After breakfast, we went with one of our friends Vania and did a little shopping around town. Just like Chongqing, the traffic is crazy here in Guangzhou. Cars dart back and forth squeezing in between cars. Pedestrians walk right in front of the cars with little or no fear of getting hit. We were amazed that there were very accidents despite no semblance of following any rules. We figure that no one every gets fined for jaywalking.
This afternoon, we went to the US Consulate to take our oath. The US Consulate is about a 35 minute bus ride. There is an US Consulate office on Shamian Island, however, it does not house the visa department. All 14 families from CCAI (9 from the Chongqing group) attended the ceremony including several other families from other agencies.
During our ride to the consulate, we were told by our CCAI representative that there was a problem with Duo Duo's visa. Apparently, the computer system was having problems reading her face on the pictures thereby not allowing the consulate to issue the visa.
When we first heard of this apparent "bad news", Simon recalled how his grandma would lift everything to the Lord in prayer. We asked members of our group to pray together for God's divine intervention. Several of our group members are devout Christians. So, we gathered in front of the U.S. Consulate office and offered a short prayer for God's provision.
Even after our prayer, we still felt anxious. Several of our friends of our group offered their reassuring comfort and support. But, then we reminded ourselves of the verse in Philippians 4, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." We know that God is in absolute control and He has a reason for this delay. We just need to put our complete trust in Him.
After the ceremony, one of the consulate officials spoke with us. He assured that they were working to resolve the problem and would work through the night if necessary. They hoped to resolve the issue by 7:00 p.m local time and get us the passport and visa this evening. At the very latest, they would get it to us by tomorrow morning. We have a 9:30 a.m. flight to Hong Kong.
We can already see that God is at work. The consulate was very kind and reassuring. The first thing that crossed our mind was that we would be stuck in Guangzhou for another day. But, it appears that we should be able to leave with the rest of the group. Nevertheless, we still need to lift all of this to the Lord in prayer.
As we reflected on the situation, we realized again that God often allows us to experience trials in order to strengthen our faith and to give testimony of his loving provision and glory! Our confidence is in Him!
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