My Trip to the US Immigration Office

Last night when I was going to bed, I was thinking to myself how busy and crazy and hectic life can be. And how hard it is to hear God in the midst of all the noise. I told God that I would love if He would provide a time for me to just sit, and be, and contemplate, and pray.

And the Lord answered that prayer in the most unlikely of places....the US Immigration office in Downtown Fresno.

I had to go to the office to petition for some Visas for 5 Haitians that are coming to the US for the month of February for Missions Madness Month (also known as Missions Festival Month) at The Bridge. When I first arrived, the lady told me I was in the wrong place, yet proceeded to give me number and told me to go wait in the waiting room.

My cell phone was off, I was A10, and they were on A5, and calling E's in the midst of the A's. I thought to myself "I am going to be here all day. I have so much to do, and I am stuck here, with nothing, except me." (and there were only 2 windows open, out of 11, which reminds me of how inefficient our government really is, but that is another post). After a few minutes of pouting, it was as if I heard this laughter, but there was nobody directly around me.

I heard the Lord speak to me, saying "You asked for some time to just be, to sit, to contemplate, to pray, well, I am giving you the chance. Here you are in a huge waiting room, nobody is around you. Talk to me. Let me talk to you."

And in that instance, time stopped, and I was renewed. I was no longer annoyed at the fact I had to wait, but excited for the chance to have a moment with the creator of the universe.

And I was reminded of this passage....the Lord is in the whisper.

1 Kings 19:11-13
11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.