November 4

Great news! The little girl was examined at the Fistula Hospital and her problem is not fistula just a horrible infection. As terrible as this is it’s still so much better than a fistula. She is smart and cute and I really believe that she will be fine later in life.

True story about the trip to Jimma to pick her up. I got out of bed at 5:45 to be ready on time, Kassa picked me up at 6:15 outside my gate just as planned. We got to the airport at 7:00 to check in. The Ethiopian airline counter woman told us that check in was at 8:00 so to sit down and wait. I knew that it couldn’t be right because boarding time was 7:45. So I asked another agent who told me that the flight would be at 2:00.

I asked to talk to the manager and have him explain why no one had called me and also to make sure who was telling the facts. Yes, it was true the flight had been delayed until 2:00. We called the social worker who was already at the airport waiting with the mother and little girl and told her the problem.

We went on to the Trampled Rose to get some work done. I called the airlines “yes” this time the flight was leaving as promised. We got to the airport and again were told it was a two hour delay. We called Jimma again and told them we were coming. Finally we boarded the airplane and Kassa asked the flight attendant how long the flight was to Jimma. She told him about 40 minutes so he called the social worker again in Jimma to explain the problem again. An hour later we arrived in another village and had to wait in the plane to go on to Jimma, another 30 minutes away. Again we called to say we were coming.

Then the airline agent in Jimma called us to confirm that we had tickets for the two passengers. “Yes, we are on the way”

Finally six hours late, we arrived. Only to be greeted by an Ethiopian agent screaming at us that we were late for check in and he would not let us fly back again!!!!!!

I tried to explain that we were on his plane and had no ability to make it there any sooner. He would not budge in his reasoning. So I threw a temper tantrum (thank you Dad for letting me practice on you all those years) It worked and we got on the plane to return to Addis.

To top off the whole story the next day we got a call from Ethiopian Airlines and they had taken the wrong part of the ticket and we had to go to their office to deliver the right one. Ahhhhhhhhhh!

I was so proud of the sweet way our women at the Trampled Rose welcomed the mother and her daughter.

I’ll be heading out tomorrow night late. First I spend the night in Turkey and then on to Atlanta, then Denver, and finally my own bed.

Rena Tarbet will be speaking and my sister Jill and I are hosting a slumber party the day after I get home. So….. I’ll be available to talk about the 12th of November. I’d love to hear from you!