The desire to meet Zoie’s birthmother has never diminished in our hearts and we knew being in Ethiopia together, we would make every effort to reunite. It was thrilling for me to take Roger back to the clinic Zoie received her immunizations with her birthmother. I watched my hubby weep with emotion holding the book with her name and information. He was able to witness with his own eyes the single word “Kore” the only tangible information we had locating where Zoie was born. Kore - Korah community living on the trash dump. We believe it is not a coincidence that God allowed our daughter’s birth home to be in the very same spot Visiting Orphans ministers to the fatherless. It was His plan all along to bring us together. We are so honored to lead mission trips with Visiting Orphans and work directly with Project 61 in Korah… our brothers and sisters.
During our 12 days in Ethiopia, Roger and I hired a driver and visited the three places we had that Zoie’s birthmother documented on our adoption paperwork. We visited the clinic, Felewah - area where she worked, and the police station she relinquished her baby, Senait. God had something big prepared for us that day and we are forever grateful. Our dear friend, Bisrat Fantahun “Bissy” joined us to help with translation and God used him in a mighty way. Bissy called the police sergeant that was listed on our document. We were beyond disbelief when he actually answered the phone and agreed to meet with us. He told our friend that he remembered every detail of the interaction with our birthmother. He worked helping the fatherless for 15 years.
We met the police sergeant on Wednesday and I will never forget the details as long as I live. I want to honor our daughter, Zoie, and keep some of the details private, but also want to give hope to other adoptive families searching for your child’s history – it’s worth everything! I understand that this might be a controversial statement in the adoption world, but in my opinion, the experience is priceless. We will have something tangible to give Zoie if our daughter wants to learn information about her birthmother.
We sat down at Kaldi’s Coffeehouse and shook hands with the sergeant. I immediately started crying because his face was so kind. I knew instantly that this precious man was the last key to finding information on our daughter’s birthmother. Bissy explained to him our story and we had the paperwork for him to look over. He told us that he remembered every detail of that day, meeting Zoie's birthmother. He told us what happened, what she looked like, smelled like, emotions she expressed, and every detail leading up to the relinquishment of her precious baby girl. His memory was our gift from the Lord. I showed him several recent photographs of Zoie Senait and he carefully looked through each one. Finally, he stopped and told us that Zoie’s birthmother looked exactly like…
He told us that the photo was a perfect match. We were overcome with emotion, but he patiently waited for us to ask him a few more questions. The most important question I wanted to ask the sergeant was what happened at the end. This is the part of the story I have asked myself a million times. It’s a scene I replay over and over in my heart. What does a mother do when she hands over her baby? He told us solemly that once her statement was documented, beautiful birthmother handed him her baby and walked away sobbing with tears. My heart breaks in a million pieces to even comprehend what she must have been feeling. She gave her baby girl a new life, a new chance, a new beginning… but had to say goodbye forever.
The next statement the police sergeant asked us was life-changing and beyond our wildest dreams. He told us he would take us to the spot he met Zoie’s birthmother. He knew the exact location and was willing to show us personally. We drove to an area that is one of the poorest in Addis Ababa. Ironically, it’s located directly behind the luxurious Sheraton Hotel. He walked us to a narrow alleyway and stopped under a large tree. He pointed down to a cement curb and said this was where he found her sitting, crying and holding her baby. He told us that he wore plain clothes so he would not frighten the mother. She sat on the curb and explained to him why she was unable to keep her baby girl. He validated her and helped her walk to safety.
This was Zoie’s crossroad. Her birthmother sacrificed everything in order for Zoie to have life. In a perfect world, we wish with all our hearts she could have stayed with her mother and lived a healthy, thriving life in Ethiopia. But, God had a different plan and it all started here. There are no words to express our gratefulness to the man who gave us a glimpse into the story of Zoie. We may never meet the woman who gave birth, protection, and safety to our daughter, but we have a priceless gift of information from the man who gave her hope.
Kari is a wildly passionate adoption and orphan care advocate. She is married to the man of her dreams and the mom of three crazy kids. Her website, My Crazy Adoption, offers support, encouragement and information for people at all stages of adoption. In addition, her Simply Love business provides creative products for those seeking to raise additional funds for their adoption costs.
