We got our children's visas!

God worked several miracles on our behalf on Monday (7/16), and we give Him all the praise.
After arriving in Chicago at 1:00 a.m., we were waiting at the Ecuadorian Consulate when they opened their doors on Monday morning. Two weeks before that when we called for an appointment, we were told that our children didn’t need a physical but they needed an HIV test to screen communicable diseases. However, at the Consulate that morning, we were told the opposite. Our hotel helped us find a nearby medical clinic and our first miracle happened: both children were able to get physicals and the necessary documentation and we were able to return back to the Consulate, all within one hour!
Upon returning with these documents, we were told that a new problem had developed. Because Stan and I received our visas in Quito before we left, the office needed permission and identifying numbers from the Quito office before they could process our children’s visas. The office manager had tried to communicate with the Quito office several times throughout the day (while we waited ….) to no avail. Finally at 3:15 in the afternoon (when we were ready to give up and Sherri was in tears), the manager reached someone in the Quito office and pleaded our case. At first, the person in Quito kept saying, “No, they’ll have to return to Quito, pay a fine for letting their children’s visas expire, and start the process all over.” However, the manager was on our side (miracle number 2), and insisted that the Consulate help us. At 3:30, the person in Quito relented and gave her the information she needed. By 4:15 we were walking out of the office with visas in hand (miracle number 3). We toured Chicago for 5 minutes (ha ha), and began our car ride back to St. Louis, then Springfield, MO., and then on to Kansas City for our flight. We were physically weary but spiritually renewed by God’s goodness to us. It has been a wonderful thing for our children to experience God’s miracles firsthand.