Passport is here! Hallelujah!

Wes and I are completely in awe of the Lord today.  The passport arrived!  It's in our hands!  We still cannot believe that God did this in such an amazing way.  To expect 4-8 weeks and get it in 1 day...it's just beyond words.  Thank you, God, for ordering our steps, governing the hearts of men, and moving on behalf of the weak!  "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.  He sets the lonely in families."  Psalm 68:5  To see God move in such a mighty way for a child is just humbling.  God, change my heart to love what you love, see how you see, and act how YOU act!

And here she is...I love that she signed her new name in her passport.  And in cursive!  That will make things easier for me in the schooling department :)

Yesterday and today have been nice since we haven't had to run around like crazy.  Yesterday we went to an English service at Capital Bible Church in Delhi.  We were VERY impressed!  It's a small congregation of about 50 people, but they love the Lord and are doing a great work in New Delhi.  They have an amazing outreach to the Nandlar Slums where they tutor kids and train teens in job skills.  A ton of people from the slums are a part of their congregation!  I was inspired by all they're doing.  I think where they're working is exactly where Jesus would have been hanging out, too.

Here's a snapshot of all the girls ready for church; we were trying to teach Hope to take a "silly" picture.  I think she's getting the hang of it!

After church, we visited the Akshardham Temple.  When we walked up to the temple (it's HUGE), guess what Hope said?

You guessed it.  "U.S.A.?"

Oh my.

Grandma and Grandpa gave the girls some money to shop for some Indian clothes.  Ooh la la, does Hope love to shop!  She freaks out at the sight of every market!  It's funny because what she MOST wants is a pair of jeans.  They're expensive here!  So I told her, "when we get to the USA."  She says, "U.S.A. Jeans."  Now that's her new phrase.  "U.S.A. Jeans."

But when we arrived back at the hotel, the girls were stoked to put on their new Indian outfits.  They said they were the princesses of the Taj Mahal.

And, of course, they have matching pajamas, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa.  Hope is becoming quite familiar with those names already!  Everything she pulls out to wear or play with, Priya says, "Grandma and Grandpa got you that."

Today, Sherry and Josh went to the Taj Mahal.  We stayed back at the hotel because we wanted to wait for the passport to arrive.  After a nice breakfast...

we tried to swim in the hotel pool, but it was FREEZING.  Hope said, "Hope swim bathtub."  So we returned to the room and they played for 2 hours in the warm water, to which she said, "very nice, very nice."  They looked very cute in their bathing suits, though, which were ALSO from Grandma and Grandpa. :)

By the way, if you've ever wondered what Wes looks like without gel in his hair...see Hope's hair below.

Since we had some free time today, I needed to catch Priya up on some school work.  Hope wanted to join so it was fun to see what she knew!  She can count to 50 in English (although with a VERY thick accent ;)!

After we got the passport, we decided to join the outside world and grab some dinner.  We found a little princess ride (like the kind in front of the grocery stores for a quarter).  You would have thought Hope was at Disney World.  When it was done, she gave us the thumbs up and said, "very nice."  Gotta love it.

And nothing like a little ice cream with Kaki before bedtime!

And now, these sweet girls are sound asleep.  I love that Hope is all cuddled up to Priya.  I am SO glad Priya's here.  I believe God has used her greatly to help Hope adjust.  She does everything Priya does.  And Priya is a great example to follow!  (Minus the mouth open and loud snoring.)

Tomorrow we have our medical appointment for the US Embassy.  Hope will have to get quite a few shots (around 11).  Please pray for that appointment.  Not looking forward to it.  When we did this with Priya, she was 2 and weighed 18 lbs.  It was so hard to hold her down!  Hope is 6 and weighs 50 lbs!  I may need J.J. Watt in the room with me hold this girl down.  I dread it.  It's like, "hey, I'm your new mom...I love you...and now I'm going to hold you down and let some strange man poke you 11 times!"  Blah.  But I know God will get us through it!

After the medical appointment, we wait 48 hours for the medical clearance.  Then, we make our VISA appointment, get our VISA the next day, and we'll be heading home!  If all goes well, we should be headed home early next week...maybe even sooner if God wants to do that!

We thank you all for your comments and emails.  We are so encouraged that so many people are praying for us and love our beautiful girls so much. It is our JOY to share them with you!

Evacuate Bathroom Please!

Wes:  I thought being Indian would make my stomach strong and can last through any Indian curry.  Second day in, (without being gross), I think I unloaded 10lbs in the water closet.  My sister and I clogged up two rooms, and moved to different rooms.  Josh our camera guy is eating all the Indian food and curries, and he is perfectly fine.  I think he is Indian and I am white, not sure whats really happening.  We are getting weak from not sleeping and stomach issues.  Please pray for us and that Hope's passport arrives soon.

Hope is sweet and kind.  She keeps calling "papa" all the time.  When I go to the bathroom, or out of the room, you can hear her saying, "papa, papa".  She wants to make sure that I'm around.  I know she needs to make sure that I'm not leaving her.  She will soon learn that this family is for life.

India has some funny signs.

This is the Ladies restroom sign.  I feel a little better about my writing skills.

I m not sure what this sign is for.  

I guess safety is not an issue.  This is not OSHA/DOT approved.  Why is the dad wearing a helmet and not the kids?

Here are the amenities in our car.  We get water, coat hangers,  and also a hammer.  Nice!

Here are the shoes Hope brought with her.  Very fitting.  

Here are some faces and photo shots of India.  So many types of religions, castes, and colors.  So many kids on the streets, starving.  We feel so burdened because both of our daughters were on the streets.  I wonder how long Priya and Hope were begging for?