85

After walking 10 blocks to the Consulate-I took a number and began to catch my breath. 59, 60, 61 appeared on the digital board as I thumbed my 85. It was growing closer and closer to noon and it seemed like the room got smaller and smaller as the crowd multiplied. When the number 85 finally materialized-I somehow ended up at the window. I explained my business (It had been four months and I needed my passport) to which he basically said you left your passport and you are just now picking it up. He and I went around about three times until I finally convinced him that they had called for it. He finally told me to use the phone in the office to call the lady in charge of my case. Upon calling her, I was shocked to find out that she would bring my passport right down. I was definitely not expecting these actions. She brought the passport and said it should only be a couple more weeks. I assured her that when she called-I would send my passport back to them. I walked out feeling most confused. Why would the office dodge all of my phone calls and send me on wild goose chases for days and weeks at a time? All I know is this is what God wants. I don't know why He wanted it to be this way-but I am still here. I put my trust that He knows better and is always at work!
I almost left DC feeling like I got nothing accomplished. I decided to call them this morning to find out some more information (some names, phone numbers, direct contacts in Brazil). I called several times and there were no answers. After a few minutes of thoughts-I called my favorite lady's number back. She informed me that my case was turned back over to her. She sent my visa application to Brazil and it should be next week. I'll admit-I was a bit numb to this information. **Many of you know that I have heard all kinds of excuses, time spans, explanations, etc.** After that, I phoned Daniel (in charge of visa affairs in Brazil) and he was pretty excited about this information. He said this is what we have been waiting on! I began to get pretty excited as well!! We talked for a moment and he said that he was on his way to a meeting about my case with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He assured me that there was nothing else I could do and that I could come on home! I felt so much better about leaving!

In -DC-there is always something great to do, something awesome to learn, and somewhere new to explore. This time-I learned more about God's timing, being faithful, and again "There is a reason!"

Prayer Requests

• The White's-their adoption journey, birth mother, baby, financial, other adoption routes.
• Missionaries being sent out this summer-Aaron King, Stewart Miles, Mary Wolford, Julie Lasslo, CrossPoint Baptist Church Youth (going to MFUGE)
• People at the Brazilian Consulate in US and for those in Brazil.
• My patience and continued seeking the Lord in delays, distractions, etc.
• More Short term jobs
• Lost friends

Praise

• The movement of my Visa Application to Brazil!!!!
• Daniel Lopes (the guy in charge of visa stuff in Brazil)-his little daughter was thought to have cancer-but it is all BENIGN!!! :) He was so glad to tell me this news today!!!
• Short term jobs being provided.
• Another Cuban friend made it to the United States! Adrian is living in Pheonix, Arizona and is doing well!

Oh the Places You'll Go

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!


Day 1
In an effort to retain my passport (hopefully-if they haven't lost it) and information on my visa, I have traveled to Washington, DC. We made it into town about 2pm and after a few seconds of readjusting to public transportation maps (The Metro) we headed on the Blue Line towards the Consulate (which is about an hour from our hotel-with all the Metro stops and switches). I think we looked a bit out of place because he spotted us. We weren't looking at a map or doing the other things that tourists usually do-we were just sitting there. He walked in with a boom box-"old skool" style (no kidding) and said "Ya'll mind if I play some tunes for the ride?" to which we looked at each other and Mare responded, "Sure". We didn't know we would be listening to "dying fetus, obituary, and scorpian". After a few moments, we realized he would say what everyone else was thinking with no refrain. After a few minutes he realized there had been no proper introduction to which he said, "I'm John" that escaladed until we realized he was talking to us. We, however, did not respond with our names. He did not give us time before he said, "I have ADHD and I'm always happy." He proceeded to tell us about his extra curricular activities, inviting us to the skate park (to which he said, "That's okay if you don't, I've got plenty of people that will be there.") By this time I was shaking in my seat and trying not to breath. I could feel that laugh coming on-the one that is uncontrollable and loud-you all know that laugh. BUT-I kept it in. Until-we realized that we could not hear the conductor telling us which line we were on and what stop we were approaching. Before I completely thought that thought through, I heard, "WE CAN'T HEAR YOU, SPEAK UP ....." and I LOST IT. I just put my head down and he commented on how hard I was shaking. We had several other conversations with John and he included himself in about four other conversations with others before he jumped off at the skate park to join his "lots" of other people. The rest of our rides were not as eventful. Most of the people slept, read the paper, and minded their own business. We realized how much we missed our friend and his annoying/interesting lifestyle. One comment that really stuck with us was, "I am always happy. I could be ticked off and talking to someone and be grinning the whole time." How many times am I happy when on the inside I am really upset? I am ashamed to say that sometimes being upset affects my whole life-even people who are not directly involved with that particular situation. I pray about this often and lay at the feet of Jesus when situations like this arise.

