No Visa Yet

Dear Family and Friends, I'm sorry to share with you that we cannot get our visa this week. We had hoped so much to be home this weekend! We have already seen God move so many mountains this past week-getting both packages here, getting our I600A approval with Nadeem's fingerprints, and getting our I600 approval at the embassy here to adopt Kalina. However, our work here is obviously not done yet. God is still on His throne. He has not forgotten us. Nothing that has happened is outside His will. We were counting on this weekend being His time to send us home, but the time hasn't quite arrived yet. Please continue to pray for us.
The US embassy here is a most unfriendly place. From the moment you arrive, you're searched and ordered around. Two days this week we've brought Kalina there. I get a kick out of watching these harsh guards smile at her. It helps that she smiles a lot, too. On Monday when we went to the embassy, Hasan's family went with us. A mean man came into the small waiting room and ordered everyone out except us. He said that nobody could sit there unless they had business. Let me mention that the room was half empty. Just being in the embassy makes you feel really tense.
Today, however, we felt very hopeful. After all, two times this week Nadeem and/or I had met with a lady who had looked over all of our paperwork with her supervisor and said that we were ready to apply for the visa today. Everything was moving so quickly and with no problems! She said that we could expect to receive the visa tomorrow.
Today we were told that we need another certificate from the Bangladeshi government saying that we can take Kalina out of their country. We were shocked to hear that we cannot get the visa until we have this certificate. We have asked them repeatedly if we have everything that we need. The lady helping us checked with her supervisor to see if they'd approve us without it, but apparently it's a requirement. Now we have to obtain this. Once we present it to the embassy, they'll issue Kalina's visa the next work day. I asked over and over again as we were leaving today if there was anything else. The lady assured us that this is the final step. At this point, we don't know how long it will take to get this certificate. You all have stood by us through all of our ups and downs on this journey. We're so thankful! I had hoped to post the glorious news today that we're coming home, but I know that you will all continue to pray for us and wait eagerly for our return.
Yesterday was a Muslim holiday, Eid. We already celebrated an Eid holiday in October, but this is a different one. The Muslim holy book also contains the Old Testament story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. (As a side note, he went to sacrifice him at Mount Moriah. Moriah, as you may recall, is Kalina's middle name, so this Bible story has great significance for us as it tells the meaning of her name.) On this holiday, the people sacrifice cows and goats to ask for Allah's (God's) blessings on them. Working men must offer sacrifices. This is optional for women and children. After the animals are sacrificed, the meat is divided into three portions: one for the family, one for the poor, and one for their relatives. Then everyone distributes the meat.
A few days before Eid, the garage of our apartment building turned into a barnyard. Cows wearing fancy necklaces and hats and goats were tied to temporary fences. People purchased the animals from markets and then walked them down the streets to their homes. Early yesterday morning after the men said their prayers, the animals were sacrificed. I did not watch this! However, everyone else, male and female, young and old, witnessed this. In our room on the 4th floor I could hear this horrible wailing sound, kind of like the noise ghosts make in movies. It was the poor animals. Someira told me not to feel badly, that the animals would go straight to heaven for making this sacrifice. The people, however, have no way of knowing whether or not they'll go to heaven.
The whole process of sacrificing the animals and preparing the meat lasted until mid-afternoon. The tile floors of the building had blood stains. Then poor people started coming to the door to receive their offering. Later families delivered meat to their relatives.
For me, I spent some of the time with the young girls of the building who had a dance party in one of the bedrooms! We all wore our new holiday clothing. (Angela will post photos.)
The day made me have a deeper appreciation for the verse in Isaiah which describes our Savior: "He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter." -Isaiah 53:7a
Our Savior who sacrificed His life for us is the same One who will deliver us home!