China Southern (airline)worker: “hello, may I see Your visa? 

Me: “um, what visa?” 

Him (very kind): “The one you need to fly to China.” 

Me: “Don’t think we do.” 

I am pretty sure I have done 1,234 pages of paperwork to get us here and I DIDN’T GET US A VISA?????

So we call our most amazing adoption agency and she calmly and kindly says, “Catherine, you can’t do this without one. ”  She doesn’t know at this point that we have already left and are at first layover. So she says ” maybe in a week we can get this all sorted out.” 

Huh? A week!! But we are meeting Theodore this Monday!! 

We found a game plan and the next thing you know Blake and I are in an uber car headed to the Chinese Consulate in LA to beg and plead for a visa to be issued today instead of in a week. 

This is Michael – our fabulous driver! Blake prayed with Michael and me on way and he asked God for a miracle-  

We had a fabulous helper, Janis,  tell us by phone the ropes of what to do before we went in. She helps  adoptive families with this sort of thing in LA.   

We did exactly what she said. “Get a number to wait in line first thing. Then go down the hall and make copies of your passport. Send your flight reservation to a computer where it can be printed out. Make more passport photos. Fill out application. ” 

Our number was called.  I walked up and of course began sobbing about how our baby was in China and how we have to go get him and what a huge mistake I had made, etc.  She told me “not possible today. Today Friday. ” After a long pause  she asked me for a document that seemed impossible to attain and she said that when I found that document I could come back and show her.

So God provided the miracle paper. I walked back over to the front of this line and handed it to her.  And then she said that in an hour she would try to appeal to her supervisor.  

This when I started leaning  on  this verse: 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”            Joshua 1:9 💙

A friend sent to me yesterday before we left. 

I got out all of the verses so many of you  have sent me and read them as we waited. 

Until 

We were the last ones there and we heard “miss Katrin please come here.” In a thick Chinese accent over the loud speaker for all in the above picture to here…. 

And it was DONE!  

Visa in hand – we left along with the security guard who was closing shop for the day and praised God for another miracle in this adoption journey. 

Psalm 9:1 

“I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”