Trip of a Lifetime

I’ve waited for this trip my whole life. Returning to India to see where I was born and discover what my life may have been like. Growing up I never imagined it would look like this. I never imagined I would be returning to pick up our daughter on my first trip back to India, but I am so glad I am. It all started over a year and a half ago. The piles of paperwork and the months of waiting for approvals have ceased and the time to go has finally come. I still remember the evening when I got “the call”. I was at work on a break and I decided to check my phone for messages and I listened to our caseworker say that she would like it if I could return her call back tonight. I was fearful she was going to say that the India program was closing. There had been a wave of referrals 2 months before but they had come to a halt due to changes in the adoption process and the clearance of children’s paperwork. When I heard her voice say we have a referral we would like you to consider I almost fell out of my chair. I started shaking with joy and trembling as I wrote on a paper towel the information she was giving me. I quickly phoned my husband and told him to check the email as our caseworker was sending her files over. I had tears of joy rolling down my face and it was all that I could do to return to work. I had a continuous smile for days. As soon as I arrived home I devoured her files. I knew in my heart and without an ounce of doubt that God handpicked this child to be ours. I won’t go into all of the details but the timing of her paperwork clearance and our position on the waiting list could only have been orchestrated by God. There was no other logical explanation. She was everything I could have hoped and dreamed for. Now 8 months later we can finally meet her and I can hold her in my arms.


The past ten days have been a whirlwind of excitement, stress, anxiety and giddiness. My 4 yr old climbed out of bed and raced to my side the other night as I was confirming last minute details of our trip and said, ”Mom, I prayed for you and daddy to have a safe trip to India when you get my baby sister.” It was so sweet and encouraging coming from her. She is such a blessing and a true gift from God. She will be a great big sister. She already pretends to push her sister in the swing, change her diaper and even tattle tells on her!

After completing all of the details and packing for this trip of a lifetime, our journey can finally begin. I have waited so long for this day. I didn’t have a hard time getting up early this morning as I could hardly wait to get on the plane. When we arrived in San Francisco I couldn’t help but notice all of the diversity and walking through the international terminal gave me goose bumps. Still to this day when I see other Indians I get excited and I think my goodness there are really people out there that look like me. My mind wandered and I envisioned what it will be like when we are in India surrounded by these people and immersed in their culture. My husband always laughs at me because he says there are billions of Indians in the world.

We boarded the flight to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, we weren’t seated together and we were in middle seats in line with one another. I knew this would be a long flight. I like to compare it to my ”labor” 14 hours of discomfort but in the end you receive the most amazing reward. I sat next to a very nice lady and we chatted, slept, watched an endless streaming of movies and in between anticipated where the animated plane on the map that marked our progress would be. Counting down the hours…. 8 more to go, 6 more to go and then finally we were landing! Upon arrival we were greeted by the driver from our hotel. We were driven to the most amazing hotel. Along the way we marveled at the high rises, buildings and incredible bridges that we traveled over. It is 8 o’clock at night in Hong Kong and 6 o’clock in the morning in Oregon. That means we have been up for over 24 hrs!

We are greeted at our hotel and ushered to the 8th floor, bypassing any check in counter and straight to our room. The lobby was beautiful. There were modern floral arrangements and ceiling to floor views of Hong Kong Island. When we walked into our room our jaws dropped as we realized we had the same view of Hong Kong. We sat and marveled at the beauty of the buildings lit up with a variety of colors and signs as well as the endless amount of ships and boats cruising in the harbor. We were given a complimentary upgrade to a junior suite! The room was huge complete with a sitting area, walk in closet and full size bathroom. The bathroom was bigger than my own and there were fresh orchids on the counter. My husband and I just looked at each other in disbelief and excitement. I said,” Happy Anniversary” as in June we will have been married for ten years. Our trip is off to a great start! I can’t wait to explore Hong Kong tomorrow. We plan on taking a harbor cruise, hiking the Peak and traversing the city. I am humbled and honored that we get to see some really neat places on this trip and discover other cultures. The world is so big! I really feel so grateful to have this time here in Hong Kong but I anticipate that it will be a drastic change to what we may find once we land in India. Honestly, that is where my mind is.

Much love and blessings, Brie