India Trip: Meeting Our Son!

I woke up that Sunday morning in India with a smile on my lips and a sweet realization in my heart. We’re in the same time zone as him!

You see, for twelve weeks, every day since we learned about our son, I have calculated the (annoying) math of 9.5 hours ahead of my time zone just to think about what time it would be where Aaro lives. I have wondered and imagined what he may be doing at different times throughout the day. So it was a sweet feeling to feel connected to him in this small, yet significant way. I knew that when I was waking up or eating meals or going to bed, that he was likely doing the same in his little orphanage home. What a joy it was to land on Indian soil, knowing that my baby was just a few hours away- just a city away! And no longer an entire world away from us anymore.

The first 10 days of our trip were spent with our mission team in Delhi, where we worked with our ministry partners to run a few medical camps in the slums. 

Our team then took a trip to visit a city called Varanasi, which is considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world, and one the holiest in the Hindu religion. 

I will never forget the sights and smells and sounds of this city; the religious practices and customs performed all along the banks of the Ganges River. They believe this river water to be holy and their only sure hope for the remission of sins. 

In the midst of the dark religious activity all around us, we got the chance to meet some disciple-makers there that brought us great encouragement and hope for that region. 

We were able to pray over one of the church planters there at a coffee shop, and we enjoyed hearing the incredible testimonies of God’s miraculous provisions and activity in his life. He shared with us some songs that he had written, and our translator shared each line of the songs as he sang, and we just listened in awe of the powerful display of God’s glory in this faithful disciple’s life! What a powerful voice! We recorded him singing, and it is hauntingly beautiful to listen to. 

We came back to Delhi for some painting projects at the church, to help them prepare to host a training for a group of pastors from all over the country. Some of our team had the opportunity to share the gospel with the two hired painters from the community that were working alongside us. The two men eagerly accepted Christ! As well as one more man from the church that came in asking questions about a vision that he had of a man in a white robe. He also had a dream where he was instructed to learn how to worship. After sharing a clear gospel presentation with this man, he was quick to accept Christ, and listened intently to every word that we shared about following Jesus.

Our time in Delhi ended with two services at the church on Sunday morning where Steven preached both times. We went back to the apartments to clean up and pack our bags, and then after a quick lunch, we were off to Aaro’s city!

We arrived in his city pretty late, and we found our hotel and got settled in. We were starving and ended up ordering at the restaurant there- and it took forever. We went to bed way later than we wanted to, and we were nervous and anxious about the big morning ahead. 

We received so many messages of people saying that they were praying for us and setting alarms to pray for us! We felt so much love! And we went to bed with the sweetest feeling of knowing that Aaro, too was asleep less than a mile away from us that night. And we would get to see his precious face in just a few short hours…

Our morning started off great. Our adrenaline was kicking in, and excitement pumping through our veins for what this morning would hold. We were nervous, too, with all the built up anticipation and unknowns of what to expect. Our Uber dropped us off promptly at 10am, when the visiting hours begin. We had some trouble finding the right entrance for the childcare ward of the hospital campus that his orphanage is attached to, so we hated that our precious time was ticking away as we were trying to find directions to the place we needed to be to check in. We finally got in touch with our English-speaking contact at the orphanage, and she greeted us and welcomed us, and then she took us over to the childcare unit. We checked in at the front desk of the childcare building (where our BABY LIVES!!) And we logged in all of our info for security; they then ask you to take your shoes off and wear “slippers”- AKA Flip flops. I slide mine right on, but poor Bigfoot Steven kept his socks on and tried to slide on the women’s size small flip flops, and they asked him to wait a moment. The lady opened a closet door to look for a bigger size- haha! She pulls out the same size in just a little wider! Steven is then flip-flopping up the stairs in “slippers” that are hanging off his feet, and it really hits us that we are literally just STEPS away from our son.

We asked to use the restroom, and while I was finishing up, I kept my back turned so I wouldn’t see a thing in the hallway. But I caught the slightest glimpse of our contact walking towards a mat with toys and she was carrying him! I saw his little body from behind, perched on her hip and oh my heart! I knew this was real and happening and my heart was leaping out of my chest. It was about 10:30 when we finally got to sit down with him on that colorful mat in an open breezeway with all the sights and sounds and smells of India surrounding us in the background. We sat down with him and he did goofy smiles and faces at us- and I just looked him fully over. I looked at his face and hair and head and arms and legs and body. I was just fully taking him in. He crawled straight to me pretty immediately, and then he looked up at Steven and smiled at him. He really like Steven right away! He was comfortable with both of us! Praise God!

It was only within 10 minutes or so that I had scooped him up and held him and stood with him, and my singing and humming must’ve soothed him to sleep. He slept on me until my arms hurt (time for me to get in shape!) So I passed him over to Daddy for a turn to hold him. He didn’t budge, just let us pass him and he continued to sleep. He awoke peacefully when he found himself in Steven’s arms. 

We played for a little bit and then it was time for his lunch. They let me watch him get fed. They placed him and all of the babies his age on a mat, and they sat down and fed him. He was so happy at meal time! He was so cute and active and he had the funniest lady feeding him! She made all these silly and strange noises that we had heard in his videos before and always laughed at! And he loved this lady! She made him laugh and was good at keeping his focus during the feeding. She spoke a little English, and she asked me what his new name would be. I told her “Aaro” using an Indian accent so she could understand, and she said, 

“Acha! Good. Nice name!” 

