I can't think of any better way to re-enter my blog than to celebrate Ethiopian Christmas! That is exactly what we did last night! We invited all the local YWAM families who either had adopted or were in process of adopting from Ethiopia. We delighted in having 10 adults and 15 children (7 adopted ,5 from Ethiopia, 1 from China and 1 from Guatemala) to celebrate here last night. What a great time we had! We began the evening by roasting green coffee beans over an open fire on our patio...
The kids also enjoyed watching Battle pop the popcorn over the fire and listening for the first "POP"!
We all enjoyed wearing our traditional Ethiopian clothing...
And Sena even had her hair braided for the special occasion...Sooo beautiful!!
Daddys and daughters.....
Mothers and sons...
It was a true family celebration!!
5 North Carolina families were represented.....
We piled the food on top of the injera lined plates in the center of the tables like this....
and yes, the food was homemade by each of the families...so yummy!!!
The aromas filled the house and along with some traditional ethiopian music playing in the background, transported us back to a country we all love...
But nothing reminds us of the country of our children's birth more than their smiling, joy filled faces...
Here is Corrie, telling us proudly where she was born.."Opia!!!"
And even helping herself to a cup of buna(coffee)....
Yes, we tried to incorporate the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony into the evening...
In conversations heard throughout the evening , one could frequently hear words of thanksgiving being offered up to the ONE who we were celebrating!!! Jesus, the name above all names!! The ONE who brought us our children, the ONE who brought our families together in some amazing ways, the ONE who adopted each of us as HIS OWN!!! Yes, He ALONE is worthy of such a wonderful celebration!!!!
Melkam Gena!!! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!! That's what the handmade ornaments read that each family went home with at the end of the celebration.My boys helped to make them as gifts for the families to remember our first Ethiopian Christmas celebration.
Such fun!!!
Melkam Gena to ALL!!!
SO wish we could have been there!!!! next time :) We just got our referral on TUE :) we are YWAM too and live in Fuquay :) So excited! Hope to meet y'all soon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun celebration! The local YWAM families here had a big party too - its awesome to be able to incorporate Ethiopian culture into our family and community life!
ReplyDeleteJust as our Chinese children are so blessed, so is Corrie with so many Ethiopian born friends living nearby...
ReplyDeleteGlad that your recipe was worth the time!
Praise Him who knits our families together across political boundaries and skin tones!
Welcome back to bloggy land! So glad to get to see and hear about your celebration. How blessed we are that God has seen fit to knit our families together in such a unique way!
ReplyDelete