Meeting Her Birth Mother Part One

I really don't know if my words can even come close to capturing the day we spent in Elshaday's home town.   The director of the orphanage and her husband drove us to meet Elshaday's mother. We met at Layla House and picked up Elshaday.   Elshaday wore the traditional dress she had picked out the day before when we went shopping.  She looked beautiful.  It was supposed to be a two hour drive to her town but in reality it took three hours to get there.   Mostly because of the many obstacles on the road like dogs, cows, goats, horse & carts, and piles of large rocks.  There were also several heavy rain showers during the drive. 

First, we stopped by the orphanage for lunch and to spend some time with the children there.  Elshaday remembered a couple of the older girls who have been there for a few years.   We had lunch and coffee there, it was very yummy.   The children were beautiful and very happy.  They are very well taken care of as if they were their own children.  The children go to school but are also taught very good manners. They are taught basic self care skills to help them in the future.  We were very impressed by the older kids. 

The drive from the orphanage to Elshaday's home was only about fifteen minutes.  Here are some pictures from the drive.

We pulled off the side of the road and walked down a little trail between some houses.  Elshaday knew exactly where she was going and led the way down the trail. 

We walked up to the gate and Elshaday knocked on the door.  When her mother opened the door they embraced each other.  They were both so happy to see each other. 

When we walked into her home it was obvious that she had spent a lot of time and money preparing for our visit.  Below is a picture of the outside of her home.

Stayed tuned for Part Two of our trip to visit Elshaday's birth mother.  Hoping to write more tomorrow.