Back in July, we asked you to pray for Sami. Sami is an employee of Adoption Associates in Addis Ababa and was diagnosed with liver cancer. Facilities in Ethiopia were not able to treat him, so he went to India for a couple of months of treatment, leaving his wife and 2 daughters in Ethiopia. At some point in January, Sami started experiencing lots of pain and was struggling more. He had planned to return to India, but because of a Visa issue not allowing him to get to India until February 5th, he ended up traveling to Bangkok, Thailand for some sort of medical help. Sadly, this is the update our Agency sent us yesterday -
This morning we received very discouraging news. Sami is really struggling. His CT scan shows his blood is not circulating as it should between his brain & body. He is currently responsive and understands the gravity of his condition. His family decided to have him come home as soon as possible and right now it is planned that he will fly home on Sunday night.
We ask for your continued prayers for Sami. Please pray for Sami's physical needs, but, more importantly, his spiritual needs. Please also pray for Sami's wife and two daughters.Thank you so much for caring for this man who has touched many lives and is so dear to those who know him. We will keep you updated.
We are so sad. Obviously, you've met plenty of people in your life - some that made an impression and some that did not. Sami was one of those who made a deep impression on our hearts. His kind heart was apparent within minutes of meeting him. We spent time with him on two occasions in Ethiopia. One was the evening when he took us to a local restaurant for dinner and cultural dancing. His company was so comfortable and he even showed us how well he could dance. As we shared the meal together, he showed us pictures of his beautiful daughters and you could see how deeply he loved them through his expressions and words. The other time was when he took us to Court (Court dates and documents for the adoptions were his specialty in the AAI office - he seemed to be the expert around there!). We were nervous, apprehensive and a bundle of emotions. Sami was so calm and confident and made us feel like it would all be okay. His sweet smile and quiet confidence put us at ease. He walked through the complexities of that day with us and rejoiced with us when it was done. Undoubtedly, he has walked with countless other families through their court hearings and has helped countless children find their forever homes. He gets it - children need homes and love and care - and he does what he can to make sure that happens.
So - will you continue to pray for Sami, his wife and 2 little girls? As our agency wrote, this seems to be a very serious situation. I can't even imagine what his wife is experiencing - having her husband out of the country with a serious illness, facing the possibility of losing him, the emotional and financial strains ahead - and so much more. And his little girls - well, it just makes my heart hurt.
As God's timing is always right, the Ethiopia Team from our Agency is leaving for Ethiopia next week, a trip that was previously planned. I believe God had that planned so that they could be of some encouragement and help to Sami and his family, and to somehow express to them how many lives have been touched and how many people are grateful for Sami's service.
And, say what you will about America. Our health care system is pretty messed up - sometimes we wait for a long time in the doctor's office or ER, sometimes it takes a month or more to see a specialist - but we don't have to leave the Country to be able to get medical care or change plans because we don't have the right travel Visa. We also complain about social security, paying in for life insurance, etc - but at least we have some options. In Ethiopia - I don't know if there are any programs in place like that.
So - PRAY and PRAISE - we are so blessed. Again, I am humbled by that and need to remember that more often.
This morning we received very discouraging news. Sami is really struggling. His CT scan shows his blood is not circulating as it should between his brain & body. He is currently responsive and understands the gravity of his condition. His family decided to have him come home as soon as possible and right now it is planned that he will fly home on Sunday night.
We ask for your continued prayers for Sami. Please pray for Sami's physical needs, but, more importantly, his spiritual needs. Please also pray for Sami's wife and two daughters.Thank you so much for caring for this man who has touched many lives and is so dear to those who know him. We will keep you updated.
We are so sad. Obviously, you've met plenty of people in your life - some that made an impression and some that did not. Sami was one of those who made a deep impression on our hearts. His kind heart was apparent within minutes of meeting him. We spent time with him on two occasions in Ethiopia. One was the evening when he took us to a local restaurant for dinner and cultural dancing. His company was so comfortable and he even showed us how well he could dance. As we shared the meal together, he showed us pictures of his beautiful daughters and you could see how deeply he loved them through his expressions and words. The other time was when he took us to Court (Court dates and documents for the adoptions were his specialty in the AAI office - he seemed to be the expert around there!). We were nervous, apprehensive and a bundle of emotions. Sami was so calm and confident and made us feel like it would all be okay. His sweet smile and quiet confidence put us at ease. He walked through the complexities of that day with us and rejoiced with us when it was done. Undoubtedly, he has walked with countless other families through their court hearings and has helped countless children find their forever homes. He gets it - children need homes and love and care - and he does what he can to make sure that happens.
So - will you continue to pray for Sami, his wife and 2 little girls? As our agency wrote, this seems to be a very serious situation. I can't even imagine what his wife is experiencing - having her husband out of the country with a serious illness, facing the possibility of losing him, the emotional and financial strains ahead - and so much more. And his little girls - well, it just makes my heart hurt.
As God's timing is always right, the Ethiopia Team from our Agency is leaving for Ethiopia next week, a trip that was previously planned. I believe God had that planned so that they could be of some encouragement and help to Sami and his family, and to somehow express to them how many lives have been touched and how many people are grateful for Sami's service.
And, say what you will about America. Our health care system is pretty messed up - sometimes we wait for a long time in the doctor's office or ER, sometimes it takes a month or more to see a specialist - but we don't have to leave the Country to be able to get medical care or change plans because we don't have the right travel Visa. We also complain about social security, paying in for life insurance, etc - but at least we have some options. In Ethiopia - I don't know if there are any programs in place like that.
So - PRAY and PRAISE - we are so blessed. Again, I am humbled by that and need to remember that more often.
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