Why Ethiopia?

I remember in college, my mom picked me up one day and took me to an art store somewhere outside of Iowa City—a small town, maybe Solon? Lisbon? I can’t remember. Anyway, I remember it seemed a strange setting for a small shop that was filled with African art and artifacts. I also remember admiring a silver cross crafted in Ethiopia. On that day my mom said, “Ohhhh. The Ethiopians are kingly, beautiful people.” I was intrigued.

Several years later, around the time that J and I got married, my aunt waited for a little boy that she was adopting from Ethiopia. S soon met my aunt in the Minneapolis airport, fresh from Addis Ababa. My family is close. My aunt has been like a sister of me. Her adopting such a sweet boy from Ethiopia had a huge impact.

Fast forward four years to a random Spring morning in 2007. My sister-in-law called early in the day to tell me that she and her husband (J’s brother) were adopting a child from Ethiopia. I believe they were influenced by knowing my cousin S and by their love of Africa. Anyway, the surprise was great. My heart skipped a beat because although it had only been mentioned casually among our extended family, we had already been visiting adoption agencies in Chicago that service Ethiopia.

How could this not seal the deal? How could we not believe God had had this all lined up?

Who knew that J and I would both have family members brought to this country…this pocket of Iowa…from a world away? Our child will grow up with two cousins that look like her, that carry themselves like her, and that share a similar story.

And that’s how we arrived at Ethiopia.