Hurry Up and Wait

For months now Dana & I have occasionally run into people around town who have exclaimed with surprise, "I thought you were gone!  Aren't you leaving the country?," or maybe even, "Wow, are you back already?" So we've gotten somewhat used to assuring people that yes, we are still planning to leave, but there is a long process associated with this, and it takes time.

But then, in December, we actually bought tickets, and finally had an actual date for leaving.  January 23, 2013 took on real significance for us, as our plane was scheduled to depart at 7:00 am that day.  While it was still somewhat abstract at times, we knew it was finally all coming to fruition.  Except that it didn't!

Our kids get some time with the cousins.

Here I sit on January 24, still in Montana.  The kids are enjoying their extra time with Nana and Papa, and Dana & I are trying to be patient.  Our passports and visa application are still sitting in the Bolivian embassy, and we have no idea when to expect them back.  We have a travel agent working on options for re-issuing our tickets, while trying to minimize the change in fare.  There will be a $1000 change fee, in addition to whatever the change in fare is, so minimizing that is fairly important right now.  But at the same time, we can't really commit to a new itinerary until we know the status of our visas.  So yes, it's a bit of a vicious circle, and all we can do is wait until somebody has new information for us.

In the midst of this all, we've been reminded that the reality of working in foreign countries often includes red tape and rules that may not make sense to us.  Many people assume the holdup is a U.S. government issue, but if that were the case, there might actually be something we could do to push the process along.  But when it is up to a foreign government, well, let's just say we don't want to start off on the wrong foot.

One verse has come up through several different avenues in the midst of all of this, and has been going through my mind numerous times a day lately.  Psalms 46:10 says Be still and know that I am God.  "Being still" is not exactly a virtue in our society, and certainly not something I am comfortable with.  But here I am, trying to wait patiently and believe that all will come together in God's perfect timing.  I just wish He took my suggestions on what that timeline should be!