Nesting...

I feel like the past few weeks have been a "nesting" period for me.  I have been tying up loose ends, connecting with friends and family, purchasing the necessary supplies before I leave, making sure all preparations are set, so I can be at peace with things "home" and "away".  I am continuing to work on my Amharic language skills, but I know my pronunciations will be corrected and brought into line by the children :)  I could use a few lessons from them.  I came across this adorable picture online and had to post it.  I love the symbolism in this: we all need someone to carry us.  Sometimes God gives us a lift, other times our friends do, but we all need it.  So climb aboard...

Revisiting the Purpose...

I haven't always felt like I've done a good job communicating my trip with you, so here is an overview: 

In May 2011 our lives were forever changed.  It was then we adopted a brother and sister, Ethan (Sintayehu) and Gabrielle (Yewubdar) from Ethiopia.  Every day (and do I mean every day!) We are reminded of their heritage, their homeland, and the great need that still exists for the rest of the five million orphans who live in Ethiopia.  Our hearts are inexorably connected with our children and their beautiful country of birth.

It is for this reason that I am traveling to Ethiopia in May 2014 to work at Ebenezer Grace Children’s Home (EGCH), in Awassa (about six hours south of Addis Ababa).  My goals are to simply serve in whatever capacity needed, whether painting, cleaning, holding babies, whatever!  I will document my time there with words and images, in the hopes of creating a coffee table book that will raise awareness for EGCH as well as generate some funds for their work there.  Use the momentum from this trip to fund future visits.  I like to think of this trip as “starting a conversation”. 

For the past seven months, I have been communicating with the director of the orphanage there and I’m excited to finally meet the amazing people behind this organization.  Thanks to your generosity, I will be sending144 cloth diapers and 50+ pairs of shoes over to help with their growing ministry.  In fact, I got an email from the director asking if I could bring some diapers in my luggage when I come, since some of the newborns had to wait for diapers, since the ones they needed were still drying on the line!  So I know this is going to be a great trip!

Instant photography will be a big part of my interaction with the children there.  I will be bringing instant cameras with as well, so they can hold a picture of themselves, perhaps for the first time.  Yes, food, clothing, education, and health care are important for every child…but there are also the intangibles that add to quality of life, like knowing that “I am special” and “I matter”.  I hope that through instant photography, I can remind these children how special they are and create some memories that can look at for the rest of their lives. 

My motivation is my children, who on a daily basis show me what’s possible when you’re loved, when you have the resources to grow and succeed, and when you have hope.  I see their potential, I see their excitement for life, I see them making a difference.  This is what I want for the children and families of Ethiopia.  

Doubt and Fear

As I've been preparing for this trip, I have moments of doubt and fear: Am I doing the right thing?  What if my goals aren't met?  What if my pictures are mediocre?  What if I get sick?  Will I do something meaningful?  Will this matter at all?  Do people care?  As I get closer to leaving, I get more of these questions and second thoughts floating through my head.

Perhaps it's just typical apprehension for something like this...This is one of the reasons why I wanted to create a blog dedicated to this trip, for the sole reason of just "laying it all out there", not filtering anything, not putting a perfect face on every post.  I want this to be a real, raw, accurate representation of how I'm feeling, what I'm seeing, what I'm experiencing...

As I briefly mentioned in a previous post, at the end of the day it's all in God's hands.  At some point, you have to just give it all to him: your dreams, your plans, your goals, your life...and trust that he'll guide your steps.

Polaroid 101

Through this whole preparation process, my kids have been helping me nearly every day...as the subjects for endless photos.  Now this isn't necessary with my DSLR, as I've had plenty of experience with that.  My Polaroid film camera on the other hand, is what I've needed to thoroughly learn so I can truly capture the images I've envisioned for this trip.

As it is, my Polaroid camera is pretty straightforward to use.  It is entirely manual, from focusing to exposure.  However, to get close-up shots (which in my opinion are what make this camera shine), requires special adapters/filters.  Using these attachments alters the focusing of the camera, so I've had to make measurements to determine what the best focus should be at various distances.  My children have been the gracious subjects as I've tried different films, lighting, and distances to hone my skills for Ethiopia.  I have taken hundreds of images and with each one I learn something new about the camera.  Every failure, every success gets me closer to where I want to be.  I just want to honor the beauty, the humanity, the relationships, the "soul" of this beautiful country with my camera and be able to share it with others.  

A brief overview...

For the past two years, I've wanted to go back to Ethiopia.  The first year was more of a "gee, it sure would be great to go back to Ethiopia".  This past year has been a nose-to-the-grindstone, let's do something to make this dream come true.  So, over the past year, I had a small space in a studio at the Starline Gallery where I sold photos and frames and magnets at the "Fourth Fridays" event each month.  Little by little, the funds have come together.  Today, I'm a little over a month away from stepping foot once again in this beautiful country.

I has been fun looking back to see how all of this has come together.  It started with a conversation with one of the dads we traveled to Ethiopia with three years ago.  He lent me a book to read "No Greater Love", by Levi Benkert.  A book about a man's journey to Ethiopia to help organize a rescue orphanage for children destined to be murdered as part of tribal superstitions.  It was moving and inspiring.  A few days later, I contacted Levi about my plans to travel to Ethiopia.  He referred me to Jerry, a gentleman who runs an organization that does work with poor children and families in Addis Ababa.  Jerry accepted my request to come and told me of another orphanage, Ebenezer Grace Children's Home, six hours south, in the city of Awassa.  So, for the past six months I have been communicating with the director of the orphanage there about my plans.

In the beginning, I was planning on dividing my time between the two orphanages.  But the more I thought about it, I decided to give all of my time to Ebenezer Grace Children's Home.  I made this decision because I wanted to form deeper relationships with the children and workers there.  If I had to split my time between two orphanages, I would have to leave for the next orphanage right at the time I would be starting to develop friendships at the first one.  Also, since Ebenezer Grace was perhaps the one needing more help, I decided to make that my destination.

HERE is a link to their website.  They have been growing rapidly and at last count serve and care for 33 children.  When you read the stories of the children they serve and how far these children have come, you begin to understand what a special place this is.  Because of Ebenezer Grace Children's Home, these children have a future, they have hope, they have a family.

About a month ago, I booked my ticket.  My trip will run May 3rd through May 17th.  I got all my immunizations a couple weeks ago, so now all that's left to do is to work on getting diapers and shoes to the orphanage.  Thanks to very generous friends, we will be sending approximately 40 pairs of new shoes there and hopefully around 60 pounds of cloth diapers as well.

In addition to a digital camera, I will be bringing Polaroid cameras as well, so I can give these children and families lasting memories they can cherish their whole lives.  For many of them, this may be the first time they've held a picture of themselves in their hands.  I also hope to bring back enough imagery to create a coffee table book, where the proceeds from each sale would go to Ebenezer Grace Children's Home.

That's my goal.  But I have a loose grip on my plans.  This is a third-world country.  I understand that things can change, bad things can happen.  And should circumstances change, I will adapt and adjust and "roll" with it.  It's all in God's hands.  So I take comfort in that.  Good or bad, I do know this--it's going to be amazing...