Surprises Of Grace

Part of the process of moving to Ecuador is getting a visa. The application included plenty of official paperwork and visits to the Ecuadorian Embassy office in San Jose. I'm thankful that I've been able to apply while being in Costa Rica. I'm even more thankful for how everything worked out: God could have decided to put a major delay on everything, yet instead, He let me be a part of unexpected grace.

It was a Monday, and I had returned to the Embassy on what I was expecting to be my last visit before they processed all my paperwork. I had hurried home from Spanish classes to eat lunch quickly and take a taxi downtown to the Embassy. They are only open until 2:00, so I had to time things just right. Except that in my haste I forgot one vital thing: my passport. I was told to return the next morning at 9:00. I was bummed: I would have to miss most of school, and all the taxi rides downtown were adding up. To get home I had to take a taxi to the main bus stop and catch a bus home, or walk about 12 blocks to catch a bus which would take me near the other bus. Except that
by accident I got on the wrong bus, which added more walking, stress, and public transportation to a day when I was already frustrated with myself.

I arrived at 9:0 the next morning and talked to the secretary before being asked to see the Consulate, a man named Angel. I had wondered if I would be questioned much about my reasons for going and had thought about what I'd say, in Spanish (God preparing me, of course). I sat down in Angel's office and he asked me to tell him some about myself why I wanted to move to Ecuador and what I planned on doing. We each alternated speaking in Spanish and English. He asked me if I had any background in Bible training, and I told him no, except for working for my church. Then he said, "So you'll be a secretary. This visa application is for a missionary. Why didn't you apply for a work visa? If you want to be a missionary you need the right training, same as a doctor or anyone else. And why Ecuador? Why there?" I talked to him about how God had led me to the ministry, mentioning how though I didn't have a certificate in Bible training, I had gone through missions training with my organization and had worked in my church and would be doing similar work in Ecuador. I tried not to be too intimidated. He kept looking through my paperwork, and I worried that he might decide that I had to start the whole process over again. Then he said, "Describe to me the work you did for your church and what you'll be doing in Ecuador." He leaned back in his chair. He was assessing me, it seemed. I knew he was doing his job, and I sensed that he was a Christian and took this seriously. In my head I was praying.

I started to talk but the phone rang. I waited while he answered it, still praying. When he turned to me again, I told him about how yes, I had worked in the office of my church but also for different ministries within the church, with different opportunities to pray for people and talk to them about God. I told him that although my job in Ecuador would be mainly in the office, I hoped to be a sister in Christ to the youth there and would ask God to use me in any way possible to be a light for Christ. We talked a bit more before he said, "I've made a decision. I will give you this visa for one year, and two months before it is up you can go and renew it for another year or more. Okay?" I had applied for a two-year visa, yet one year was so much better than having to re-apply. I said okay and he asked me to wait outside his office while he put the paperwork together.

I waited and prayed, thanking God for letting things go well so far and asking that my visa be given to me soon. I had heard that it should only take a week or two, but also knew a girl who didn't get her Bolivian visa for months and had to fly to an Embassy in Florida to do so. When he called me back into his office he said something surprising. He told me, "I've had an epiphany." I think I held my breath, thinking, 'This could be good or really bad'. He said, "I will give you a visa for two years, like you have asked for, on one condition. That you will pray for me from time to time when you are in Ecuador."
I was so surprised and amazed. "Of course!" I replied. He nodded and proceeded to hand me paperwork to sign. He explained about registering once I'm in Ecuador and handed me my passport, officially signed and stamped. Everything was finished.
I asked him, "May I pray for you now?" He said yes. "About anything specific?" He opened his arms: "Todo," he replied, with a smile that seemed a little sad. "How long have you been the Consulate?" I asked. "About a year and a half," he replied. We bowed our heads and I prayed for him there in his office. When I finished he said thank you.
"Do I need to return here for anything?" I asked, still not fully believing that I had just been handed my two-year visa, just like that. "Only if you want to talk and pray more with me," he replied, then laughed and waved it off like a joke. We shook hands and I left, amazed and thanking God.

 I nearly skipped down the street to the nearest taxi, the all-important documents in my hand. Yet they weren't more important than what had just happened: a stranger, who held power over me, had asked me to pray for him. Whatever God had done to work in his heart and give him that epiphany, I am thankful. The Consulate gave me grace, by God's grace. May I remember, and pass it forward, showing it in return.