The Saga of the Visas

For the past 2 days we have driven from Richmond, VA to Washington, DC to hand deliver our Visa paperwork to the Brazilian Consulate. The first day that we went, we got there 1 minute late so we had to come back again today. After we submitted all of our paperwork the consulate worker told us that since our visas were "special" that we should expect to wait 60 days, and then there may be a possibility that we would have to return to Washington, DC to complete more paperwork at some point during that 60 days. This creates a problem for us because our regional office will not purchase plane tickets for us until we have visas in hand. We understand that the 60 day policy is pretty much the company line, and that it could take less or more time than that. This Visa paperwork is a process that we have been working on for approximately 6 months, and the requirements for Brazilian Visas are incredible. This is a way that Satan has used to discourage us in the past, but we KNOW that there is a big work in Brazil that God desires to accomplish through us. We have claimed the verse Habakkuk 1:5 which says, "Look to the nations, watch and be utterly amazed for I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told." We KNOW that GOD is in control of this Visa situation, and that He knows the absolute right time that we are to arrive in Brazil. We need your prayers to be for the following things:
1) We have to go to Washington, D.C. in 2 weeks. Please pray that this will be the last trip that we will have to make, and that we will be able to meet with the consular officials at that time.
2) Please pray that GOD will show Himself mighty through this situation, and that the visa applications will be processed quickly.
Thank you for all that you all mean to us - we are uplifted through your support and love.

One-Half way through FPO at the ILC on MLC Lane in VA for an ISC family with the IMB...

The Gilpin family is current in Rockville, VA (right outside Richmond). We are at a place known as the International Learning Center (ILC) which is located on Missionary Learning Center Lane (MLC Lane). For those of you who may not know, we are International Mission Board (IMB) personnel who serve in the International Service Corp (ISC) status. Currently we have numerous singles and families training with us for mission work all over the world. We are almost one half the way through a two months of intense training known as Field Personnel Orientation (FPO). This training will assist us in crossing cultures as well as growing closer to Christ. Our time here will end at the beginning of October. In mid-October (the current tentative date set is the 17th) we will be leaving for Brazil for about 36 months.

As we begin this journey, our family can truly say that we have felt God presence and heard His voice speak to our hearts. This has been in part because of the prayers of the faithful who are bringing intercessions before the Father. Thank you so much for those of you whom have said prayers on our behalf.