Getting a visa in any country is not something that should be taken lightly. Our experience here certainly proves that.
Our initial visa that we got in the U. S. lasted for six months. That meant in February, we needed to get our visa renewed so that we could continue living here. Well, the deadline in February came and went. We were given a piece of paper that said our paperwork was "in process." That was good enough to give us permission to stay in the country, but not enough to let us travel anywhere outside of the country.
The consequences of not getting a renewal meant having to stay in the US for 90 days before returning. That meant that we would have to miss the first month of school or more in the fall. In short, very serious.
There was always one thing or another getting in the way of getting an appointment to get our visa renewed. We tried not to worry about it, since we could not control it. We were preparing ourselves for all scenarios.
Now we were here in our final week, four days from leaving the country. We got up early and arrived at the immigration office at 7:40 am. We took a ticket and sat down to wait. Approximately three hours later, our ticket number was called and we walked to the counter with our translator.
After a heated exchange with the person behind the counter, it was clear we were not going to get our visas at this place. Our translator explained to us that they only wanted to validate the visa for two weeks. That meant we could leave the country, but not re-enter for ninety days. That was not a path we wanted to take.
We left that office to go to another immigration office. On the way there our translator said, "It will probably be too crowded to get seen today, but I can show you where it is and you can go there tomorrow BY YOURSELF." (I added the emphasis there.) This was not going to work for us, because if we were even asked one question by the official we would not be able to answer it because we don't speak Czech.
The building was very small on the outside, with a few people waiting at the entrance, finishing their cigarettes. I thought, "This might work out, thank God!" Then, we climbed the stairs and entered the lobby. The tiny building on the outside belied the long, crowded waiting room. There were 130 people waiting ahead of us. It takes about twenty minutes to get processed if things are going smoothly. Multiply twenty by 130. We were not getting seen that day. I began to pray something like this, "God please help us to remember how to get here tomorrow and to make it on time. Please help the process to go smoothly tomorrow."
Then, I got a text message on my phone. It was from God. No, just kidding. It was from Shara, our friend who works with us here in the Czech Republic. "What time are u going to immigration today?" it read. "We are currently there. The first place we went to would only renew for a couple of weeks. We just arrived at another place," is what I replied. I assumed that Shara was curious and wanted to pray for us or something like that. I looked at Tonya and told her that this was not going to work out today, and that we should be ready to get up early tomorrow. Then, the magic began to happen.
In about two minutes, Shara walked around the corner. My first thought was, "How did she get here so fast?" If you know public transit, then you know that she could not have gotten there in less than an hour.
"My administrator made an appointment for 11:30 and I am about to be seen. I had a gut feeling that you were standing here in the lobby. I am sure they will see us all at once," she said. I got goosebumps. I had this moment where I felt like I heard God say,"How about we get this done TODAY, My way?" All of my plans for working things out "tomorrow" were joyfully crushed before my eyes. I stood in awe of Him.
We finally got our visa approved at 12:19 pm on June 25, 2013, in the only way that could give God the appropriate amount of glory and honor He deserved. I thank Him for his great love and provision for our needs.
The ironic part of it all, is that our friend who made the appointment, was not able to get her visa that day. (She got it the next day.) Clearly, this appointment was for Tonya and me, even though it was made by the administrator of another school for another teacher. It was nothing short of a modern day miracle.
The apostle Paul said it best in Philippians 4:19, "And my God will supply all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." Tonya and I are living proof of this verse. We have seen it happen more than once while living in Prague. We are simply in awe of the work of The Lord in our lives.