We were unsuccessful at getting to the Consulate in time today. Transportation was hard and we ran into a lot of traffic that slowed us down on the way. We walked about 5 miles out of our way to the Consulate. We were about 45 minutes late and knew that there would be no getting in the door. We went anyway and sat on the steps(the picture!) of 3009 Whitehaven Street NW. This is the place that I have been calling for 5 months. It became all so real to me as I took off my flip flops and began to wonder what could happen tomorrow. After a few minutes, we realized that we could not sit there all night and the Brazilians might not like that. So, after much talk about the things we could see in DC-we ran off to find a bus. We chose an Ethiopian Cuisine restaurant which Mare said it was very true to actual Ethiopian food! The meat was in long strings? You ate with this like....bread stuff that you tear off, pick up the food, and then dip? Different. Very different.
Then, we decided to go Federal Triangle to see the Monuments in the dark. They were absolutely beautiful. I appreciate the fact that I live in America and have leisurely freedom to say the least.

Day 2

The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

We woke up REALLY early in order to make our hour and a half long trek to the Consulate. Upon getting out of bed-I nearly fell into the floor. That is what wearing flip flops in DC does for you. My calves and feet simply could not work the way they should. We threw on some clothes and headed for Whitehaven Street NW
After the 45 minute Metro ride and hooving it about 10 blocks, we made it to the Consulate!!! (read "85" for the rest of this )

After the Consulate-we hopped a bus up to the National Cathedral as I called Brazil to let them know the results. Mr. Bose and I talked about what would happen next and not really understanding what was going on at the Consulate. We talked about some options and agreed to talk again once I had some more questions answered.
The National Cathedral is full of art, history, and beautiful architecture. The arches, stained glass windows, and mosaics are so intricately designed-it is hard to tear your eyes away from them. We had to carry on!! We had three days of sight seeing to do in just one! We ran off (well, actually we hobbled) to see the Holocaust Museum. I don't know if this piece of history can become a reality until you see this place. The smells, sounds, poems, photographs, artifacts, and exhibits bring this monstrosity to life. Sometimes you need to see, hear, and smell hard things.

The wild grasses rustle over Babi Yar.
The trees look ominous,like judges.
Here all things scream silently,
and, baring my head, slowly I feel myself
turning gray. And I myself am one massive,
soundless scream above the thousand thousand buried here.
-Yevgeny Yevtushenko (excerpt from Babi Yar)

We are the shoes, we are the last witnesses.We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathersFrom Prague, Paris and Amsterdam, And because we are only made of fabric and leatherAnd not of blood and flesh, Each one of us avoided the hellfire
– Moshe Szulsztein, Yiddish Poet

My number is 174517; we have been baptized, we will carry the tattoo on our left arm until we die."
-Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz

We stopped on the Mall to recount what we saw, catch up on some reading, and watch some guys frisk others into playing whiffle ball with them while a friend video taped? Strange. Then, we headed up to "the Hill" to quickly see the Library of Congress and make our way to the Capitol Hill Baptist Church for Wednesday night service. This sign is what we found outside the church. We did not get to hear Mark Dever speak, but he has an outstanding Assistant Pastor who opened the Word and lead a discussion about Matthew 5:25-26. These verses talk about if you are going to court with an adversary, you should settle before you get there. This was quite interesting as the lawyers and other "legally" involved people from the Hill gave their insights and views on this passage. At the end of the hour, he gave us something to think about. He basically said, God is our adversary-we need to settle with Him before Judgement Day. I hadn't thought of these passages like that before.....

