Day 3, Continued

Every day before we left the orphanage, we were treated to a coffee ceremony. This is a traditional ceremony Ethiopians give as an act of hospitality. I am not a coffee drinker, but I had at least three cups! For those of you who are coffee drinkers, I'm told it is excellent coffee!
I will never complain about laundry again! Every day when we walked into the orphanage, we saw several ladies doing laundry for the 45+ kids. They wash them all by hand in a large basin and then rinse them in these bowls. Then, they hang them all up to dry. To make it even more impressive, notice the yellow jugs. They haul in the water with these. Amazing!
Once we returned to our guest house, we were all feeling the need to share our success stories with our friends and family, so we ventured around the block to find an internet cafe. We struck out, but it was fun to get a feel for the neighborhood.

Our guest house was right across the road from this school.

Our guest house is on the left.

We also got to go visit Acacia Village, the home that our agency is building. It is almost completed and will house all the kids in the near future!
It is a beautiful building.
This will be where the kids eat their meals.
I think the best part of it is that it is in a more rural area. The air is cleaner, and the view is beautiful. This picture shows three Acacia trees, right in the middle.
Meggan, me, and Shannon
As I think about the kids who will be here soon, I love that they will be able to have a visual reminder of this truth. They will be facing so many unknowns, but God will continue to lead them.

That night, we ventured out to the Yod, an authentic Ethiopian restaurant, complete with dancing! It was a great cultural experience for all of us!
Shannon and Mark, Susan and Seth washing their hands
Because we eat with our hands, they bring a pitcher by for us to wash first.
Julie, Chris, Chris and Meggan

Then, we used the injera to scoop up the different meats and veggies.Then, the music and dancing began. The dancers were beautiful in their costumes as they moved in ways that we just could not fathom!

We were almost ready to go when they decided to do their audience participation dance. Chris was the lucky one who was chosen to strut his stuff. :)

This was a great way to end this day.
We all went to bed, thinking of how tomorrow would bring court,
and these kiddos we had just met would become legally ours.