THIS IS IMMIGRATION-I NEED YOUR PASSPORT!

These are the words I heard as I answered the phone this morning. THIS IS THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE, YOU NEED TO COME IN AND BRING IN YOUR PASSPORT.

I didn't quite know what to say. So many thoughts raced through my mind. DId this mean they were kicking me out of the country? If so, it would have been nice if she asked for Mike's too! Had something new happened with immigration laws that I didn't know about? Even the word immigration sounded so serious, could this really apply to me?

As I got over the initial shock and listened more, I believe the lady was calling to tell me to bring in my passport to have my residence visa put in it. I am not sure. I will run off to her office in about a half hour and see.

It will be a blessing if it means that the government has finally approved our visas, they have been pending now since January 2009. Yep, we are already two years behind!

You never know what might surprise you on any given day here. How did a girl from Wheaton with no aspirations for moving or travel end up involved in such things? Only for Jesus' sake!

OK, crisis averted. I just returned from the immigration office. What a difference two years makes (since my first visit to this office). I found the place all by myself (without Mike-huge accomplishment) and was able to figure out what they wanted. They just needed a copy of my new passport since mine had expired in the two years since our last visa application.

No worries-they assure me that another office will call in about 10 days to give us the official stamp in our passports. It will be interesting to see what happens, if we are granted the visas, they expire again January 9, 2011 and we start the whole process over again-oh joy!

On another note, as I walked in to the office, I passed about 50 other immigrants/refugees that were waiting in line for service. I was almost ashamed to just march past them upstairs to be waited on. I was reminded again of the privilege of my US citizenship and of all those who have sacrificed so that I might enjoy such freedoms and my heart was also moved with compassion for those without such privileges. Oh that one day Jesus will return to right all the wrongs of this world.