This post is about the adventure that Abby, Lily, and I went on today.
It all started at 5:00 AM this morning. I woke up to the sound of my alarm, and it was quite alarming. I did not expect to sleep at all, but I hit my pillow like a lump and was in dream land before I knew the difference between it and reality. I guess I just had a peace that everything was going to be fine. The girls were up at five thirty and in a daze. We were in a Tuk Tuk by six. Our appointment was at seven, but it is a half hour drive to the Embassy and we did not want to be late... we were not. We stood in line outside the Embassy for a half an hour. After we got into the Embassy, we waited some more. After about thirty minutes (which, if you know anything about the U.S. Embassy, is a very short time), we were called to the window. I handed in our paperwork, and the employee looked at it for a moment and said, "These pictures are unacceptable. Please take this sheet with you, get new ones, and return before nine. Then you can continue the interview process." We ran to the closest photo shop (there are literally a bajillion in Cambodia), and had Abby and Lily pose for a new photos that were the correct size and positioning. After that, we rushed back to the Embassy. By this time, it was about eight thirty, and the girls were getting restless. We waited and waited and waited, until at last at ten thirty, we were called to the window for our interview. He asked for the forms again, and asked if I was the legal guardian of the girls, which I proudly answered, "Yes, we have foster care through the Ministry of Social Affairs," and it felt so good to say it. He asked about our relationship with the girls mother, and whether she knew we were taking them on this trip, to which I replied, "Yes, she actually helped us get the passports :)" He asked about our intentions to adopt, and I told him that we would love to adopt, if it ever became an option. Then he walked away for a while to make some copies and look over our forms. When he came back he asked about our plans in America. I told him, and he asked to see some kind of documentation of our roots in Cambodia, so I gave him our work contracts and a letter of recommendation from our director. And after waiting all morning, this thirty minute interview ended with him saying, "Well, everything looks great. I just need to make some copies and you will be all set." When he came back, he handed me a slip of blue paper and said, "You can pick up your visas on Thursday." And our adventure of the last five months ends with Abby, Lily, and I dancing outside the U.S. Embassy and screaming, "We're going to America!!!"
Celebratory Ice Cream :)
Obviously, some of you may be wondering about our plane tickets. It seems as though we have not been too worried about them at all, and there is a reason. Kelsi's parents offered to pay the difference after we tried to raise the money. A couple days ago, when I made the visa appointment, we went ahead and began to book our flights through a ministry that allows you to do early booking without cash in hand immediately. Today, along with visas, we also got our e-tickets for our trip home. We will be departing on November 12th, earlier than even Kelsi hoped for initially.
We decided to go with one way tickets (don't get excited, we are coming back to Cambodia), so that we can raise funds for our trip back while we are in the states. Please consider donating towards this. There are instructions on our post here:
http://missioncambodia-bergen.blogspot.com/2014/09/plane-tickets-and-game.html
Kelsi's family has been way generous to us (I hope they don't mind me saying it), and we would love to take more of this burden off their shoulders. They are such a blessing to us, and we could in no way repay them, and I don't think that they would ever ask us to.
So, I guess I will be seeing all of you sometime between the months of November and February, with all my girls by my side. Speaking of my girls, they are awesome. Abby and Lily handled a five hour wait at the Embassy like pros--no melt downs, obedient as all get out, and with great attitudes the whole time. They are great :) You guys will love meeting them! Pray for our flight!
BecauseHeLives,
Micah.
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