Wow. We stand amazed. We have acquired our visas in a seemingly impossible circumstance.
Last night we looked at the weather and saw that our area was going to get some snow, so we decided to get a hotel room in Raleigh near the consulate to avoid a dngerous drive. By the time we arrived at the hotel at 1am we checked the weather and to our dismay we found out it was to snow there in the morning. We woke up and at 7:30 the snow had begun. We had no idea what was going to happen. Because the consulate opened by 8am, by 7:30 when it started to snow, the employees were already at the consulate. We emailed the lady that would be working to get our visas and asked if she was there and if we could still come. She emailed back “I will wait for you. And we will get through whatever we can.” Here in the south a snow shower is a big deal because they lack the equipement to maintain a safe road.
We hopped in the car, had a little slip and slide on the way over, but made it. John rushed inside and the process began. After an hour of dealing with us she looks up and says, “Okay, I just heard that we are closing at 11, we will get through however much we can by then.” I started ticking down the time. The last 15 minutes was spent desperately trying to take a picture of Malachi. There were specific requirements that needed to be met and it was hard to get a disabled child who is floppy and spastic to meet those requirements! Finally, a “good” (acceptable but rather rough) picture was taken. Then they had trouble getting his finger prints on the scanner. 11 o’clock had arrived. Our time was up. But she was determined and had the officer override the finger print scan. After that I expected to hear a “come back tomorrow”. The snow was really coming down. But she asked us to wait and told us that she would process the paperwork and we would interview with the officer. John And I quickly came to the realization that, we were the only appointment of hers that showed up. She only had to focus on us. The officer as well. They were working together trying to get it done so they could call it a day. They last 30 minutes of our appointment John and I were mouthing to each other: “Are we going to get them?” “I think I see them on her desk.” We finally got BOTH OURS AND THE KIDS, without being interviewed by the officer. She basically said hi to us and asked if she could borrow Malachis eyelashes. Heres the thing, it is VERY likely that we got our visas today BECAUSE of the snow, also because the people in the office were very gracious, but most importantly BECAUSE YOU PRAYED. God is good And He really showed His power today.
We are leaving on Saturday. John is driving and me and the kids are flying acompanied by a collegue.