Visas!

Last Friday was a vacation day at school so we took advantage of the day to go to the Ecuadorian consulate and get our visas. Although we thought we had all of the required paperwork, pictures, etc. we were a bit doubtful that everything would work and we would get the visa in only one trip, since that is often the case. But--we were successful! And we are officially cleared to live and work in Ecuador for the next two years! Yay!

Thankfully it was a dry day because after arriving at the consulate and turning in our papers we had to walk to a nearby bank to pay for the visas. We were told to return in about 2 hours so Mike hobbled along on crutches to the bank and then we stopped at a nearby mall to pass the time. One of the stores in the mall is a grocery store that sort of specializes in American types of food--so we found bagels. What a treat. We definitely are not suffering food-wise hear, but every once in awhile an American treat just hits the spot.

We returned to the consulate at the appointed time--and instead of 2 hours, the wait was more like 4 hours. But we were able to hang out on their porch (the consulate is located in a house) and watch the World Cup soccer match--Spain vs. Chile--on the big screen as we waited. Not a bad day at all.

Well, actually having our visas in hand makes us much more excited and makes the upcoming move feel more real. The Ecuadorian consul (the man from Ecuador who helped us with our visas) was very friendly and encouraging and very familiar with HCJB Global our mission agency--telling us as we got our visas that he is very thankful for the work the missionaries do in Ecuador. It feels good to feel welcomed to our new country.