The Whirlwind

Monday, August 31 – According to the original plan, we would be leaving for Israel tomorrow. We have already pushed back our flights by one week, so our new scheduled departure date is Sept 8^th. Our volunteer visa information has been sent to Israel. Our contacts think we should be approved within a week. We are praying for the doors to be opened. We get to spend some time tonight with our friends in Marshfield, Missouri for dinner and for some great fellowship.

Wednesday, September 2 approx. 1:00 p.m. – We just received word that our visas have been approved! What a quick turnaround. However, in order to make our flight next Tuesday, we will need to show up in person to an Israel Consulate to pick up our visas and provide more paperwork. The nearest consulate is a twelve hour drive away. The consulate closed for business just 30 minutes ago, so we have to wait until tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. to call and try to get an appointment. Timing is crucial to make our flight. We have to call in and get an appointment before we leave Missouri. Then we have to make the 12 hour drive down to Houston (we’ve already looked into the flights and they are way too expensive at such short notice), get some sleep so we don’t look like crazy people, and get in to the Consulate and approved on the first try within their three hour window for business hours Friday morning. If we are not approved, we will have to move our flight again and likely repeat the trip to Houston within a week. Monday is Labor Day, so an appointment on Monday is a no-go and our flight leaves St Louis Tuesday morning. We are praying fervently for favor and for us to be able to get an appointment Friday morning.

Thursday, September 3 approx. 12:30 p.m. – We have an appointment for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Houston. After three dropped calls, we received the answer we have been praying for! The first time we called, they said that the earliest we could get in would be next Wednesday, but that our paperwork would take longer than that to process (normally 30 days!) so we likely wouldn’t be able to get an appointment or approved until mid-September at the earliest. While we were getting more information, the call dropped. When we called back, we were given mercy we don’t deserve and the gate keeping us out has been opened! We have an appointment for tomorrow! We were given more paperwork to complete so that the consulate can work on our approvals today and we will be given an appointment tomorrow to provide more documentation. We are packing the car and leaving Missouri now since we have a twelve hour drive that we need to complete and still get some decent sleep before tomorrow morning!

Friday, September 4 approx. 1:30 a.m. – We have checked in to the hotel just two blocks from the consulate. We arrived in Houston with no problems and the car trip was smooth sailing. We have been blessed that there is a hotel with an open room, within walking distance of the Consulate and there’s a Starbucks en route! Ha!

Friday, September 4 approx. 9:30 a.m. – We have arrived at the Consulate, checked in and are now waiting to see if we can get in today. Our names are not on the list.

Friday, September 4 approx. 10:00 a.m. – We have been called up for an appointment. While we are waiting, the family in front of us in line (who have been here for 30 minutes already) start to tell us that this is their second trip to the consulate with paperwork to send their son to school in Israel. Their first trip, they brought all the documentation that it said they needed and were sent back home to Dallas for more. That was after waiting weeks for their visa to be approved. I’m getting a bit nervous about our chances, but still praying for favor and for His will to shine through.

Friday, September 4 approx. 10:45 a.m. – It’s our turn! They have our paperwork and are reviewing it! We are waiting. The previous family was told to leave the premises for an hour while the consulate does some more research into their matter. Another family has been brought in while we wait.

Friday, September 4 approx. 11:00 a.m. – We are approved! After a small snafu with Aaron’s documented approval to fly (they accidentally printed the first copy with the wrong name on it!) we have been approved and are leaving the embassy. Headed back to the hotel to grab our car and our things and then off to Dallas for the evening. Why Dallas?!? Because that’s where Brenda and Isaac (Aaron’s younger brother) live with their two little girls, so since it’s only four hours away and it is mostly “on the way” we are going to stop by their place to see them. We haven’t seen them in over a year and had thought that a trip to see them was out of the realm of possibilities. Know what else is awesomely planned? Aaron’s dad just happens to be in Dallas visiting them right now too. Know what else is cool? He didn’t know he was going to be there until Wednesday – the same day we found out that we needed to get to Texas for the weekend. Me thinks Someone has planned the whole thing. We are overjoyed to the point of tears for this immense blessing. He didn’t have to put these last few things in place, but He did. You ready for one last cool thing? It’s Shabbat. And we get to celebrate it with people we figured we wouldn’t see until 2021.

Saturday, September 5 approx. 12:00 p.m. – Now leaving Dallas with full hearts and all the paperwork we need for a flight to Israel on Tuesday. We have an eight hour drive back to Missouri and can start packing Monday for the flight.

Tuesday, September 8 – My mom gave us a ride to the airport 2 hours away, but as He tends to do He already had her scheduled to visit my sister so it was a pre-planned trip for her already. We are now waiting at the gate for our flight from St Louis to Newark and from there to Tel Aviv. More pieces have fallen into place the last couple of days. We have received some questions about how you can get in touch with us while we are in Israel. We will have internet access (it’s not a third world country!) You can reach Aaron at his email aaronrich011@gmail.com and you can reach Earlene at her email at eph41@hotmail.com.