We had dinner with a friend and talked about his work on the Hill. He spoke of many neat opportunities and experiences! It was good to see a bit of familiarity within that big city!
We wanted to make use of every single moment-so we rushed off to sit on the Lincoln Memorial! The experience is breathtaking, serene, and the breeze seems to wrap itself around you. This is a great place to talk to God, think, and epitomize different things in your life. God has been speaking to me about several things in my life and through this experience confirmed some changes in my thoughts and actions.
So-you think the night is over? It isn't-we quickly got back to the Metro where we caught one of the last trains back to Franconia/Springfield. Life is just generally funnier when you are exhausted, in pain, and people watching. As we approached our final destination-we started counting the stops. The only problem is-is that we counted the "routine maintenance" stop and accidentally got off on the wrong one. It only took us five minutes to realize what we had done-to which we can do nothing but laugh. So-we wait fifteen extra minutes and catch the last train. This train carried a different group of dancers (ha ha) who thought it was funny to dance up and down the isles as the train was moving. I barely kept myself together. These are the Metro rides I LOVE. It's no fun when everyone minds their own business and follows all the rules!

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.



So-in essence-I got to experience a little bit of everything along with the Consulate. The news was somewhat not what I was expecting. That's how God wanted it to be. So-I'm off to Great Places while I wait for His glorious and perfect timing in this situation. I am confident in His Sovereignty and ready to climb whatever mountain may come!!



you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
-Dr. Seuss Oh the Places You'll Go (all in green)

Submission

In the book, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by John Piper and Wayne Grudem , the foreward is for singles. This is a bit encouraging as I continually answer the single questions of life for this part of my life.........

Jesus is the example to follow. He was single. He was born to serve.... He had deep friendships among all sorts of people-men, women, single, married. That was his work, an intimate part of his ultimate mission of dying on the cross for our sins... His relationship with Mary, Martha, Peter, and the other disciples helped prepare him for his death. No one can love in the abstract. he allowed hmself to be interrupted by needy children, distraught fathers, hungry men and sick women...Jesus sought to make himself vulnerable.
-Cheryl Forbes

I cared not how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke the first thing I thought of was this great work. All my desire was for the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God.
-David Brainerd

She had been a missionary in China for six or seven years before she ever thought of wanting a husband. When a British couple came to work near hear, she began to watch the wonderful thing they had in marriage, and to desire it for herself. Being a woman of prayer she prayed-a straightforward request that God would call a man from England, send him straight out to China, and have him propose. She leaned toward me on the sofa on which we were sitting, her black eyes snapping, her boney little forefinger jabbing at my face. "Elisabeth, " she said, "I believe God answers prayer! He called him." Then, in a whisper of kenn intensity, "but he never came."
-Gladys Alyward conversation with Elisabeth Elliot

My whole being cries out continually for something I may not have. My whole life must be lived in the context of this never-ceasing tension. My professional life, my social life, my personal life, my Christian life-all are subject to its constant and powerful pull. As a Christian I have no choice but to obey God, cost what it may. I must trust him to make it possible for me to honor him in my singleness.
That this is possible, a mighty cloud of witnesses will join me to attest. Multitudes of single Christians in ever age and circumstance have proved God's sufficiency in this matter. He has promised to meet our needs and he honors his word. If we seek fulfillment in him, we shall find it. It may not be easy, but whoever said that Christian life was easy? The badge of Christ's discipleship was a cross.
Why must I live my life alone? I do not know. But Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. I believe in the sovereignty of God, and I accept my singleness from his hand. He could have ordered my life otherwise, but he has no chosen to do so. As his child, I must trust his love and wisdom.
-Margaret Clarkson on submission


I think submission to husbands/wives is over emphasized. It must be important to submit to my Lord first and foremost. How well do I do that? Do I submit to my Lord better than what I would a husband? How well do I carry out my submission to God? Is my submission fearless, relentless, diligent or just stagnant, unreliable, and unstable? I would say that it is both. I seek more of the former and less of the latter. I must admit that daily I struggle to kill the latter, but it is an uphill struggle. It is a fight of the flesh. Why wouldn't I submit? The one true peace, perfection, sacrifice, and so many other things.... It seems so easy s0-why isn't it? Submission= spending time with God daily, making outward to others what Christ has done inward, seeking out the sin problems in my life, giving Him my problems first, and seeing Him in every situation.
These are some verses I found that have encouraged me in this......

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
-James 4:7

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden trasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives widsom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound widsom for the upright; he is a shield to hose who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
-Proverbs 2:1-8

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
-Ephesians 2:22

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let you reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which supasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:4-7

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
-2 Peter 1:3-4