Africa -July 6- July 13 The story continues about passports

Well,we are in a wait time again. Now that we have passports, the typical routine would be that we would take those down to the Embassy and leave them and file for the visas for the kids which would usually take a few days, then we would be on our way home.
Well, since our I-600 paperwork expired before we got their passports, we had asked for an extension for renewal of the paperwork instead of having to start over. Our Senator Jeff Sessions and staff offered to help us. At this point nothing can happen with visas until the approval from homeland security comes through, so we are on a wait again. We are hoping it will only take a couple of weeks or less. As I was pretty sick during this time, I did not keep up my journal as well except by email, so through them I will try to recount the events to the best of my ability. During this time, All three kids were exposed to Chicken pox. Allenni and Andrew had had the varicella vaccine but Isaiah had not. I wrote Duane and asked him if they broke out, how long would they be contagious. I knew they probably wouldn't let us on a plane with kids that had it. That would mean that if we did get visas we would have to wait it out some more.
I think the best way for you to understand the emotions going on in us both at this time to just to let you read our correspondence with one another.

Duane wrote back : "I swear, I am getting sick of these stupid roadblocks. He would be contagious for about a week. I'm praying right now he doesn't get it, but it is the most contagious disease on the planet. It would take a miracle of God for him not to get it."

Below is an excerpt of my response to Duane dated around this time:

Well, we will just wait and see what happens with the chicken pox.
You are not going to like what you hear next. I have cried today on and off and spent time in prayer. I know God is going to work all this out.
In the end satan will lose!
When Brenda talked to me last night, she had told me that our attorney was asking for 500 thousand. John came by this morning before going into town to pick the passports and had MILLION shillings. which is approx. $2500. He won't release the passports to us until we pay. IT IS TOTALLY UNFAIR ....... I couldn't believe .....
I did all I could to keep it together but the tears still came.
S. was supposed to talk to him today and ask what is up. I haven't heard from S. who is out of town today so I figure he did not get hold of L.
YES, I AM MAD and I have asked God to be our defender. I had a good crying spell today and have been in the bed most of the day not feeling well.
so I will let you know what transpires.
We gotta give it all to God. He wasn't surprised.
Injustice is being done but our God is bigger than L.
...... He never had any clearance to do such a thing.
S. asked me if he is able to negotiate with L, can we make payment installments. because I told him I wasn't sure we had that kind of money.
B. suggested we go to the police, but they are as corrupt as the attorneys and so are their bosses. So we either want the passports or not. I don't know what L. is thinking.
It is blackmail and criminal. If they try to prosecute, it has the major possibility of dragging the mission through the mud . There is no signed agreement so therefore it is his word against ours and they are not going to believe us.
It looks like we are cornered in this situation but God is fighting for us. He is the defender of the weak.
Well, I didn't want to ruin your day and I had hoped to have had more info by this time but I don't.
I love you. Keep in prayer about it... Don't curse but Bless. Who can be against us if God be for us?
Love, Me"

Well, of course Duane did go a little ballistic. He was not happy to hear this news.
Here is a little of what he wrote back:

"The good news is I went ballistic with the Holy Spirit beside me and basically roared as loud as I could right in front of the throne of God. Everything in me wanted to curse Mr. Lawrence, but I went out to swim and pray and God gave me some insights. Your comment on "bless and don't curse" was quite powerful. I remember when I read I Cor. 4 and one of the characteristics of the apostolic is blessing and not cursing. So I slapped the biggest blessing I could think of on Mr. L. If God chooses not to solve this situation without paying this money, then pay him the money only AFTER you have the passports in hand. We will NOT pay and then have him say "I'll get you the passports tomorrow" ..... It must be clear that he won't receive anything until you have the passports. So you will probably have to meet with him. And when you get the passports, and give him the money, then pray a blessing over him before you go and I mean a good one. ... know, the good ole' blessing from your head to toes releasing all the riches of the kingdom of God kind of blessing. I think this is what God wants us to do. I find it hilarious we pray for justice and then this happens. It is simply proof to me that our prayers for justice are being heard because God is going to come through for us. He will show Himself to be good in every way. I love you. Keep your chin up and your eyes on His smile because He is smiling at you even now. I can feel it."

I had also written our SW in the States at this time asking if she had heard anything about our home study being sent to ATL from DHR in Montgomery and she wrote back saying that the only thing that had happened was that she forwarded our medicals that were missing from our file at DHR.

