Pages

Monday, August 2, 2010

Denied, part 2

Bee's visa was denied. Once again, a 13 year-old orphan from a country still healing from a civil war is counted among the undesirables when considered by our government authorities.

Jo is taking this hard. I walked into my bedroom last night to find our devastated girl--just weeks away from her 13th birthday--curled into as tight a ball as she could manage on her Daddy's lap. The bed frame sagged with their combined weight, and I recalled the many, many times I had witnessed this same scene over much smaller things in her younger years. But this time, the longing and hurt is over a person. I had to look away. Just hearing her sob, "They're mean. They're mean. All they want is people who have money," was enough to bring fresh tears to my own eyes.

We press on.

A local Christian school is excited at the prospect of perhaps extending her a student visa, allowing their other students the opportunity to learn to know and love and feel kinship with someone whose life has been very different from their own, and whose perspective may just be able to shake some of the Wii-fueled entitlement from their eyes.

It's not perfect. We'd prefer to have her at home with us, doing math around the kitchen table. Watching Mani sort his trains into stacks of blue, yellow, green. Learning that in some cultures, Mommas hug their big girls for no reason at all. But maybe God's idea is different. We just don't know. So we walk forward, trusting the One who wrote the story before we were born to reveal the plot line to us ... one page at a time.

10 comments:

Fuzz said...

I know I'm late to this discussion, but have you made an appeal to your congressman/woman?

I'm an immigrant to the US (sort of unusual circumstances but I married an American during a 90-day visa and then applied for residency), and when we needed help with my residency application, the congressman's office in the district we lived was very helpful to expedite some of the processes.

Granted, that was 13 years ago but I'm still living in the USA today.

Four Little Penguins said...

Praying for your family... especially for Jo. God has His own perfect timing.

Tara said...

I'm in tears, here. Trust is so hard, sometimes.

EllaJac said...

Oh I'm so sorry to read this. :(:: Praying for open doors and healed hearts.

mary grace said...

Fuzz--Since dh works in gov't (ironic, huh?) we have had multiple letters, phone calls, emails, etc. submitted on Bee's behalf. Sadly, INS isn't horribly moved by the various branches of gov't these days.

Thanks to all for support. This has been a unique season, but one where we've all had our faith sharpened and redefined. I know in the end that God has good from this.

Sarah said...

My heart is breaking for all of you. :(

Kate said...

It will come - God has a way around the biggest mountain.

Luke Holzmann said...

Offering what little support I can in the form of a digital group hug: [hug]

~Luke

ЮЛИЯ said...

During our adoption process, I met a lady who adopted a child from Kazakhstan. She had some problems with immigration paperwork and had to call our state congressman to get some help. After that call she was able to complete the adoption.

I have another friend who had problems getting her green card, and she also had to call congressman to get help with immigration processing.

Hope that helps..........

Loretta said...

Stopping by from the TOS Crew Blog Walk. I will be praying.