God does care about our lives; every miniscule, insignificant, stupid little moment. He not only knows, but he also cares. The God who made the universe, everything that we see and what we can't see, every tiny cell in our bodies, and so much more- He cares that I'm on a document scavenger hunt that's trying my patience and is essential to me staying here. He knows. And he cares. And the best part is, he doesn't just know and car- He acts. He takes a moment out of his busy schedule being, you know, God, and helps me find the right bus. He makes a process that should take 4 hours take 15 minutes. He shows me where I am when I'm hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar part of town. I just thought it's fitting to give Him credit for what He did so far in the visa/registration process.
1.) Line-jumping in Moldova
When I went to the Ukrainian Embassy in Moldova to get my visa, we arrived a little late. In fact, we were given number 33 in line to get into the embassy. Normally, about 20-25 people make it in each day. Since we were only in Moldova for one day, it was important to make it into the building. After conversing with a lady outside, Kurt expressed that we were from Ukraine and only in Moldova for one day. We expected to wait until they called number 33, but when a worker came to admit more people, the lady we had talked to said, "These people are foreigners, and they're only here for one day. Take them in to do their visa." In 5 minutes, we moved from 33rd place in line to 1st. Слава Богу.
2.) The God of Irony
After Moldova, it was time to start the registration process. Since I'm only free on Mondays and Tuesdays, a friend and I went the first Tuesday we could downtown to the OVIR office (the place that processes the documents for registration). Before we went, we prayed that the Lord would open doors and help us in this process. We went to look for the OVIR (which was pretty easy to miss), and we found it- the only open door on the street. The lady inside was super-helpful and there was no line. God was definitely in that. Next, we had to go to the police station for a criminal background check. Again, trying to find a poorly-marked office on a busy street. Again, the door to the office was open. We needed to pay for the background check at a particular bank- again, the door we needed was open. Sometimes, God shows off. Not only is He big enough to open figurative doors in a confusing process, but also literal doors. He's just that cool.
3.) Divine Appointments
So today another friend and I went downtown to work on the process some more. We went to OVIR and the lady told us I needed another paper (one I had no idea I needed), and that to get it would take between 2-3 weeks. The crazy thing is that my paperwork needs to be submitted before February 15th (about 2 weeks and 2 days from now). Crunch time. We asked where to get such a paper, and she sent us to another office a little ways away. We got to this office only to find that they don't do the document we needed. My friend called the phone number of the office trying to find the correct room within the building that processes the document we needed. The person she talked to gave her another phone number, who then gave her another phone number, who then said that this office doesn't process the particular document.
After complete and utter frustration walking around in the wet melted snow for about 2 hours, my friend said we could try an office near where she lives, that maybe there people could help us figure out this mystery. So we went to the building, up to the 7th floor, and looked for the room we needed. Surprise, surprise- poorly marked and impossible to find. My friend walked to the end of the hall and turned to see a lady coming out of the bathroom. She asked the lady where we could find the office, and it turned out that this lady was the only person who processes the specific type of document we needed. She was just about to go on her lunch break, but said she'd help us. She explained clearly what we needed, gave us a form to fill out, and even found my documents I had submitted earlier to double check that this was the right place. After walking around in circles, having none of our questions answered, trying to find an office that doesn't exist, and many headaches, the Lord gave us not only the right place, but led us to the right lady the exact moment before she left for lunch. God knows what's going on, cares about it, and puts us where we need to be.
I'm sure there will be many other miracles throughout this process, but I just thought I'd stop and take a moment and share some of them. I'm not finished yet, and as I told my Ukrainian grandma Valiya, I will have a party when it's all done. For now, I'm trusting that the Lord knows when paperwork needs to be done and that if He wants me to be here, He would make a way. He's parted a sea before, made the sun stop in the sky before, and done so many other crazy things- surely he can move some pieces of paper where they need to go before the time when they're due. Pray with me expectantly, trusting God with it and asking that He be glorified in this process.
1.) Line-jumping in Moldova
When I went to the Ukrainian Embassy in Moldova to get my visa, we arrived a little late. In fact, we were given number 33 in line to get into the embassy. Normally, about 20-25 people make it in each day. Since we were only in Moldova for one day, it was important to make it into the building. After conversing with a lady outside, Kurt expressed that we were from Ukraine and only in Moldova for one day. We expected to wait until they called number 33, but when a worker came to admit more people, the lady we had talked to said, "These people are foreigners, and they're only here for one day. Take them in to do their visa." In 5 minutes, we moved from 33rd place in line to 1st. Слава Богу.
2.) The God of Irony
After Moldova, it was time to start the registration process. Since I'm only free on Mondays and Tuesdays, a friend and I went the first Tuesday we could downtown to the OVIR office (the place that processes the documents for registration). Before we went, we prayed that the Lord would open doors and help us in this process. We went to look for the OVIR (which was pretty easy to miss), and we found it- the only open door on the street. The lady inside was super-helpful and there was no line. God was definitely in that. Next, we had to go to the police station for a criminal background check. Again, trying to find a poorly-marked office on a busy street. Again, the door to the office was open. We needed to pay for the background check at a particular bank- again, the door we needed was open. Sometimes, God shows off. Not only is He big enough to open figurative doors in a confusing process, but also literal doors. He's just that cool.
3.) Divine Appointments
So today another friend and I went downtown to work on the process some more. We went to OVIR and the lady told us I needed another paper (one I had no idea I needed), and that to get it would take between 2-3 weeks. The crazy thing is that my paperwork needs to be submitted before February 15th (about 2 weeks and 2 days from now). Crunch time. We asked where to get such a paper, and she sent us to another office a little ways away. We got to this office only to find that they don't do the document we needed. My friend called the phone number of the office trying to find the correct room within the building that processes the document we needed. The person she talked to gave her another phone number, who then gave her another phone number, who then said that this office doesn't process the particular document.
After complete and utter frustration walking around in the wet melted snow for about 2 hours, my friend said we could try an office near where she lives, that maybe there people could help us figure out this mystery. So we went to the building, up to the 7th floor, and looked for the room we needed. Surprise, surprise- poorly marked and impossible to find. My friend walked to the end of the hall and turned to see a lady coming out of the bathroom. She asked the lady where we could find the office, and it turned out that this lady was the only person who processes the specific type of document we needed. She was just about to go on her lunch break, but said she'd help us. She explained clearly what we needed, gave us a form to fill out, and even found my documents I had submitted earlier to double check that this was the right place. After walking around in circles, having none of our questions answered, trying to find an office that doesn't exist, and many headaches, the Lord gave us not only the right place, but led us to the right lady the exact moment before she left for lunch. God knows what's going on, cares about it, and puts us where we need to be.
I'm sure there will be many other miracles throughout this process, but I just thought I'd stop and take a moment and share some of them. I'm not finished yet, and as I told my Ukrainian grandma Valiya, I will have a party when it's all done. For now, I'm trusting that the Lord knows when paperwork needs to be done and that if He wants me to be here, He would make a way. He's parted a sea before, made the sun stop in the sky before, and done so many other crazy things- surely he can move some pieces of paper where they need to go before the time when they're due. Pray with me expectantly, trusting God with it and asking that He be glorified in this process.