Family Day At The Tattoo Parlor
We have never had a house guest stay with us for 2 weeks, but it was such a gift to our family. I think we were all nervous on Day 1. I had butterflies in my tummy hoping Worldu would feel welcomed and at home in our house. This was his first adventure in America and I wanted it to be a memorable and wonderful experience. Also, we were taking him to family camp and had no idea if he would enjoy being around our crazy family [in one room] or understand the craziness of the camp counselors. Roger and I met Worldu two years ago and already knew what an incredible person he was, but we really wanted our kids to bond with him, too. My kids did an amazing job making him feel like part of the family. I watched them each bond with Worldu and made friendships that will last forever.
We took Worldu on an Ozark adventure and did all the touristy things. We were happy to know he already went on the “Duck Ride” in Oregon with the Cornish Family! That crazy Duck is not fun in hot 105 degree humid weather. The kids enjoyed go-carts, nightly ice cream runs, and movies. The best part of the 2 weeks was watching Worldu be a kid at family camp.
Worldu made a commitment to the Lord at camp that He would “believe” in the promises, truth, and love that God has poured over his life. God took him off the trash dump for a special purpose and He will never send Worldu back there. We talked a lot about what the word Believe means in Amharic and in English… as well as in the Bible. As a statement and marker of his experience at the Cross Talk with Joe White, he wanted to get a tattoo of the word Believe. You can’t see them under his jacket, but Worldu has several tattoos that testify his faith in God. Roger and I were at a loss of where to take him… neither of us have any tats. We quickly found out, asking around town, that the best tattoo artist was Mikey. I felt like I was in an episode of Ozark Ink! The entire family joined Worldu for his Believe tattoo. It was a celebration of his commitment to the Lord. God cares and loves the fatherless with all His heart!
My heart still hurts saying goodbye to Worldu… he’s back home with his family in Addis Ababa. The Yates are so blessed to call him son. Thank you for allowing us the honor of hosting Worldu and we can’t wait to have him come back to visit next year.
What statement of your faith would you want tattooed and where would you show it off?