From Duane:
Hey love!
Thanks for the message yesterday. I took it upon myself to look up A. H. 's info and I just sent her an e-mail asking her to please expedite the home study approval and get it to Atlanta as quickly as possible. Right now I think that everything that can be done has been done, and I am basically acting as an "encourager" to get things moving and keep them moving. I was really hoping and praying you all would be home by this next Monday, but it seems Montgomery has once again decided to take it's sweet time. That's why I wrote the e-mail to Ms. H. Our SW seemed to act like we shouldn't push it too much, but... I asked Anne to get this paperwork done ASAP in as nice a possible way as I could ask. So I'm trying as hard as I can on this side to get things going. I'm sorry you are so sick. You sounded like your grandmother on the phone yesterday with all the wheezing and coughing. I'm praying for you to be healed completely. Well, nothing really new here. I love you and miss you!!!


I guess since we were in a war, Allenni and Andrew decided to put on war paint. They dicscovered Baby powder. Allenni, told me that she wanted to be a Muzungu. So she painted herself white.
Isaiah got in on the act.

Getting the passports in my hands!!!

Update posted July 7, 2009
Well, as I posted previously, I was in Masaka for several days and was told that the kids passports had been printed on June 30th!!!!! Thank You God! Our mountain had been crushed.

We rejoiced and the kids are so excited. What a long journey this has been.
As we wait for Our I-600a to be renewed, I am thankful that our Senator, Jeff Sessions stepped in to intervene. We hoped it would only take a few days to get the stuff done and then we will be on our way home in a week or so.

Our joy was short lived as the enemy tried to throw another roadblock.
Monday, July 6th, back in Kampala, we expected to pick up the passports from our attorney and got news that just tore my heart to pieces.
We were told that our attorney wouldn't release them to us unless we paid a large amount of money. The problem was, we did not have that much money. We had just about drained everything money wise already. It was like all my hope had been pulled out from under me! We finally got to this point and are this close to getting home and now this stunt is pulled and I know we don't have that money to pay immediately. So we are going to be stuck in Africa FOREVER which is going to cost us money. First I was shocked, then just hopeless and then I was mad! And for a little while, I looked down to the wave coming my way and started sinking!

I did all I could to hold back the tears but they still streamed down my face as I sat with B., S., and J.
"How could he do that?" It is not right and totally wrong!!!!!"

We all sat and discussed what we could do?
Really, there was nothing, except negotiate and intervene in prayer.
S. decided he would have a talk with our lawyer and let me know what transpired.

I retreated to my room as I had been in bed for 3 days with bronchitis and sinus infection and prayed and cried out to God to bring Justice.
I was too weak physically and spiritually to fight. I called my dad and mom and had a good cry. He and mom prayed over me. I posted on Facebook for people to pray. I was thankful for the prayer support and encouragement.
At that point I lifted my head up and reached for Jesus to hold me and pull me out of the waves.
After that I released it into My Father's hands, knowing He was bigger than any lawyer who was greedy or wrong. He would fight for us. No one can be against us if He is our God.
A peace came over me that I knew was His love engulfing me and I totally rested in His promises. We would be victorious.
I did not hear anything from S. the rest of the day, so that probably meant that he did not get hold of the attorney.

July 7,
Today, late in the morning, my phone rang. It was J. telling me that he had my passports in hand and was bringing them to me!
The attorney had changed his mind and had released the passports! Hallelujah!!! He wasn't going to hold them until we payed him. Yeah God!!!!

S. is meeting with him on Thursday to talk more and negotiate.
This was awesome news to hear and I am very thankful for S. who spoke with him on my behalf and for all of you who lifted us up in prayer.

My God is an awesome God and I am so thankful for His strength he gives when I am weak, for His healing he gives when I am sick and for His Justice he issues when needed.
He has taught me a lot about reliance on Him and practicing his presence at all times.
This journey is almost over and I so look forward to being back at home with ALL of my family under one roof!

The last I heard on our I-600a paperwork was that we were getting the renewal and our Senator's office was ready and waiting to get expediting done once the documents reached ATL. As of yesterday, the documents were still in AL.
I can't file for the kids' visa's until this approval is finalized.
We wait to hear.
Please continue to pray for me to gain my strength for the things that need to be done in the days ahead. I am thankful that Maggie is with me on this trip. She has been a great help.
I am so behind on my journaling and with this sickness, I have had no energy to journal but hopefully I can get to it soon. I promise I won't leave you all hanging int he middle of a story!
NOTE:
I added some details to the journal post above. I was pretty sick from this point on and was having very bad problems breathing. None of the meds I was taking seemed to help. All I wanted was to get on a plane and go home with my kids!



I was showing the kids their passports. This is what we have been working towards now for over almost two years! This is truely a miracle to be holding these passports. Thank you God!
They were disappointed when I told them that we couldn't go even though we had the passports. It was hard for them to understand.
Brenda brought me red roses to celebrate the passports and for being mom!