Perspective

As our challenging times with Parker persist (although not as frequent as they had been), sometimes I have to slow down and think about how far our little guy has come in the couple of months since arriving home with us, and reflect on the change he has endured just over the last 4 months since moving from Kamashi to Addis to America.

Allow me to illustrate.

These are pictures from in and around Kamashi, where Parker grew up. (Thanks to Amy for taking these pictures for us during her trip to Kamashi)









This is a picture from inside of the orphanage that Parker moved into after we committed to welcoming him into our family.


Parker grabbing a front row seat to take in a soccer match between the older boys at the orphanage.




This is injera, which is a daily staple in the diets of Ethiopians. When I asked our driver in Ethiopia how often he eats injera, he said twice a day. The injera is actually the stuff that kind of resembles a dirty rag. The food in the bowl is what they accompany with the injera.



These images clearly depict the start contrast between his living conditions while in Kamashi and his living conditions now.

Although, in my opinion, the conditions are much better now, I am sure it remains a very tough adjustment considering all he ever knew is pictured above.

It is very interesting and exciting watching him grow more confident and comfortable right before our eyes. His grasp of the English language is coming right along too. We are so eager to hear from him about his life and experiences in Ethiopia.

When I asked him the other day if he had any brothers or sisters in Ethiopia, he told us he had an older brother named Abdi (but I think he may have misunderstood the question). But either way, it will be so helpful and intriguing to get to know him that much better after we break down that ever present language barrier.