Update on visa timing

UPDATE: As of October 25, the visas are in! Woohoo! See prayer letter (next post) for details.

Hey friends - FYI, here's what's going on vis-à-vis our impending departure for Spain.

We have learned that Meggan's and Andrew's visas were being detained in Madrid, only to be released when I would arrive in the country and register with the government. This confused us when we first learned of it, but we have since discovered a bit of the rationale for this detention - it serves to curb illegal immigration. Apparently some people have used the system by getting family visas off of a primary visa that goes unused, effectively getting people into the country on false pretenses with no means of support. So, there you go. Our team lawyer in Spain is going to lobby on our behalf to get the visas released into processing. If she is successful, the process should take another three weeks, give or take. If she can't get it released, we will leave in a week, and Meggan will have to fly back to Chicago to pick up her visa when it is ready. That would be a bit annoying, but whatever we have to do, we'll make it work. Philippians 4, baby. Either way, we are confident that we will be leaving the U.S. before Thanksgiving. (We think.)

In other news, this weekend is the retreat for our WorldVenture teammates in Spain. Some of our friends, Brian and Cassie, landed in Spain earlier this week, so they and their boys are able to participate in the weekend. Go, team! We'll see you soon!