Today has been another good day. We went out to finish our souvenir shopping. We got Levi a traditional Ethiopian outfit and a toy wooden Jeep, as well as a few other things. Our driver also took us to one of the best coffee shops in Addis, apparently where Starbucks buys their beans. We got two bags (probably .5 lb each) and paid about 3 American dollars. It was a very small shop (but very busy and crowded) and it was hazy from them roasting the beans onsight. It had quite the roasting smell, too (We came back and the smell still clings to our skin and clothes). We were bummed because we didn't bring our camera. I had a macchiato (a small glass with espresso and milk, like the small glasses that Starbucks uses to pour the espresso into a regular drink size.) I thought it was very good...Nate, of course, wasn't a big fan. We have made a pretty good relationship with our driver, Ephram. He is a Christian who works for the guest house. He started a soccer ministry for children on the street about a year ago. It has grown to about 100 kids. He is a great guy. When we went to the shops with him, the kids came up to him and you could tell he had a great relationship with both the kids and the people around. He was so kind to ask the lady at the shop we bought the rest of our stuff to give us a discount. We had a good time talking with him during our trip to the shops and back...talking about his family, his ministry, what he thought about America, and what Ethiopians think about adoption. He is on Facebook and we look forward to long term contact with him, and he gave us his email and address information. For his soccer ministry, he needs cleats, jerseys, socks, and money.
Nate and I are hoping to be involved with the ministry long term, and we are hoping that Nate will get to go to one of their practices tomorrow. Ephram used to be a street kid. A ministry called SIM helped him be able to go to school and he then became a Christian. He really seems to have a great heart for the children and a strong heart for serving the Lord. What a testimony. It is such a blessing to be able to witness a ministry first hand and know the people and children involved - I think it makes us more likely to really stay in touch and support what Ephram is doing here.
We are still awaiting word from the embassy...hopefully by the time you actually read this we might know something. It's only early afternoon now, so hopefully by the end of the work day here, we will get a call or email from the embassy.
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