Traveling Home

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 

As we left St. Anne's today it was very bittersweet. We said good bye to all of our friends. We distributed almost everything we had brought but one bag of souvenirs for Eli to open on his Gotcha days. We gave our last pieces of luggage to the staff at St. Anne's. Let's just say Leonie was jumping up and down over our red suitcase. To her it was like Christmas!!! I wanted to let go over all the earthly stuff that was my favorites... So did Andy. I left my best in the Congo for Eli. It is very small in the big picture but still wanted to do it all the same.

Eli has been jumping up and down for days over flying in an airplane. He finally understood it was an airplane and not a helicopter. Dido escorts us to the airport. We move into operation get baby boy home more seriously. The DRC airport is bursting with security personnel. Andy and I keep our serious face on until Dido tells us it is time to move inside. Our bags get checked 4 different times before we board. We go back and forth in different lines. I go by myself to immigration with Eli because they only allow one parent. Talk about being nervous.  I am in a small room with DGM staring at me with Eli. Each time I encounter DGM I am asked for our exit letter. Then, of course, Only top DGM speaks English so I go back and forth. I am carrying Eli in the toddler carrier. I am completely drenched... I mean soaked to the bone from sweat. I am carrying Eli on my front and a backpack on my back. Andy definitely has the heavier load with our larger backpack. We were not going to let anyone get near our child without a fight. Praise Jesus we get approved thru immigration and get our one bag checked. We cry and hug Papa Dido. He has been our guardian angel while in DRC. I just cry as we wave thru the doors to the waiting room for our flight. Eli and I blow kisses to Dido and then we walk forward. My heart will always miss Dido and Taun Taun. What Godly men trying to fight to save DRC children. Papa Dido has done his job and saved another Congolese child from being an orphan. Eli has a family and is going to his home.

We nervously wait for our plane. Eli is a superstar this whole time. It is as if the Lord has hushed him during a time we really needed him to be quiet. There is no high tech way of notifying us our plane has arrived. We have to ask every time an employee comes thru the door to make sure we board when we need to ...it feels like cow herding. ( you think Southwest is bad.... IN DRC and Ethiopia everyone just jumps up and heads to the gate......all at once. No one follows directions.)

Finally our time comes and we rush to get in line... We are searched...again. Then we wait to cross thru the construction that is going on. (B&G , no hard hats are worn here. )

We load in the bus that takes us to our plane. We are there within a couple of minutes. We are off the bus and heading towards two check points of turning in slips and our boarding passes. As we walk towards the steps to board the plane Eli and I blow a kiss to DRC. Goodbye! 

We go up the steps and enter our sanctuary until we arrive in Ethiopia. I am on edge. You never know what can happen in DRC. Andy holds all of our documents tightly. We have our son and then.... The doors are closed and  we are off. Hallelujah! 

We make it to Ethiopia. As we are deplaning Eli begins throwing up. Bless him. We stop and start walking towards our next gate as Eli feels sick. He is a brave boy and lets us know every time when he needs a bag. We then hurry to the restroom and pass the prayer rooms. That was a different sort of observation. Nothing bad... Just have never seen one before. Eli gets freshened up and we head to our gate to leave for DC. We leave about 30 minutes late but we arrive in Italy on time.

We are now on a brand new Boeing 787... Thank you Boeing for such an awesome plane. I feel somewhat cleaner for the first time in weeks. The seats are new. Everything new. I feel relieved. Oh and did I mention as we are boarding that Eli holds either my hand or Andy's and kisses our hands all the way to the plane. Eli is so excited that he is getting to fly on a bigger plane. You can just tell how excited and also how grateful he is. I mean knock your socks off. He makes Ma ma and Pa pa's hearts melt....big time!!

So far the flight is great... Eli has been feeling ok and has felt super special that he has his own headset and TV for the plane ride. He is giggly. Then he discovers the eye mask that Ethiopian Airlines provides. He puts it on and it basically swallows his whole face. He is digging this "special" treatment. He laughs and mimics Andy.