Micah Meets Baby Moses

“Tafachu” in Amharic means “You’ve been lost!” We hear this phrase countless times whenever we return to Addis Ababa. Why? Because this is the Amharic equivalent to saying “Boy, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other!” So, although at times it feels like an accusatory “Are you avoiding me?” or “Hey, don’t you care about me!” - in reality it should be understand more as “I missed you.” Nevertheless, when we “get lost” from our Addis Ababa community for 2-3 months, we can expect and actually appreciate this as the standard greeting when we return.

 

Today alone we racked up a bunch of “tafachus” as we visited a transition home for an adopting agency. Over the course of our friends’ adoption, we have become friends with all the staff at this transition home and even though these ladies are already dealing with children 24/7, they still enjoy spoiling our little Micah with attention. From the moment we walked in, Micah was whisked out of my arms and passed from one nanny to the next! Though he is showing signs of starting a “stranger danger” stage, Micah was a trooper and valiantly bore with all the “love” he was receiving.

 

We also had the joy of introducing Micah to one particular little guy there at the home. If we understand his story correctly, this beautiful little boy who was found in September was found abandoned in a cardboard box in a ditch, estimated to be about six weeks old and weighing only six and a half pounds. Nothing is known of his mother or father, but even in his abandoned state, we know that he was never outside of the loving protection of his Heavenly Father, who in his grace has given this little guy’s life a new start. I (Travis) carried “Baby Moses” (as the nannies call him, for obvious reasons) around for about an hour and a half, enjoying the symbol of God’s mercy and grace that lay peacefully in my arms. I wish that Micah was big enough to understand the grace of God as seen in his new friend’s life, but we hope there will be time for that down the road. You see, Baby Moses’ adoptive father is a friend of ours currently living in the Chicago area – so a reunion as toddlers is definitely something we would look forward to.