A True Gift......

On Mother's day 2009, Megan gave me an amazing gift that I will never forget. She ordered a silver necklace that was the shape of Africa and on it was a tiny heart imprint over Ethiopia. She made it extra special by having Tizita and Geremew engraved on the back of the necklace for me. Megan knew how hard the wait had been on me while waiting to bring Tia and Garrett home and I know that she hoped that this gift would help me with the wait. I remember crying as I opened the necklace and when I put it on my neck I was determined to not take it off until our twins came home.

Fast forward to August of 2010. As we were climbing off of the boat and onto Zedachu island I started to think about the special gift that hung around my neck. I never in a million years wanted to hurt Megan's feelings but something deep inside me wanted the freedom to give this special gift to Werke (the twins birth mom) if I felt it appropriate while we were spending the day with her. After I climbed off of the boat I found Megan and started a conversation with her about the necklace that was so special to both of us. I wanted to know if she would be hurt if I felt led to leave it with Werke. Megan was excited about the idea of Werke sharing in this special gift.

We enjoyed our time on the island and as we were saying our goodbyes I quickly removed my necklace and gently placed it around Werke's neck. Tears were flowing down my face as I pointed out to her that Tizita and Geremew were engraved on the back. Nicco translated for me as I told her that this was a special gift that I wanted her to have. A gift to help her daily remember that Tizita and Geremew were being loved and cared for. I am so thankful that we had many friends all around taking photos and someone captured this special moment.

Fast forward again to last week. A family and friend from our church spent the day on the island in Ethiopia. Our friends were not expected on the island and when they arrived at Werke's hut they found her sleeping. She is ill with Typhoid that has been hard to treat from what I understand. (Please do not mention this to Tia and Garrett as we are protecting them from worry) She was able to get up and spend time enjoying photo book that we sent to her and enjoying the company of our friends. It was such a blessing to our family to know that our extended family there was feeling loved on and cared for one day last week.

Last night I was able to see a few photos that our friend took while on the island. As we looked at each photo I was amazed at the growth of each of Tia and Garrett's siblings and it was fun to see Werke enjoying the photo book that we made for her. As I continued to view the photos I got to one that literally took my breath away. It was a close up photo of the precious gift that my daughter had given me as it hung around Werke's neck last week. As I saw the engraved letters of my precious children's names I started to cry. The very gift that had brought me joy and comfort for months is now doing the very same thing to a special mom half way around the world.

Please join us in praying for Werke's health. We will continue to check in with her and send updates when we hear about her condition. It is my understanding that she was going to travel off of the island to seek medical help in the coming days.