August 29, 2007

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.