Ah! My heart was so full in that moment. She gave her approval to his new name- and that meant a lot to me. When he was finished eating, he was a mess, so they took him back to the baby room and grabbed a new shirt. I watched as she changed him, and I got to see his cute little body and tummy! Ah! He was chunky and full from eating, and just oh so stinking cute! And then! To make the whole scene even more adorable, she takes a powder brush and powders him down with baby powder! I will never forget the cute image of his goofy grin, full belly, body dusty white with baby powder and that perfect fresh scent. Ah. She changed him and handed him back to his mama! And we played a little longer before he was requested back for his nap time. We said our goodbyes, and told them we would be back for the second visiting time at 3pm.

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and regroup before grabbing lunch. We decided to take a rickshaw for the first time, and it was a fun and very cheap little cultural experience! We enjoyed lunch at a recommended place in town, and pretty soon we were back at the orphanage for Visit #2. 

We got there, and unfortunately, Aaro was lethargic and a little fussy this time. As soon as I picked him up, he settled in for another nap on my chest. He slept for a long time and we passed him between us again. He actually threw up early on during that visit, too, and he was coughing and had some congestion, too. It was sad to see him like this. The tone of this visit was much more somber. He slept and fussed, and slept, and just wasn’t a very happy camper. We just used the time to pray over him and sing to him and rock him. We prayed for healing over his little body. We got a little more play time once he woke up, but we had to leave at 5pm, and we were feeling a little heavy-hearted. It was just a harder visit. 

Steven and I enjoyed a nice little date night in the city together that evening, and we just reminisced about the surreal two visits we had just had with our son that day. We ate at a hibachi Japanese restaurant, and as the cook was frying the rice, he began to shape it into an image that he couldn't have possibly known would mean so much to us that day! After meeting our little Aaro for the first time, and our hearts filled with a new love that we had never known before, the Lord used our hibachi cook to show us a little extra special love that night:

We came back to the hotel that night for a great night of sleep, and then we were up and at it again for our very last visit. 

Our final visit was my favorite. We were greeted that morning with him running out in a walker that he loves! And he was just so silly and made us laugh. He seemed happy to see us again! We played with him and enjoyed getting to hold him and make him smile a bunch! And then of course, once again, as I held him and sang to him, he fell fast asleep on Mama’s chest. I shared him with Steven one last time, and then he woke up after a short nap. We got to play again until lunch time. I got to see the caregivers love on him and kiss him and call him the cutest little nicknames. Ahhh my heart melted! 

And when it came time for lunch, they let me feed my little man! Oh, yes! They gave me the stinky little bowl of  some kind of Indian food mush and I fed my baby!! And he was a happy little eater, eager for every bite! And he was a little wiggle worm that couldn’t sit still. Time stood still for me right then and there; I was feeding my baby, Indian style and he was looking me right in the eyes with most of the bites! I felt so connected to him. It was a bonding experience, and I really enjoyed it. That was special for me. Then, when it was time to change him after lunch, the lady let us put him in the Chosen onesie we had brought along! Our big boy fit perfectly into a 12 month onesie! Oh, I was SO happy to see that! And he actually looked more like a baby in that onesie! That was so sweet for me to see him in that precious, special onesie with our Chosen logo on it! We had worn our blue Chosen shirts that day, and we were hoping to get a quick family photo. I’m so glad that Aaro’s favorite lady was able to snap a few photos for us. She ’s the one who can make him laugh and smile like no other! She makes all the goofy noises that he loves! 

Well, turns out she’s got the magic touch, too because she snapped the best photo of our entire visit with him. Our amazing little family photo where we are all grinning from ear to ear and he is in the middle of me and Steven, and he’s holding my hand so sweetly! Oh, my heart! That photo is my favorite treasure. It’s everything that I could’ve wanted it to be. Thank you, sweet Lord for allowing us to capture that moment in time. Such sweet memories. 

We got to play a little more, I held his hands while he “walked” and he seemed to really enjoy that!

Steven threw him up in the air and we captured his giggle!! Oh my goodness, his laugh is my favorite! And I’m so glad that Steven got to make him laugh like that first! What a precious Daddy moment he got to have with him. Ahhh. I’m so grateful to have that on camera, too.

We wrapped up our visit with him by letting him go to bed, and we stayed for a few minutes to watch an adoption ceremony for a local Indian couple who was adopting their second child from the orphanage! It was very cool to witness an adoption ceremony with another family like that. Steven and I were invited to participate in the ceremony by putting the colored powder on our fingers and “blessing” the family. We then were instructed to throw rice on each of  their heads. It was a unique experience! It was very sweet for the workers to invite us to be apart of that! And they told us that we will have the same kind of ceremony on the day we officially take Aaro with us! It was so fun to see a little preview! 

Before we left, I was able to peek in on my boy, and as I saw him lying in his crib, he was just wide awake, sucking his thumb, laying in a goofy position. I went over to him and looked him straight in the eyes, and he held my gaze for a long time. I got to say, “I love you” to him, and then we let him sleep. Steven and I said our goodbyes to everyone, returned our “slippers” downstairs, and off we went!

And because of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, we left his orphanage filled with sweet peace and joy in our hearts. God answered the prayers that everyone prayed over us for that peace and comfort we needed to leave. We have nothing but gratitude for this gift and blessing of getting to meet him. God has sustained our hearts and covered us and protected us even now, having been home for over a week. We cannot thank everyone enough for all of the prayers and support and love that you have showed our little family of three. We cannot wait to see how God moves in these next few months to bring this child home to us! Please pray along with us as we wait for the local court process in his region to finalize our adoption.

Aaro's 1st birthday is coming up on April 30th, and our bold prayer of faith has been requesting that God allow him to legally become our son, by court order, by that date!