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.