Here's the letter I wrote to the Ethiopian government reporting on the well-being of our older daughter from Ethiopia. Sometimes it is easy to get intimidated by writing this letter. But really it does not have to take very long or be very complicated.

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Dec. 4, 2006

Attn.: MOLSA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Hello!

We just wanted to write to give you an update on our precious Tsion, whom we brought home from Kidane Mehret in February of 2004 at the age of 1-1/2 years.

Tsion is now 4½ years old and continues to be a delightful child. She can write her name and is learning the sounds of the ABC’s in preparation for reading. Tsion enjoys playing with dolls and building with blocks. She is a friendly and talkative girl who loves to dance and sing.

She can ride a bike without training wheels and is learning to skate. She loves to play with her siblings. She especially enjoys her two year old sister Bizunesh, whom we adopted from Ethiopia in June of 2005.

Tsion continues to grow like a weed! She weighs 45 lbs, is 44½ inches tall, and is very healthy. She loves having beads put in her hair, wearing pretty dresses, and dancing around the living room. Last summer she enjoyed our family camping and fishing trips in the mountains, and our family vacation to the ocean.

She also loves going to Sunday school and playing with her friends at church. Sometime in the next 6 months or so, she will be getting a new cousin from Ethiopia. We are all really excited about that.

We thank you so much for the opportunity to bring this precious little girl into our family. And thank you also for everything you do to get other children into loving homes. These children are immeasurable blessings in all our lives.

Sincerely,

John and Mary