Marvin is a young man from Ixchiguan in whom Lily, one of our IMB missionaries, has invested for many years. He and Britani met in the summer of 2009 while she was on a mission trip from her church in Oregon...and the old story continued...they fell in love and then were married last summer.
Sometime this past fall it was discovered that Marvin had a mass of blood vessels at the base of his skull cutting off his blood supply to the brain and he began having seizures (during the night) which of course, terrified Britani, who was pregnant. The doctors were able to diagnose his problem and prescribe medication to control the seizures but, of course, the best possible solution was/is to have surgery in the US. They wanted to spend some time in the US with her family anyway but this just made things more urgent. They began working on his visa early in the fall - following all the processes here and her parents assisting from Oregon. Her dad has a couple of businesses so he will have a job there and Britani can return to her former job as well. They have such a heart for the children in Antigua, especially the children in the park, so they want to return to continue the work here. They were hoping he would have his visa in time for them to leave in December when her visa expired. But she had to return to the states without Marvin, however, she returned 10 days later and they continued the process.
Their new hope was that all would be completed before the end of February/first of March in order to leave and have the baby in the states. When they realized that this wasn't going to be the timetable, her mom came March 15 to have some time before the baby’s arrival, be with them for the baby's birth, and a little while after his arrival. Even during this time, they continued working on the process. Jacob arrived Wednesday afternoon, April 6th. Since she had a c-section, she remained in the hospital until Friday. On the way home from the hospital, we took them to RENAP to get his Guatemalan birth certificate even before we took them to their home. Saturday night, his mom and one of his brothers came from Ixchiguan to stay until Sunday. They live upstairs in an efficiency apartment. Their mattress and box springs with a blow up mattress for her mom already on the floor, the others slept on the floor in the kitchen area.
Tuesday, we picked them (M, B, and baby J) up at 8 and traveled 45 minutes to the capital to get Jacob's Guatemalan passport. They were finished by noon and had passport in hand! Wednesday, (one week after Jacob’s birth), we picked them up at 5 am to return to the capital to the US Embassy to present Jacob for his US passport. Britani had scheduled this appointment several weeks before anticipating Jacob’s birth to at least be “on time.” If she had not been able to present him this day, it would have been three more weeks before she could present him. After waiting in line about an hour and then presenting Jacob, she was told that she needed more documentation – an additional 3 more years of back taxes to prove her US citizenship. She had presented 4 years worth, her US passport, her US driver's license, their marriage license, and other documents but needed still more. (Isn’t that always the case?!) Back home to call her dad and to find the additional forms and send by email in order to be printed and bring back the next day. Thursday, we picked them up at 5 am again and took them back to the US embassy. It was the day of Marvin's interview for his visa (talk about NERVOUS, he was terrified!!); the date had been scheduled for three weeks. Although his appointment was at 8, numerous others had that same time slot, so he had to arrive very early to get in line to get a number to determine the order of the 8 o'clock appointments. Since it was too early for Jacob to be in the morning air, David and I took him with us to eat breakfast and pass the time. We returned around 7:30 and kept Jacob until they went into the Embassy around 8:30. They returned a couple of hours later with good and bad news. They had all the paperwork completed for Jacob's passport and we could return in about an hour to pick it up. However, the US lawyer had not sent some of the required paperwork to the embassy here, so it was another call to dad to get the lawyer's office to over night the needed paperwork to the embassy. Marvin was given another appointment for Monday at 2, but they returned home that afternoon with their one week old son having BOTH his passports.
David and I left Monday morning with a group from our church in Chimaltenango for a three day mission trip to the Ch’orti’ and were unable to assist them during these final steps. Since Britani's mom was returning to the states on Monday, so they accompanied her to the airport and went to the embassy. With all the paperwork in hand and in order, Marvin was given his visa. Talk about EXCITEMENT!!!! Well, then the timetable moved even faster if that is possible.
Since, we didn't return from Nearer until Wednesday night, and had the plans for Thursday in the capital, they made arrangements to leave on Friday. His family (his mom, 2 brothers, sister and her baby of 2 years) came to visit on Wednesday night and to accompany them to the airport. Thursday afternoon David picked up the mattress and box springs to return to the folks from whom they had borrowed it. So Thursday night they slept on the blow-up mattress with the family sleeping elsewhere on the floor. Friday, only the BUSIEST day of the year in Antigua (the Friday of Semana Santa), we arrived at 7 to get them at 7:30. They loaded all the bags, said goodbyes and headed to the capital. We met the family at the airport (they had traveled in a taxi) for a brief moment. We took all the bags inside to check them and their bags (I got to hold Jacob and enjoy him a little more), and then we kept the check in luggage while Marvin and Britani went back to say goodbye and take more photos. Then finally, we sent them on their way! It was Marvin’s first airplane trip, his first immigration check, his first meeting of many of her family, and so on. It was a LONG emotionally challenging day for them all but they arrived safely in Oregon around midnight. Praise God!
It has been so exciting to walk alongside them in this journey. I must admit, I really didn't expect it go as quickly as it has. True, it has been so quickly in a day count, but in the processes of governments and with the challenges of his records, etc. it has gone much quicker than I ever imagined. It has been so sweet to watch them and walk beside them as they continued stedfast in their walk with the Lord and trusting Him every step of the way.
Continue to pray for them as the journey ahead is still very long for Marvin and his medical issues. God is faithful and sufficient, not only for them, but for you as well. How is your walk of faith?
Continue to pray for them as the journey ahead is still very long for Marvin and his medical issues. God is faithful and sufficient, not only for them, but for you as well. How is your walk of faith?
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