If you remember, our cramazing (Crazy + Amazing = Cramazing) May started out in a wait-for-Monday posture, wondering if there would be news about Tom's passport. As it was, we heard (on Monday) that his passport was expected to be mailed by the 10th. Which meant, of course, that there was a chance that we could still go in May; only problem was that our fingerprints were set to expire on May 17th, and we didn't want to chance coming to India, knowing that we might not be able to make it to the Embassy before then. So, as soon as I heard that, I did what any mother would do...I set the wheels in motion to see if we couldn't get re-fingerprinted. After all, we needed to get to India!
Beth and I jumped in the car and drove right to our near-by Homeland Security office, and even though they usually don't admit you without an appointment letter, the helpful security guard let me in so that I could ask my questions. A couple more helpful people later (Don't get me wrong: they weren't super helpful or anything, but they got the job done!), I found out who I needed to contact and how to go about doing so, so I ran home and emailed right away. A couple hours later, I heard from Melissa, my seemed-aloof-at-first-but-turned-out-to-be-wonderful Homeland Security case officer, that she had received my email and would get back to me soon about the situation.
Tuesday, I called her. That was when she seemed aloof. She said that she would get back to me in short order, and it took her 9 hours, all to say that she was checking on things and would get back to us the next day. The clock was ticking. Wedneday, I talked with our social worker, who encouraged me to contact our Congressional offices and get someone there working on our case. I decided to give her 'til Thursday and call her one last time. Thursday when I called, I expected the same aloof-sounding person, and she was not there. Melissa was wonderful! So helpful--and even apologetic that no one had gotten back to us the day before. She said that she had worked it all out and that we could simply walk into the HS office the next day to be re-fingerprinted. And she guaranteed that there would be no gap in coverage...in other words, if we ended up at the Embassy the day after our fingerprints were set to expire, we need not worry, as she would make sure that our files were updated immediately. (***Note: We will get to see if she was right when we appear at the Embassy this coming Tuesday.)
Friday, May 6, we headed to the HS security office at our designated time, and they got us right in and waiting. Each hour, almost on the hour, one of us was called in. First me, then Kara, then Hoffbeast. In the end, it took 3 hours or so, but it was worth it! Fingerprints recertified....check!
Hoffbeast being silly...as usual...and trying to mess up my picture
Little Beth was such a trooper during the long wait...
...she snuggled with daddy...
...and played games with him while we waited.
Guess when Tom's passport was issued? May 6. Same day. Cramazing. We wouldn't know this, of course, until a couple of days ago when we actually received it and saw the date, but God knew. He knew...and He moved a Homeland Security mountain so that we could see His glory! Praise to Him!
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