A special day in Bangalore

Hello all,

I have caught up on rest and Scott is still trying to catch up. Last night he couldn't sleep b/c he was still on Houston time. It is late here so he is getting ready for bed. We are so thankful to be feeling well and adjusting to the the time difference and food. Our hotel food is very good and the staff continues to treat us like royalty. They all anxiously await to meet Hope Anjali just as we do on Monday.

Today we were able to see some of the city of Bangalore. It is quite a sight to see. The streets are very crowded and busy with people everywhere. The traffic is crazy and they have no lanes, so you can imagine how many close calls there were. We just laughed and told our driver what a good one he was. He stays with us the whole time we are here.

We started off our day meeting a guy from Waco who serves here in Bangalore with college students to plant churches across the city. It was great to hear what he and his team are doing and also hear places for us to visit and eat. We then met two Indian men who are part of the mission india team in Bangalore that our church is supporting. They picked us up and took us to two parts of the city. The first place was where adults learn to read and hear testimonies of Jesus Christ. All of the people welcomed us with kindness, smiles, and handshakes. We felt so honored. Scott was able to share a little of his testimony and then prayed over the people. It was very special for us to be there. Many of the adults do not know Christ but still come everyday to learn how to read and to listen. Pray that God will move in their hearts to want to accept who He is.

We then went to the "slums" and into a room where many children greeted us with smiles and waves. They gather together everyday for sports activites and then have time for learning verses and hearing about Jesus. They sang for us a praise song and then several children recited verses from the bible. We then heard a few share their testimonies. It was pretty amazing to see what God is doing in their lives. One little girl about 11 shared how God cured her of stomach cancer. It was pretty cool to hear.( Kathy shared her testimony and prayed over the children. She told the children that if they know Christ we will all meet together, again, in heaven.) (Scott woke up read and added this.) All day Scott and I were overcome with emotion we had to fight back while with all of them. They are beautiful people who have the same needs and wants of us but who live in extremely difficult circumstances. Christianity is not really accepted in Bangalore and if not in a four room walled place, nothing can be said of Christ.We learned there are also several Christians persecuted for their belief. One of the men with us had been in jail and mistreated a few months ago. We were amazed though how the leaders all continue to be obedient to God even with such opposition.

It was a wonderful time meeting new friends and hearing of how God has been working in India. It was also a blessing for us to learn more first hand and see Hope's culture in reality. We are so grateful for God's timing and protection in bringing us here to experience his greatness.

Tomorrow we will tour the city gardens and places of interest and get some shopping in before meeting Hope Anjali.
Better get some rest. Scott is already alseep.

We made it to Bangalore

Hi everyone,
We made it to Bangalore. The flights were really long and we got in last night around midnight. Today we have been trying to catch up on our rest. Our hotel is small but nice and clean and the service is great. We cannot believe we are finally here after so many months of waiting. Last night when we arrived from the air on the ground, we saw a beautiful moon outside our window. We believe God was reminding us of his presence with us as we are on the other side of the world. Thanks again for all your prayers and emails.
We will check our computer regularly so email us anytime. Right now it is 6:20pm. Tomorrow we will go with friends from a ministry team our church is connected with to see where God is working with believers. We look forward to that time.
Love to yall,
Scott and Kathy

Our schedule in India

Here is what our schedule will look like in India. We'll keep you posted throughout the weekend and week.

Wednesday - Leave at 12:00 from airport
Thursday - Flying all day and arrive in Bangalore at 11:45p.m.
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Sight see in Bangalore, the Garden Place, and go to visit Indian Christian ministry children's bible clubs and see God at work. We also hope to visit another ministry team on this morning or on Sunday.
Sunday - Sight see and shop
Monday - Go to VCT and pick up Hope Anjali!
Tuesday - Get to know Hope
Wednesday - Fly out to New Delhi early that morning. We will then have Hope's medical exam done this day.
Thursday - Go to U.S. embassy for final paperwork and to file for Hope's visa.
Friday - Sight see with Hope and pick up visa later in the day.
Friday night - leave for home
We hope to arrive home on Saturday at the airport around 2:00.

We will be checking emails and sending out updates on the blog with hopefully some pictures for yall to enjoy.

What the name Hope means to us

Over the past several years I have come to love the prayer found in Ephesians 1:17-19. I have prayed this many times for myself, my family, and for loved ones. It has brought me much comfort, especially during hard times. When I'm looking, God has always shown me His hope.

As we began thinking of a new name for Anjali, this verse kept coming back in my mind as I've seen God answer this prayer many times in our family.

It says, " I ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."

I love how this verse tells of our hope that is to come and that it is already here. It is a hope for an eternal inheritance with Christ in heaven as his child and a hope for his supernatural power and strength for today. Seeking this hope (my new identity and His power) has helped change my perspective on so many days, no matter what was happening around me, keeping my focus on what really matters.

I'm sharing this with you because our daughter's identity will change soon; from orphan to heir. She will receive an earthly family and inheritance just as those of us who believe in Christ have also received a new identity and inheritance as part of God's family and his chosen children. Our prayer is for her to one day come to believe in Jesus and experience the hope that is in this prayer. And we also pray that when others hear her name, read about her, or see her face - they will be reminded of the hope to which they too have been called to and remember that they also were once an orphan, but because of God's amazing love and grace, their faith brought them into his eternal family and kingdom forever as his heir.

From day 1 Scott wanted this to be the name of our daughter God chose for us because of the hope she will be able to experience through Christ. He insisted this would be her name and then it was so cool how God confirmed it to me as well. Our plan will be to call her both names for awhile until she is comfortable.

We ask you all to pray for us and for that moment when we see her face for the first time, that we too will be reminded of this amazing truth of God's love for each of us.


Because of Christ,

Kathy

Yeah! Her passport is here!

Yeah! Hope Anjali's passport made it to the orphanage last weekend! We are now in the process of making our travel arrangements. We'll let you know as soon as we get them finalized. After 7 long weeks of waiting, looks like we'll have her home by her 3rd birthday!

Love yall!

Still Waiting

We are still waiting to receive Hope's passport. Thought it would be here by now. They did tell us hopefully it would make it by the end of this week. Maybe we'll hear something on Monday. We know God's timing is perfect for when we are to unite with her, so we keep practicing patience.
We did hear this week a new report on her. She is developing very well in all areas. She continues to be small in size but gaining weight and eating better. She also speaks words in her own language and knows a little English. We were told she likes playing with the other children at the center when she goes for school several days a week and enjoys singing and dancing. She'll fit in just fine with us here. West loves to do the same and can't wait to teach her the "egyptian" and several other moves I have no idea what they're called.

Please keep those prayers coming. God continues to bless this little girl and hears your prayers for her. We can't wait to share with her how many people love and care for her. We'll let you know as soon as we hear something.

Approved as Guardians

Yeah! We got the message this week that the judge in India officially approved us both verbally and in writing to become Hope Anjali's guardians. Now we wait for her Indian passport which usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. After receiving this we can make travel arrangements to go and pick her up. Hopefully we will travel sometime in May.
Please continue praying for her health, development, and safety. Pray also for us to know God's perfect timing for travel.