Two Gifts from Ethiopia

A love of Africa paves the way for twin boys to be adopted

by Sunshine Schmidt

Africa has always been in my heart and will continue to be forever. I think the idea to adopt started to take sprout when my husband and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seeing such an amazing country face such huge obstacles touched us in a way that cannot be forgotten.

Because of our connection to southern Africa, and love and appreciation of the people and culture, we looked to that region for our adoption. After our research we determined that we would need to look to other African nations with more stable and developed international adoption legislation. As an anthropologist and natural researcher, I enjoyed learning more about the different countries, and Ethiopia stood out as a proud and beautiful country. Our decision was made; our children would come from Ethiopia!

We received our referral in September of 2008 for 10-month-old twin boys. Abdurahamen (Abdur) and Nursun were going to be our sons!

21 weeks and what felt like a lifetime later, we met our boys for the first time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Kissing the faces of our children and holding them in our arms for the first time is an indescribable feeling and one that I will never forget.

We spent the day getting to know them; asking questions of the caregivers who have loved them for so long, playing on the floor, giggling at Nursun’s scrunched up smile and Abdur’s inquisitive nature, and just reveling in the beauty of our new children.

Our time in Ethiopia to receive our sons passed quickly, too quickly. We traveled a bit, and explored the southern region, the area in which our boys were born. We fell in love with Ethiopia. At the goodbye ceremony, held by the Holt staff, we cried and vowed to return with Abdur and Nursun. That will be an easy promise to keep.

The transition home has gone amazingly well, and I think these boys have quickly realized how many people across the world love them. Not only do our children have family and friends close by, but a large Ethiopian adoption community exists in Portland. We have get-togethers every 2 months and our circle of friends now includes not only families who have adopted Ethiopian children, but also Ethiopian born friends who are available to stand by our sides and help in any way possible.

Most evenings, after the boys are asleep, my husband and I kick the toys from our path, sit back, relax, and think about how fortunate we are to have had these two amazing little boys enter our lives. We are looking forward to a lifetime with our sons.

Interested in adopting a child from Ethiopia?  Click here to learn more