have a face, a story, and have survived great adversity. Every time I look into a child's eyes over the age of 5, I immediately think of how precious they are. One in five children die in Ethiopia before reaching this age. They have survived, against the worst of odds. And somehow, they lift themselves up and continue to show us what life truly is all about. It's amazing how a 5 year old can teach you some of the most important lessons in life.

I met Bamlak 2 days after her fifth birthday... And though she is thousands of miles away, I can't imagine my life without her. She made it, against the odds. And for some reason, a reason I may never fully understand, I may have the amazing privilege to be her mother. I am so very blessed.

The Day We Met

URGENT NEED!

Sponsorship Please! (And please post on your blog if you'd like) :)

I am in urgent need of finding people willing to assist in sponsoring Maeza's Nursing School education! Unfortunately, her sponsor is no longer able to provide the tuition and transportation expenses of her education, however, Maeza is halfway through her Nursing degree and it would be a tragedy if she was no longer able to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.

The finances: As of today, we need $1,800 to fund her entire education, however, it is not all due now. We are in need of sending $300 to her to cover $200 tuition (due per trimester) and $100 in transportation (per trimester). More or less, it looks like this:

November 2008 $300 (this is past due)
January 2009 $300
April 2009 $300
August 2009 $300
January 2010 $300
April 2010 $300

Just a little about Maeza: Maeza is only 17 years old, she just turned 17 and has completed over one year of college. She has lived in Kechene, along with her sisters for many years. As many of you can attest who have visited Kechene, the girls are absolutely wonderful and it's truly amazing how they have persevered through so much heartache and suffering to become the truly humble, beautiful, and talented young ladies that they are. When I met Maeza in January 2007 she hardly spoke any English, even though English is supposed to be the language of instruction in all public schools after 7th grade. English is difficult to learn when the teacher cannot speak it him/herself. However, we soon discovered that Maeza wanted to become a nurse and in order to do that, she would need to learn English. After only a couple of months with an English tutor she was enrolled into a private university in the Hiya Hoolet area of Addis. The decision was not made lightly, and Nesredin worked very hard in order to learn which institute would provide her with the most opportunity. Nearly 1 1/2 years later, she is doing amazing! She has completed almost half of her 3 year degree and her written English improves with every email I receive from her. In August she began her practicum integration meaning that she spends half of her class in a classroom and half of it observing and working with patients. Her final year will be practicum only and she is very excited! She is succeeding in all her courses and Nesredin confirms that she absolutely loves school and works hard to succeed.

If anyone is willing and able to provide any amount of financial support to her education I would be grateful. You can simply just email/comment me and let me know that you are interested in providing some assistance and I can give you my address to send the money to. It will then be wired to Nesredin/Maeza to pay the tuition and to provide her transportation. If I get more than one trimester's support, I'll hold on to it until it is due as cash is difficult to protect in Addis and could be stolen if Nesredin/Maeza held on to it for too long. I can provide proof of wire transfer if anyone would like that as well.

My email: bettinakeppers @ hotmail.com (without the spaces)

THANK YOU!!!!!!!



In the photo from left to right: Nesredin, Maeza, and Roza :)