A Marathon and an Obstacle Course

Deputation is a marathon.  It is a long journey, exhausting at times, requiring a lot of endurance and hard work.  Yet, now that the "finish line" is in sight, I can look back on it and say it was all worthwhile.  There are even greater "marathons" ahead for me on the mission field, and my prayer is that the Lord will use the lessons I've learned in this race to help me better cope with those I will face in the future. 

Well, if deputation is a marathon, the visa application process can be an obstacle course: a quicker race than deputation, but new things coming up constantly between the starting line and the finish line.  Over the last several weeks, I've been working my way through one requirement after another as I prepared all the necessary paperwork to apply for a student visa for France.  There was an obstacle almost from the starting line, when one of the main requirements, the acceptance letter from the university, never arrived.  Thankfully, the university was kind enough to email it to me, so I finally overcame that obstacle. 

But that was just the beginning, though the rest has so far gone much more smoothly.  Then came more requirements: notarized letters from the home office of BMM and the health insurance company, two different application forms to fill out, and registration with a website called Campus France.  The latter was the most difficult of the requirements as in involved an online form to fill out and submit, plus paperwork to send in for processing.  I was a little discouraged when I read that it could take three weeks for the Campus France process to complete, but praise the Lord that it was completed in about half that time!  Then I had to make an appointment with the French consulate in Chicago, since visa applications must be made in person; the earliest feasible date available was Dec 6.  When I get there, I'll have to bring all the paperwork mentioned above, along with my passport, driver's license, airline reservations, and a self-addressed, prepaid express mail envelope. 

Whew!  Now you see why the visa application process has felt like an obstacle course!  But praise the Lord that the worst of it seems to be over.  Only two more obstacles left: the appointment at the French consulate, and the actual receiving of the visa.  Please pray for good weather for driving on December 5-6, as it can be a very bad time of year to travel through that part of the United States.