I have been away from my family in the States for a full year and as the summer approached I started wishing more and more that we could go and visit them. But, as many of you may know, it's not just a matter of buying a ticket. We kept putting off filling out the paperwork for Gibu's visa for several months. Still, while I avoided it, I kept hoping and believing that the visa would come through for us this time.
Several weeks ago, Gibu went in for his interview. We had spent hours putting together documents and papers such as contracts and residence proofs and going over the questions that might be asked. When he arrived he was directed to one of the first counters. He reached the front and handed over his papers. The man read through the application several times before verifying that I worked at the American School. After which he handed back Gibu's file to him and said, "I'm very sorry, but I can't take your interview, as I am on the board at the American School and it would be a conflict of interest for me."
Subsequently Gibu was led to another line, which he realized led to the counter of our friend David Brock and another counter with a man. Gibu asked the ushers if he could go to a different line because he is a friend of David's, and the lady gestured to the next line. As Gibu went forward in the line he realized that the other counter for the line he was originally in was being extremely loud and rude to all the applicants and he silently praised God for being honest and asking to move lines. Finally he reached the front of the line and ended up at the counter of a lady. After handing over his initial papers and explaining the situation, the lady asked a few questions about how long we'd known each other and where he would be visiting in the States. She left the counter briefly and when she returned she tossed his passport in a basket and said, "Congratulations, your visa will be delivered to you in 2-3 business days."
Gibu stood there for a few seconds, frozen in silence. They hadn't asked for one document to verify what he was saying. Not my contract, not our bank statements, not even our marriage license.
As we look back at the whole situation, we are incredibly grateful for God's timing. We had applied for the same visa last summer to try to come and visit right after the wedding. However, if we had gotten that visa, we would not have had the beautiful honeymoon that we had in Thailand. We would have been so busy running around between friends' and family places visiting. We are so excited to go and spend some time there visiting some of my friends and getting to spend some quality time with my family!
God is good!
