Why Ethiopia?

I am sure many have that lingering question..."Why did they pick Ethiopia?"
First, let's start with the statistics...

~There are over 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia

~44% of the population is under that age of 15

~1 in 10 children die before their 1st birthday

~1 in 6 children die before their 5th birthday

~60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition

So the better question is...WHY NOT?

At the first informational meeting Ryan and I attended at our adoption agency we were open to our options. Knowing there was much to know about domestic and international adoption. But I have to be honest, we went into the meeting looking to mainly get information on Domestic Adoption. We never imagined how we would feel when we walked out of there.

They cover it all at those meetings, and I am grateful that they do! They show videos from all countries for us to see. After the 1 minute Ethiopia video was shown we felt a strong connection with the country and the orphans there. We can not fully explain how we felt or exactly what lead us there but it just felt "right". God put this in our hearts for a reason.

We have since done much research to be sure this was the right decision for our family. The feeling in our hearts just gets stronger with everything we learn about adoption and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is a beautiful country! Every time I see a video I am amazed by the way the children make me feel. The poverty and conditions that they live in are so extreme but I always notice the smiles on their faces and the love they show towards one another.

We are so excited for our journey and look forward to experiencing the amazing life change that I am sure our adoption and Ethiopia will have on us.

Here is the 1 minute video that has started us on our journey :-)