Can You Come Over To Play?

Several of our adopting families are now home from Ethiopia with their children. For those who live within close proximity, there have been some really fun get-togethers and some wonderful reunions as children who lived together in the orphanage get to meet each other again in their new culture and environment. Imagine how that must feel to see someone you knew when your life was so completely different! Here is a short recap by Jennie Young of a recent evening at her house when the Averill family came over. The Youngs adopted 3 year old Joseph (Besufekad) and the Averills adopted David and Daniel (Behayelu and Fraol).

Here are the three boys at the Widows and Orphans Home in Ethiopia:

And here is Jennie's description of their first meeting in the U.S.:

Friday night was definitely interesting! Joseph knew Fraol and Behayelu absolutely and was very nervous to see them again. He went into his little ‘inner world’ for a while before he was really able to loosen up and enjoy his old friends again. The boys could not communicate with each other well, as F and B don’t speak English well yet and Joseph has completely lost his Amharic. I overheard the brothers talking about Besufekad’s English… it was in an “Oh isn’t it so cute“ kind of a tone.

They were so funny playing together outside! Joseph did a fair amount of showing off, and Behayelu learned how to ride a bike! I could plainly see how the boys have a family-type love for each other. The older boys just wanted to protect Joseph and keep their arms around him. Before the Averills left, the kids all had a massive game of tag/dog pile in the house. Can you imagine the chaos? Kids running and flying every which way, finally ending up in a huge tangle of arms, legs, and smiles! I think they enjoyed the evening. It was quite a sight to behold!