(Going backwards one more time!) Our trip HOME to America!!!

Well, like I was saying we were sooo excited to begin our journey home, but with HEAVY hearts at the same time! We were nervous of how that LONG the flight home would be with Mamo! We were equipped with a special suitcase for him, full of toys to distract him if needed on the flight home!

It is a 17 hour flight from Addis to DC. Then we had layovers and 2 more flights before we landed in Nashville! I don't even know how much "travel time" that equated to...30ish hours I think!

We all showered, packed up and waited on our driver to come get us!Mamo was so excited all day to be going to America! Mamo found his nifty CARS luggage and practiced pulling it around the guest home! Between that and his toy airplane he was READY to go! :)

It was so hard saying goodbye...
Mamo helped us load the luggage in the car... he couldn't wait to get on that plane and he is such a BIG helper!!!
We were amazed at how much he seemed to understand what was going on!

When he saw the airplane out the window of the airport he was soooo excited! He practically ran onto the airplane and his adrenalin had kicked into over drive! He was sooo funny! He was sooo excited! Everyone kept translating and telling us that he was sooo happy to be going to America!!! :) Sweetness! He buckled up, played around with his lights, his headphones, his tray table, the buttons on his TV screen and his radio.... totally cracking us up the whole time!

We were so worried at how he would do at take off and then, just like that, he was asleep! We had a 10:30pm flight so he just crashed and he was asleep for the next 12 hours! No kidding!!! :) When he finally woke up he had lunch, and tea, watched some disney movies, again played with the lights and the headsets and really was most enjoyable! He was super easy on the plane and just seemed to be content with what was happening!
We landed in DC, changed into our CHOSEN gear and jumped on 2 more airplanes that were Nashville bound!!

There were so many people praying for us and welcoming us home! It truly meant more than we can ever express!! :)Our airport party was sooo cool!!! :)



He loved the ride home from the airport, he thought his new car seat was cool and he loved being in the back with his brother and sister! He just laughed and chatted the whole way home!
This is what we were greeted with when we pulled into our subdivison!
How COOL is that??? We also had balloons and signs on our porch and in our house welcoming our newest addition!! It was so special!!

He was very excited to walk into his new home! He was smiling and laughing! He as throwing his little body on each couch, chair and bed and just laughing and being silly! He had his Robby and Caitlin-lin-lin very near him and he was so happy to be with them! :)He loved his room! He loved all of his goodies and his clothes and his shoes! He especially loved all the MIRRORS in the bathrooms!!! :)

We were all pretty exhausted so we ordered a pizza then went to bed! Mamo played with Robby and Caitlin and let them oogle over him as he oogled over them!
That night when we put him to bed in our room, Caitlin noticed he was BURNING up with fever. We knew he had a cold with a bad cough while we were in Ethiopia, but he had never ran a temperature. We checked him and he was 103.5! Bless his heart! He was having so much fun and was being so happy that we didn't even suspect he was running a fever! If you have read my blog posts when we first returned, then you know the next 6 days would prove to be doctor and hospital and ER filled! His fever actaully broke Christmas Eve at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital! Thank you lord!

Ok, except for the video's of Daniel Mamo's HOMECOMING I am mostly caught up now!

Thanks again to all of you who read our blog, and who have enjoyed our adventure bringing this little one home! There are over 163 MILLION Orphans that just need someone JUST LIKE YOU to step up and say that they have room in their hearts and their homes! There is so much NEED, DESPERATE NEED, and so much LOVE to give and to share!

God always whispered to me MORE THAN ENOUGH as we were on this journey! We HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH, so much more than so many in this world, he provided MORE THAN ENOUGH support of friends and family during this adoption, he provided MORE THAN ENOUGH funds to make this adoption happen (in record time, I might add.. this adoption went crazy FAST!). I look back and I wonder what is next...because after seeing what we have seen, not once, not twice but THREE times I KNOW that we still have MORE THAN ENOUGH! DO YOU?

John 14:18
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

When you are generous and truly help those in need, you are actually doing so to Jesus. When you do it to the least of these, it is as if you’re helping Jesus Himself! Let this be encouragement to you the next time you see someone in need. When you help those who most need it, you are pleasing God.