T Minus 0 ... It's Go Time!

A night can stretch very long when you are awaiting news. Tatiana's appointment was scheduled for 9AM (2AM my time). I had plenty of things to occupy my hands as the minutes dragged by and kept up a steady stream of prayers as well.

I texted a quick message to Tatiana minutes before her appointment time assuring her of my prayers and my love. As the clock inched closer to the 2AM mark, the tension seemed to rise around me. At 2:13AM our coordinator messaged me to let me know Tatiana had checked in and promised to call me when the appointment was finished. "Lord...!" I pleaded.

A full-fledged battle broke out in my mind. Doubts and promises dueled for supremacy. I reviewed the events of the last 5.5 months. All I could see was how God had led us step by step to this moment in time. Was it all for nothing? Would God lead us down this path only to disappoint? As time passed, I whispered, pleaded, and begged God for VISA approval. Finally, in obedience, I humbly submitted my will to His, asking only for strength to withstand the disappointment, should it come.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes passed. How long do VISA interviews last? I wondered. I could no longer keep my hands busy. They were clasped too tightly in prayer.

At 3:20 the phone rang. I knew without looking who it was. "Hello?"

Was it my wild, wee-hour-of-the-morning imagination or did our coordinator sound as if she was smiling? She rattled off the preliminaries, none of which I can remember now, and then took a breath. My heart stopped. My body froze. And then I heard it, "Well, Tatiana is VISA approved!"

"Really?!"

I thought I would faint. I laughed. I cried. I danced. I clapped my hands for joy!

We had arrived at this moment and God had carried us through.

At last, my solo celebration wound down, and I finally slipped back into my bed and allowed sleep to carry me away. But, don't think for a moment that I ever stopped smiling!