It's Done!
Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up and have nothing to deal with...nothing to get done...no one to think about screwing things up?! It's absolutely amazing!
Yesterday we got our passports returned to us from the passport office (that is, the kids' Polish passports) and then we headed off to the Embassy. It was a race against time. Traffic. Crazy roads that seemingly changed names every block. Got lost a few times. Ugh! But we made it a few minutes before 10am (the cut-off time we'd been given).
The visa interviews were no big deal. They took all of our documents, looked it all over, asked for about 50 signatures and a load of money (unreal how much it costs to bring adopted kids into the states...absolutely ridiculous!). After all of that they asked that we return at 3pm to pickup the visas!! That was pretty exciting to hear!
I have to admit that we still had a little anxiety. I guess that's because we've consistently had something to consider for the past year...why would it be different this time? We took off to a nearby mall, after sitting in about 30 minutes worth of traffic, had some lunch, looked around a bit, and headed back to the Embassy. Would you believe that God smiled on us so much that the visa window opened up 15 minutes early? It was something to see my wife (and Mark White) walking back to the car with those three envelopes...symbols that we had made it...symbols of God's hand having been on us the whole time.
This is an enormous victory that all of us share, collectively. We have all prayed for months, asking that God bring this day about...when it would all be done and when the new Shattuck family would be able to finally board a plane and join the rest of our family and friends in the states. And He answered, in the big things and in the small. I know there are parts that I will forget, unfortunately. But I wish you could know every detail...every wave of the Master's hand...every touch...every way He's smiled on us and our children. These are landmarks for our faith and I hope that they will be for you too.
We're going to spend the next few days resting in Warsaw and then sometime next week (we're keeping the date a secret) we'll head home. The kids will become U.S. citizens the moment they hit the ground in the states. How amazing. It's finished. It's done. Thank you, God! Thank all of you for fighting through this alongside us!
Yesterday we got our passports returned to us from the passport office (that is, the kids' Polish passports) and then we headed off to the Embassy. It was a race against time. Traffic. Crazy roads that seemingly changed names every block. Got lost a few times. Ugh! But we made it a few minutes before 10am (the cut-off time we'd been given).
The visa interviews were no big deal. They took all of our documents, looked it all over, asked for about 50 signatures and a load of money (unreal how much it costs to bring adopted kids into the states...absolutely ridiculous!). After all of that they asked that we return at 3pm to pickup the visas!! That was pretty exciting to hear!
I have to admit that we still had a little anxiety. I guess that's because we've consistently had something to consider for the past year...why would it be different this time? We took off to a nearby mall, after sitting in about 30 minutes worth of traffic, had some lunch, looked around a bit, and headed back to the Embassy. Would you believe that God smiled on us so much that the visa window opened up 15 minutes early? It was something to see my wife (and Mark White) walking back to the car with those three envelopes...symbols that we had made it...symbols of God's hand having been on us the whole time.
This is an enormous victory that all of us share, collectively. We have all prayed for months, asking that God bring this day about...when it would all be done and when the new Shattuck family would be able to finally board a plane and join the rest of our family and friends in the states. And He answered, in the big things and in the small. I know there are parts that I will forget, unfortunately. But I wish you could know every detail...every wave of the Master's hand...every touch...every way He's smiled on us and our children. These are landmarks for our faith and I hope that they will be for you too.
We're going to spend the next few days resting in Warsaw and then sometime next week (we're keeping the date a secret) we'll head home. The kids will become U.S. citizens the moment they hit the ground in the states. How amazing. It's finished. It's done. Thank you, God! Thank all of you for fighting through this alongside us!
posted by Michael Shattuck at
1:30 AM
3 Comments:
I am soooooooooooooo happy for all of you!!! All the glory to God!!!! I pray that you will have a hassle-free trip back to the States and be able to rest and refresh there!
Praise the Lord for He is good! I'm soo happy to hear how God has seen this matter through for your family. My continued prayers are with you and your family as you travel to the States. If you ever decide to visit Florida, drop a line to all of us at KBC!
P.S. Did you ever get the pictures I e-mailed to your family?
Hey, who goes on home assignment and spends the last few days with all their things packed and just hanging out?! That's the way to do it!
We're so glad you have the next few days like you do and thankful to God for that blessing. Enjoy them by yourselves and enjoy the rest before the big trip!
Post a Comment
<< Home