Monday morning after men's bible study I was at our office touching base with everyone and lining up my week. Brett our Field Director happened to mention that our van would need to go to Port-au-Prince to get some paperwork corrected. The plan was to leave on the 25th and tentatively return on Wed. the 28th.
This caught my attention, Jane & I have been trying to get our Haitian drivers licenses completed for the past 2+ years. Our paperwork had been started here in Cap-Haitian but due to the earthquake & other problems, everything was at a standstill.
While seven of us had flown to Port-au-Prince for the day in November 2010 working on our Permis-De-Sejour (Visas), after completing early, we went over to the drivers license center to see if we could get ones there quicker. There we found long lines but were helped by a man that said he could get the process started. They made copies of our current state side licenses and took our information. A month later we found that we would need to return to "Port" for photos and completion.
It all seems easy enough except when you figure $200 US dollars each to fly down for the day along with meals, guide & taxi, it can become very expensive. But now I find that our van is making the trip, that would shave off $400 right away, but 3 days lodging & meals at the OMS Villa Ormiso is still an expense along with a driver/guide.
We spent the week getting things in order here including any required paperwork & official numbers that we might need to finish. Kate Zlotnicki was making phone calls with a former English student now police officer in Port getting everything ready for us on that end. Jane's "Port" paper work had been lost so it was being started from scratch long distance.
We figured that with no glitches and if the van paperwork is completed that we would be making the 7+ hour trip back North on Wed. arriving late afternoon, none too soon as our daughters Gretchen and Marcia are flying in at 9:00AM on Friday.
If things didn't come together the plan was to hitch a ride with a friend or fly back.
On Wednesday evening we heard that the Cap-Haitian license center was once again processing some applications, but it seemed that you needed to know someone that knows someone that knows someone to get in line. Our Haitian paperwork person for the mission had been running a couple of days getting everything on this end in order for us for the trip.
On Friday morning at 11:00 while in a meeting we received a message, "come quickly to the licensing office for your photos" the previous paperwork had been found. We rushed right in and were able to complete our licenses.
What a relief, we now would not need to make the trip to Port, we could stay and continue to get things accomplished here, be ready for the arrival of our daughters and save some much needed support dollars.
We continue to marvel as to how God meets our needs here. We also know how our supporters sacrificially give and how each dollar needs to be guarded and used to its fullest to bring glory to God.
Bud
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