Fun day!
We have been going through paperwork here in Bulgaria since around January. It is always fun to find out what you need, how it is not enough, or how it has just expired and you need another one. We truly give our lawyer plenty of work to do.
We recently had to get FBI criminal background checks processed and sent from America to Bulgaria. (I won't bore you with the details and length of this process, but began back in Feb.) They were finally obtained in America and sent to Bulgaria via my amazing parents. We were on a time crunch, but we had gotten an extension so we had three weeks to get it here. Priority mail in the states costs around $17 to get it here and states that it takes 6 to 10 business days. DHL or UPS is about $130, so we opted for the cheaper and figured we had time. I should also state that we are not familiar with the mail here and how it works. We just put up a mailbox with our name on it for these documents specifically and checked everyday for the notice they said would get placed in the locked mailbox. They were sent Apr. 24 from Atlanta. On May 7, I went with a friend here to the post office to check on them and was told they had not arrived.
By May 14 the lawyer called and said the police stated that they must be here by the 23rd (and apostilled and translated) or we would have to leave the country. This is when you send prayer requests to prayer partners :D
The next morning (thanks to prayers) the police officer told our lawyer that if we sent the unofficial copies he would accept them and give us another extension, praise the Lord! (but of course this meant more paperwork)
So, our lawyer comes to our town (I've lost count of how many times she has had to take the bus to our town from the capital to help us), to help us submit the extension papers. While we are there I am apologizing for not using the faster service, thanking him for his extension, and made a joke, "Wouldn't it be funny if they are sitting at the post office right now?"
So afterwards, I asked our lawyer if she would go to the post office with us just to check. Guess what? They were there! And had been there since May 7! (The lady said someone must have stolen our notice.)
We ran them back to the police officer and we all had a good laugh! We are currently getting them translated and sealed and go back Monday to present them. Please help us pray for the finalization of these documents. This will give us legal residency status until next year.
This reminds me of how God has provided for us "Everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3), but how the enemy or people or circumstances sometimes make it seem we are at a loss. The good thing is that we weren't emotional or fearful about the situation in any way. We knew God called us here, and He would see it through.
The documents were there the whole time...sometimes we just need a little wisdom and persistence to see it.
We have been going through paperwork here in Bulgaria since around January. It is always fun to find out what you need, how it is not enough, or how it has just expired and you need another one. We truly give our lawyer plenty of work to do.
We recently had to get FBI criminal background checks processed and sent from America to Bulgaria. (I won't bore you with the details and length of this process, but began back in Feb.) They were finally obtained in America and sent to Bulgaria via my amazing parents. We were on a time crunch, but we had gotten an extension so we had three weeks to get it here. Priority mail in the states costs around $17 to get it here and states that it takes 6 to 10 business days. DHL or UPS is about $130, so we opted for the cheaper and figured we had time. I should also state that we are not familiar with the mail here and how it works. We just put up a mailbox with our name on it for these documents specifically and checked everyday for the notice they said would get placed in the locked mailbox. They were sent Apr. 24 from Atlanta. On May 7, I went with a friend here to the post office to check on them and was told they had not arrived.
By May 14 the lawyer called and said the police stated that they must be here by the 23rd (and apostilled and translated) or we would have to leave the country. This is when you send prayer requests to prayer partners :D
The next morning (thanks to prayers) the police officer told our lawyer that if we sent the unofficial copies he would accept them and give us another extension, praise the Lord! (but of course this meant more paperwork)
So, our lawyer comes to our town (I've lost count of how many times she has had to take the bus to our town from the capital to help us), to help us submit the extension papers. While we are there I am apologizing for not using the faster service, thanking him for his extension, and made a joke, "Wouldn't it be funny if they are sitting at the post office right now?"
So afterwards, I asked our lawyer if she would go to the post office with us just to check. Guess what? They were there! And had been there since May 7! (The lady said someone must have stolen our notice.)
We ran them back to the police officer and we all had a good laugh! We are currently getting them translated and sealed and go back Monday to present them. Please help us pray for the finalization of these documents. This will give us legal residency status until next year.
This reminds me of how God has provided for us "Everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3), but how the enemy or people or circumstances sometimes make it seem we are at a loss. The good thing is that we weren't emotional or fearful about the situation in any way. We knew God called us here, and He would see it through.
The documents were there the whole time...sometimes we just need a little wisdom and persistence to see it.
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