An Unexpected Shower Of Blessing
Due to the business of the past two days, this is the first time we have had the opportunity to write about the events that have happened!
On Wednesday, we woke up in Bangalore, packed our bags at our hotel and then ate breakfast . We hopped in a taxi to the airport, about an hour away, to catch our flight to Belagavi, our daughter's hometown. We would be arriving in Belagavi around 3:00 PM, so we wondered if there was any possibility of seeing Keerti that evening. However, we had previously decided it would be best to wait until Thursday, when there was a special placement ceremony scheduled.
Our drive to Bangalore airport was beautiful! When we first had arrived in Bangalore, it was night time, so we couldn't see anything! But now, it was wonderful to see more of that portion of India that we were in!
Our flight to Belagavi was on time and relatively uneventful. It was a tiny airplane--which for those of you who know me--Brady--I don't do well flying, so I was quite nervous! On top that, I was granted the aisle seat, which meant that I had to wear full PPE gear. To calm my nerves, we decided before the flight to get a Krispy Kreme donut--which was DELICOUS!
Again, the PPE gear was a reminder of the devastation India experienced from COVID-19
The flight was about an hour and 15 minutes long. We were above the clouds most of the trip; however, the last portion of the flight provided some breathtaking views! It was absolutely stunning to see--rivers, fields, little towns here and there--absolutely beautiful! Here are some views:
As we were walking across the tarmac to the baggage claim, Alex (our guide) said to us, "We will see your daughters tonight." Denae and I both looked at each other with a big, huge smile! We were stunned and couldn't believe it! We took a taxi to our hotel and Alex told us to meet back down in the lobby in 30 minutes to leave for the SAA (our daughter's home). We were BEYOND ecstatic! Yet, at the same time we were not expecting to see her until the next day, so we had to wrap our brains around this all! And to do process this all in 30 minutes!
Here we are processing the fact that we are FINALLY going to meet our daughter for the first time! We prayed, talked and just gazed out the window of our hotel room that overlooked the city of Belagavi.
An expectant mother
My princess is coming into my arms soon!
In the hotel lobby, waiting to leave for the SAA!
At the entrance to the SAA!
Waiting in the room to have them bring Keerti out to us! Seriously, it felt like forever!
As we waited for Keerti to be brought out to us, I kept looking all around for her--just to get a glimpse of her. For me, it was similar feelings to my wedding day, when I was waiting for Denae to tap me on my shoulder for me to have the "first look" of her.
And then there she was, our beautiful, darling, princess.
Denae and I's initial reaction
Our first picture of the three of us
My queen and my princess!
Our photographer, guide, wise counselor, dad-joke-provider, and so much more, thank you Alex!
I've got a picture like this with all my kids the first time I met them!
This couple (AJ and Nana Robinson with their daughter Nadia) was who we have been traveling with!
I got her to fall asleep!
As we are holding Keerti, Alex tells us: "It would be better for you to take her home tonight to your hotel." Now, we were not expecting that! What an unexpectant blessing! We were overjoyed! And then it began to rain. And then our guide began to sing the song: "Showers Of Blessing." The chorus goes: "Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need. Mercy drops 'round us are falling, but for the showers we plead." And that is exactly what we were feeling in that moment--showers of unexpected blessing!
James' being introduced to Keerti!
Ezra being introduced to Keerti!
Introducing Keerti to her siblings and Grandparents
Keerti adores her mom!
We both cannot describe in words how we are feeling! We cannot thank God enough for this wonderful gift that He has given to us all by His grace! We are in awe of His provision, guidance and help throughout this entire process!
Keerti is absolutely a princess. She is adorable, sweet, tender, petite, and a lover of her momma already!
On Thursday, we woke up after a great nights rest, got some breakfast and headed to the hospital/doctor's office to meet with Keerti's doctor and physical therapist. Both of those meetings went very well! We headed to the SAA after that to have her physical therapists show us the exercises that Keerti needs to do. We also were able to ask the SAA director, president and Keerti's social worker any questions about her history. It was such a blessing to know some things about her history. We grabbed some lunch at McDonalds and then headed back to the SAA for the special placement ceremony!
We were in awe at this ceremony. It was SO special! Have you ever heard the phrase in the adoption world that goes like this: "it takes a village." The meaning behind it is that it takes a lot of people to make adoption happen. From Denae and I's perspective, we have seen just how many people it has taken on our end to make adoption possible. But we were unaware of all the people on the Indian side of things--that is what made it so special for them to be there!
There was the 19 other children from the SAA, the state commissioner of the police (government official), her lawyer, two trustees of the SAA's board, three physical therapists, the president of the SAA, the social worker from the SAA, the director of the SAA, the five caregivers, other workers at the SAA and others that I am probably forgetting. So many people and such a blessing to be a part of this! It was also very emotional as those who cared for Keerti for the past 2 1/2 years and known her for a while had to say goodbye to her. It was hard and difficult, but oh so special as well!
Outside of Keerti's SAA
The remainder of the evening was spent in our hotel room hanging out with our daughter! She is such a blessing and her mother and I are quite biased, but we think she is absolutely beautiful and precious!
Thankful for our two guides, Dolly and Alex who helped us out so much!
Before we flew to Dehli, we were given Keerti's passport! Such a blessing because it FINALLY had come in the mail! The SAA Director graciously delivered it to our hotel! Then we were asked to answer some questions for the local media on why we came all the way from the USA to adopt a special needs child. That too was such a great time to reflect on what God had called us to do!
After all that was done, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the airport! Our destination was Dehli, but we had a layover in Hyderabad first. It was a great and uneventful trip! We have been blessed with on-time flights and flights that haven't been cancelled! Keerti did amazingly well flying for her very first time! We have two appointments on Saturday and then a couple of more things next week to do!
Keerti LOVED riding in the car looking out the window!
Beautiful sunset on the way to Dehli!
Here are a couple of prayer requests:
1) Please pray that our exit permits would come in on-time before we have to leave on Friday.
2) Please pray for Keerti to experience God's peace during this transition.
3) Pray for the bond to be strengthened between Keerti and us.
4) Pray for this next week to be one of rest and relaxation.
5) Pray for negative COVID tests before we fly back to the USA.
Thank you to all of you for your love and support through this entire process! You all have been such a blessing praying us through this past week! We have felt so much of God's presence and providential hand throughout this week! We give thanks to God for you each day! Thank you SO much!
"Declare His [God's] glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples."
Psalm 96:3
Your update was so similiar to our experiences from China. You have been blessed beyond measure. And now let God work in your daughter to fulfill her destiny. As you know she will do amazing things. You are at the beginning of such a beautiful adventure.
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