11.02.2012

Ethiopian Journey - Day 3.. God is Good...

Hello Friends and family, 

It has been great to hear back from you and know that you are praying for our family.  We have had many changes since arrival and welcome the time we are having with Tamir.  

We went to bed last night not being able to see Tamir.  While we were sad, I think that was the best for our family.  The Jet lag hit us hard last night and so did the altitude.  We all went to bed at 7 pm and only arose at 8:00 am the next morning.  The kids were like bumps on a log and hard to get up. 

Today was an exciting day.  We finally get to meet our sweet Tamir (pronounced Taamir), which means beautiful in her language.  We left for WACAP house at 10:30 am and pulled into the main driveway not knowing what to expect.  We were headed to the living room area and from the corner of the building Tamir walked out and surprised us all.  I was expecting this made for TV, Lifetime movie scene, but that was not the case.  All of you who know me well, can understand the last sentence.  As usual we didn't have our video camera ready, but it was amazing.

Tamir had a smile on her face and walked right up to me and our family.  She immediately let us pick her up and love on her.  She was very calm and I think we were more nervous than she was. She is definitely going to be our old soul and relates very well to Neha and Jacob.  She let us hug her, kiss her and most of all play and interact with her all day.  She is a sharp little girl that notices everything and seem to pick up what we are saying.  She loved the necklace that Neha gave her and wore it proudly and we caught her looking at it from time to time.  We showed her our family album and she loved the fact that her picture was already in our Album (Thanks Michelle).  She didn't hesitate to jump right in with our kids and play.   The morning was not without some craziness from the Shaw children.  Neha got car sick and threw up in front of Tamir and Jacob had some nausea as well. 

The best part of the morning and afternoon was watching Tamir come alive when we pumped up the Soccer ball (Thanks Kelly).  She loves to play Football/Soccer, kickball, throwing the ball; pretty much anything with running and a ball.  She has amazing footwork and is quick on her feet. We spent the afternoon with her going through our suitcase of things we brought to play and interact with her.  She loved telling us what she already knew in English (words, letters, sounds, etc.).  I also got to practice my Tigrinya with her a bit.  Most of the time the translator would correct me.  There were a few things I was able to communicate to her directly.  For example, when I asked her how old she was in her language she responded with, "hamushte (5)"  with confidence.  

This was quite a day.  We spent a total of 5 hours with her and loved every minute of it.  She just came along side our family and had no problem interacting.  She is quiet and gentle, but very brave and bold at that same time.  A great addition to the Shaw clan.   We thank God for such a great first visit.  Tomorrow we only have a morning with her and the next day is the orphanage's day off (so no visits).  We could tell that she was already attached to us today and sad to see us leave in the evening.  We are planning to visit the Museum tomorrow afternoon about Ethiopia and take a scenic drive as well as attend church on Sunday Morning.  We have been blessed to have a christian social worker that we can fellowship with on Sunday Morning.  

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