The Champ

It's been a full weekend, but before I can post about it I need to finish our Journey to Lulu. And before I finish our Journey to Lulu with our joyful reunion as a family, there's a stop we need to make along the way.

We took an 11 year old boy to the other side of the world. A firstborn, no less. A young man who likes to know what to expect. Who isn't too hip on change. And who isn't the most adventurous soul you'll ever meet. In short, we took a risk in choosing to take Tate. But he was insistent not only that he wanted to go, but that he needed to be on that trip.
And he was right. Tate was supposed to be with us in Ethiopia. His eyes and his heart were opened wide, not just to his baby sister but to the country of her birth and it's people.

Tate hung in there for the 20+ hours of traveling...
He dealt with jet lag. He ate less than desirable meals. He had to be flexible. He handled disappointment well time and time again.. He was in good spirits even when the circumstances might dictate otherwise. Through it all, he was helpful, insightful and most of all, delightful.

He was a photographer, a diaper bag carrier, a bottle maker, and an errand boy. And he did all these things with rarely a complaint or sigh.

He loved on his sister as much as we would let him like this...

and this...

and this...
In fact, the first night she was with us he got up several times in the night and walked over to our bed just to look at her while she was sleeping. As much as he loved Rediet, there was room in his heart for others as well.

He played for hours with children in the orphanage, getting schooled in soccer...
He loved those kids. He told me that he wished we could adopt all of them. That's the kind of response I had hoped would be stirred up in his tender heart.

He opened his heart to people he met as we walked along the streets...
Most notably, the 11 year old friend he made who likes walking with families from the hotel to the orphanage and back. They were so cute together...
Despite living worlds apart, they connected as they walked along the road...
While we were there, Tate was exposed to chicken pox. Though he had the vaccination, he did come down with a mild case. Despite it being mild, he still had to stay in and away from people for 10 days. These 10 days turned out basically to be the rest of the summer for him. What a bummer! I asked him if it was worth it to go to Ethiopia even with the extreme jet lag and chicken pox. He answer was a resounding "Yes!" He wouldn't trade it for the world.

He trusted God with his fears and saw God come through for him. In our adoption story, as in every story, God is the Hero. But Tate was the champ. I couldn't have been more proud.