|
Becky and Kyle Morlock display
Kyle’s Indian passport, which they received in
September 2011. They now are looking forward to
holding Kyle’s U.S. visa in the very near
future. (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Lynne Morlock) |
At the
recent prayer vigil for Becky and Kyle Morlock (Sentinel,
Jan. 31 issue), the Rev. Robert Stoner said he and his wife
Robin would not take down their Christmas tree until Becky
and Kyle had left India and were home in America and able to
see it.
They may
be seeing it quite soon.
Becky
confirmed Feb. 8 that earlier that day, the United States
embassy in Delhi, India had called her to give her the
message she had waited three months to hear:
Kyle
would be receiving a visa that would allow him to emigrate
with Becky to the United States.
Becky is
a 1997 graduate of Millersburg Area High School. Her
parents, Wayne and Cindy Morlock, still reside in the area. |
As
of press time for this issue (Feb. 13), Becky was
awaiting word from the embassy on when she would meet
with U.S. officials for a required interview prior to
actually receiving the visa.
Until
she receives the visa, Becky can not be certain when she and
Kyle will be able to leave India.
‘‘I
don't actually have (the visa) in my hand yet,” she said.
‘‘We are waiting for the embassy to call with our interview
date and we will get it then.’’
Even so,
mother and son couldn’t contain their excitement at the
news.
‘‘Right
after I got the call, I grabbed Kyle and hugged him tight
and we prayed together, thanking God for his faithfulness
and favor!’’ she said.
She
apparently can not wait to be in Millersburg, either.
‘‘I am
so excited to return to a hometown that has just been
cheering us on from the beginning,’’ she said after
receiving the news.
Cindy
Morlock described her reaction to the news in one word:
‘‘Speechless.’’
Background. Becky has taken care of Kyle since taking
custody of him only a few days after his birth in January
2008. She had served as a missionary in India once before,
and had returned to the country only a few weeks before the
events that brought her and Kyle together.
She
assumed responsibility for Kyle with the consent of his
birth mother, an unmarried young woman, who feared she would
be ostracized for having a child out of wedlock (Sentinel,
Jan. 26, 2010 issue).
Since
that day in 2008, Becky has gone forward with efforts to
bring Kyle to America.
As of
late last year, all of the requirements had been met; Becky
had first been granted legal guardianship of Kyle, followed
by legally adopting him. She then applied for, and received,
an Indian passport for him. (Sentinel, Sept. 13, 2011
issue.)
The last
step in the process – a U.S. visa for Kyle – began in
November, 2011 when Becky made formal application to the
U.S. Customs and Immigration Service through the U.S.
Embassy in Delhi.
After
two months of waiting for a formal reply, Becky received
word Jan. 12 that her visa application had been accepted and
was being reviewed. (Sentinel, Jan. 17 issue)
Because
Becky takes care of Kyle, now age 4, full-time, she has been
supported financially by family and friends.
‘‘It is
now time to celebrate.’’ Stoner said he and Robin got a call
in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 8 from Cindy. (Stoner pastors
The Dwelling Place Regional Worship Center in Gratz, which
Cindy and Wayne Morlock attend.)
‘‘(Cindy
said) she had been contacted a few minutes earlier by her
daughter and that Kyle’s Visa was approved. That’s news we
have been praying and fighting for for several years!’’
Stoner said.
‘‘Could
the battle be over? I'll feel better when the interview
process is history, and Becky has the visa in hand,’’ he
added. ‘‘That skepticism is the scaring of the past four
years!"
‘‘I sit
here tonight, with our Christmas tree lights on! The tree
will be up and in use until Becky and Kyle can sit by it,
and enjoy it with us,’’ he said in an e-mail to the
Sentinel. This is the fourth tree since Becky began her
trip, and the fourth since Kyle was born.
‘‘It is
now time to celebrate,’’ Stoner said. ‘‘We praise God for
His faithfulness to see this dream become reality. We hold
our excitement in reserve, but are ready to cut loose when
they board the plane for home.’’
Where to Donate
Donations relating to Becky and Kyle Morlock’s trip to the
U.S. (airfare, etc.) may be made to:
The
Dwelling Place
Regional Worship Center
P.O. Box 34
Gratz 17030
(Write
‘‘India’’ on the memo line)
