The passport office in Calcutta is having computer issues, so Keira's passport is still not issued. We're praying REALLY hard that it gets done next week. The timeframe for passports being issued used to be about 2 weeks (which would have been the end of Sept). Rod & Michelle's caseworker told them in mid-Sept that due to delays, expect about 6 weeks (which was Friday, Oct 23rd). So, we're now done with week 7 of waiting for the passport and are REALLY, REALLY hoping that their systems are up and running and they can get it done ASAP on Tuesday (Monday's an Indian holiday so that office is closed).
Someone from the orphanage has been going to the office daily to check on getting these finished. They're even asking for the passports to be done manually or for the documentation to be sent to another office for processing. Both requests are being refused. :(
Please pray, we're all ready to go and are tired of waiting.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How my adventure began
I'm going to India! Yes, I really am, I just can't tell you when. You may be wondering "why?" Well, let me tell you...
It all started about 10 years ago, but I'll jump ahead because that part of the story is my brother's, not mine. You can check out his blog about the trip for his part of the story at www.journeytoindia.typepad.com.
My part of the story starts about 2 1/2 years ago when I was in Colorado Springs visiting my brother Rod and his family. We were sitting around their kitchen table just talking and enjoying a quiet afternoon. There was a Travel + Leisure magazine on their table that I started thumbing through that was featuring Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. The pictures were absolutely stunning and I commented that I'd love to go there someday. I said "I'll travel anywhere just for the experience of going."
My sister-in-law, Michelle, then said, "we're going to be going to India to get Keira, do you want to come along?" I said "Sure!" And that was the end of the conversation.
After I got home and was telling my parents about the conversation, I thought, were they really serious about me coming along? So, I called my brother to make sure and he said, "Yes, whoever wants to come along can, the more the merrier!"
And so began the vague planning for my some-day trip to India.
Jump ahead 13 months later to March of 2009. My parents went out to The Springs for the month and while they were out there, I went to visit for a long weekend for Rod's birthday. While there, Rod, Michelle & I got talking again about our trip to India and Michelle said, "At this point, we're so far down the referral list I really don't foresee that we'd travel before Feb 2010 if not later than that." So, I went home figuring I had just under a year to be saving for the trip.
Within a day or two of getting home from The Springs, Rod called (he had just called about 10 minutes earlier for something not related) and said "We have a referral!" (For those who aren't familiar with adoption, a referral means that they were given a profile and picture of a child and asked if they would accept the child.) I said "WHAT??? How did it happen so quickly?" Well, God knew who Dipa's (Keira) parents were supposed to be and somehow they jumped from #7 on the referral list to the top and they prayed about it that night and called their caseworker the next day and accepted Dipa's (Keira) referral.
Its now been 7 months since the referral and we're down to the very last part of the process before we can travel to pick her up. We're waiting for the Indian government to issue her passport. This used to take 2 weeks, but their processing is taking longer than usual so we're currently in week 6 of waiting for the passport. When Rod & Michelle get the call that Mrs. Roy (the orphanage coordinator) has it in her hands, then they'll call the US Embassy in Delhi and make an appointment to get her US Visa issued. We will then book our travel. It is literally down to just days before this should all happen.
That's the story of why I'm going to India and why I've started this blog. I've had so many people tell me to email them while I'm gone that I decided that this will be an easier way to communicate with folks who are interested in the trip. Welcome to my blog and I hope to update again soon!
It all started about 10 years ago, but I'll jump ahead because that part of the story is my brother's, not mine. You can check out his blog about the trip for his part of the story at www.journeytoindia.typepad.com.
My part of the story starts about 2 1/2 years ago when I was in Colorado Springs visiting my brother Rod and his family. We were sitting around their kitchen table just talking and enjoying a quiet afternoon. There was a Travel + Leisure magazine on their table that I started thumbing through that was featuring Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. The pictures were absolutely stunning and I commented that I'd love to go there someday. I said "I'll travel anywhere just for the experience of going."
My sister-in-law, Michelle, then said, "we're going to be going to India to get Keira, do you want to come along?" I said "Sure!" And that was the end of the conversation.
After I got home and was telling my parents about the conversation, I thought, were they really serious about me coming along? So, I called my brother to make sure and he said, "Yes, whoever wants to come along can, the more the merrier!"
And so began the vague planning for my some-day trip to India.
Jump ahead 13 months later to March of 2009. My parents went out to The Springs for the month and while they were out there, I went to visit for a long weekend for Rod's birthday. While there, Rod, Michelle & I got talking again about our trip to India and Michelle said, "At this point, we're so far down the referral list I really don't foresee that we'd travel before Feb 2010 if not later than that." So, I went home figuring I had just under a year to be saving for the trip.
Within a day or two of getting home from The Springs, Rod called (he had just called about 10 minutes earlier for something not related) and said "We have a referral!" (For those who aren't familiar with adoption, a referral means that they were given a profile and picture of a child and asked if they would accept the child.) I said "WHAT??? How did it happen so quickly?" Well, God knew who Dipa's (Keira) parents were supposed to be and somehow they jumped from #7 on the referral list to the top and they prayed about it that night and called their caseworker the next day and accepted Dipa's (Keira) referral.
Its now been 7 months since the referral and we're down to the very last part of the process before we can travel to pick her up. We're waiting for the Indian government to issue her passport. This used to take 2 weeks, but their processing is taking longer than usual so we're currently in week 6 of waiting for the passport. When Rod & Michelle get the call that Mrs. Roy (the orphanage coordinator) has it in her hands, then they'll call the US Embassy in Delhi and make an appointment to get her US Visa issued. We will then book our travel. It is literally down to just days before this should all happen.
That's the story of why I'm going to India and why I've started this blog. I've had so many people tell me to email them while I'm gone that I decided that this will be an easier way to communicate with folks who are interested in the trip. Welcome to my blog and I hope to update again soon!
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