Hopper Group’s Rocky Poulin and his oldest son Sam returned from Ethiopia last week with the impressions of a country, and a people, on their hearts.
Three years ago Poulin took his first trip to Ethiopia when he and his wife Shannon went to receive their youngest son Zelalem through adoption. This was a 10-day experience and of that time Poulin says, “I did not get a chance to take in the country as much as I did this mission trip.” This time around Poulin and his oldest son Sam say “the trip was incredibly moving and impactful. We are still processing and reminiscing over the events of the trip.”
Poulin and son Sam went with an organization called One Child Campaign, based out of Colorado. Caleb David, founder of One Child Campaign hit a strong cord with Poulin even prior to their in-person meeting via long phone calls and social conferencing. Poulin says “I love what One Child stands for and now I consider Caleb a close and dear friend.”
We sat down with Poulin for a Q&A about the experiences had on this trip:
Q: What was something you will never forget about this recent trip?
Poulin: “There was so much we saw, but one thing I will not forget is walking the streets of Awassa at night, passing out food to the children that live on the streets. Seeing these kids come up to receive food, the same age as my 16-year-old son serving right along side me was unforgettable.”
Q: Did the language barrier prove difficult in communication with the people of Ethiopia?
Poulin: “We knew going in there would be an obvious language barrier, but we quickly realized that smiles and love transcend all language barriers. We had an interpreter that helped explain the various activities we were leading, but by the end of the trip we started to pick up on the language more and more.”
Q: Do you plan to go back?
Poulin: “YES! My wife Shannon is already making plans to return for 2017, I hope to go back then. I left a piece of my heart there. We always hope to bring one of our children there to experience the beauty of Ethiopia. It would be a treat for them to meet our newly sponsored child Belle as well.”
Here are a few more photos from Poulin’s trip: