Azucena

As most of you know, we want Azucena to come home with us to study in the States. Over the years, we have watched her grown, not only in stature, but in knowledge & especially in her English skills.
This year, we started praying for God to open the doors for her to come to our home.
There are many steps to this process.
The first, the judge had to approve her leaving Emmanuel to come live with us.
This took many days & many Moon Pies to get the approval. Several of the staff members her at Emmanuel had a part in this step. Katja, completed all of the paperwork & even went before the judge herself to speak on part of Azucena. Azucena told the judge her wishes & her mother signed off on approval. But the funniest part was the part that Moon Pies played in this step. Emmanuel is located in Guaimaca, Honduras. The former mayor of Guaimaca, Don Hector, went before the judge. The judge was more happy when Don Hector gave him Moon Pies than any other thing that was spoken. It is funny what God will use for His good. Moon Pies of all things.
The second step, Passport. Once the judge's order was in hand, Azucena went to get her passport. Wonderful Don Hector took her to get her passport.That went off without a hitch.
The next big & major step, Student Visa. We completed all paperwork & paid all fees on-line. The visa appointment was set for Wednesday, July 21st at 7:30 AM at the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa. David & Lydia, the founders of Orphanage Emmanuel, picked up Brent, Azucena & me at 5:30 AM. From what we understood, we had to be in line at 7:30 AM in order to be allowed in the Embassy. Due to heavy traffic, we arrived at 7:40 AM. To say the least, I was a little worried. However God is good. I kept telling myself, that He has brought us so far, that how could He stops us at this point. The guards allowed us in line & about 15 minutes later, we entered the Embassy. The first stop was with a clerk that checked to see if we had all of the right paperwork: passport, SEVIS fee confirmation, Embassy appt ticket & I-20. We did & Azucena was fingerprinted.
We then went to a large waiting room. I was thankful we had chairs to sit in cause I knew it would be a while before we were seen. While we waited, I constantly prayed. Finally, it was our time. All of us, Azucena, David & Lydia, Brent & myself went to the window. The clerk first said, "Oh my, who are all you people?" David explained that he & Lydia were the Legal Guardians of Azucena & that Brent & I were her sponsors.
At that point, Lydia & I went to wait in another room. About 15 minutes, we heard the good news. Azucena visa was approved for 5 years! We thought that it would only be approved for 1 year due to the judge stated that she has to come back in one year for him to reapprove her status.
What a sigh of relief! I wanted to shout but felt that would not be appropriate in the Embassy. Everyone was happy. I could feel God's hand all over this process. Many people were praying. Many that we know but many that we didn't.
Once we left the Embassy, Azucena wanted to go to Pizza Hut for lunch. What a good celebration meal.
We will leave Emmanuel early Friday morning, to pick up the Visa at the Embassy at 8:00 AM. Then off to immigration at the airport. We have to go through immigration in Honduras as well as in the Atlanta airport. Two more steps, them home to Flintstone GA. I can't wait!
The real fun begins getting her ready for school. School starts in about 2 1/2 weeks.
Yikes - but this is what it is all about. Giving a child a better chance at life by helping her study in the States.
I will end by giving praise to God. I am grateful that He is allowing Brent & I to have a daughter & Josh to have a sister. God is truly good. Praise be to Him!

Until next time,
Bettye