The Bad, The Good, and the VERY Expensive

Today was busy. And tiring. And emotional.

I got an email mid-morning that said Nizhny Novgorod has re-issued the exact same letter to the Consulate, which they again, rejected and denied our adoption visas. The bad.

I then got word that Nizhny Novgorod had given us permission to travel on business visas, which they were previously unwilling to do. (this was not the way we thought the Lord would answer, but answer He did!) This was somewhat relieving news--it just meant that we had to have our passports returned to us, re-apply for business visas, and do this all within the next 48 hours so that they could be in our hands by Saturday, for our Monday early AM flight. The good.

In order to make this happen, everything had to be super expedited and that means super expensive! 4 times what we had planned to pay for our visas. The VERY, VERY, VERY expensive.

The mountain has not been totally conquered, but we now feel we are actually climbing it, with the peak in sight and our footholds secure. Please continue to pray because we must have our passports and visas by Saturday afternoon. We are being assured that this will happen, but still feel the need for much prayer on our behalf. God has been at work and we are certain He is still answering us.

The wrap-up: We will pack, get the kids (and super-cute puppy) all squared away with friends and family, and can't wait to celebrate on Saturday when our business visas arrive!!

Thank you for laboring in prayer for us. It means the world to us. We truly believe that God hears and answers us. It is humbling to know that so many people were praying and passing along our requests to others who joined us in prayer. We are immensely grateful.

We leave REALLY soon, I mean REALLY soon!!! It seems surreal; I am not sure when it will seem like reality, but it sure feels good!

Thankful,
Melanie for all