In 2012, Whitney and Thomas Blaszak were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Instead of going out to a fancy dinner, or on a weekend getaway to celebrate, they decided to do something a little out of the ordinary.
They signed up for a mission trip to Ethiopia. They spent 10 days in a community called Korah. This community lives in standards that first world residents would find absolutely insufferable. If we all got a chance to see the standards of living that our fellow humans suffer through, none of us would be able to sleep. The people of Korah live on a literal trash dump.
While in Korah, the Blaszaks met a young orphan who would change their lives forever.
Tigist was a 6-year-old girl whose parents had both passed away. She was living in this community of outcasts with no parents, no family at all.
The Blaszaks knew that she was meant to come home with them.
From the moment they saw her radiating smile and beautiful heart, they knew that they couldn’t leave her there. Tigist didn’t speak English, but that didn’t matter one bit because when you meet family, you know. No language barrier will block that connection.
When it was time for the Blaszaks to return to the States, Tigist looked up at them and asked them when they’d be back. Coming into this mission trip, they had no intention of considering adoption, as they already have three sweet girls of their own back home. But sometimes, fate steers you down a path you’d never imagine.
They were not about to leave this smile behind.
As it turns out, Ethiopian adoption into the U.S. isn’t easy. The first agency threatened to give Tigist away to another family if they didn’t get their requirements in soon enough. Their second agency stole $8,000 from them as part of a federal scam, trafficking children from Ethiopia to America.
Every moment in the Balszak home was weighted down with the sadness of missing a family member. All they wanted was to bring her home and give her a better life. Bureaucratic hurdles were making that dream seem like it would never come true.
Finally, though, with their third agency, after four years of trying everything they could think of, the Balszaks were able to bring their daughter home. Even after all of those years apart, Tigist’s love for her adoptive family never wavered. The moment she steps into that airport and sees her mother and her sisters, it’s like she’s grown up with them all along.
While she spent nine years of her life in an actual pile of trash, this young lady has so many more wonderful years ahead of her to make memories with her family.
This young woman’s beautiful heart and attitude are so incredibly inspiring, as well as the Blaszaks’ drive to bring this suffering soul home and give her a better life.
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