Initially, we were told this process was on "average" of 10 months. Eventually we were told the process was backed up substantially due to 2 years of covid and it was now taking up to 29 months. The process consists of 3 US Government agencies: 

1. USCIS  to approve the initial application (taking up to 10 months) then once approved, sent over to the 

2. National Visa Center (NVC) where there was a lead time of up to 30 days for processing. Once a petition is given a case number you can start to upload all your financial affidavits (showing you can afford to live in the USA) and civil documents. Then there is at least a 2 month processing time for NVC to go through your documents to decide you have provided what they need to send to the US Embassy for an interview. 

3. The paperwork is sent to the US Embassy to schedule the interview... Many US Embassies are 2 years out for an interview. Our US Embassy in Kinshasa is one of these. 

In early November, I was evacuated from Goma due to the threat of M23 rebels taking over the city. I had already planned to come to the USA during my third trimester for delivery of our baby, but this cut many of our plans short, personally and with the ministry. 

So here I am in the USA, my husband in Goma, working together to run our ministry 8000 miles apart. I am constantly praying, "Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief!" I was prompted by a friend to petition USCIS with a request for an emergency expedited process due to 1. Medical (my high risk pregnancy) and 2. The humanitarian crisis in our region and my husband's personal safety due to his popularity. 

We submitted the request and since I had been in touch with our local Congressman's office I  asked them to follow up with USCIS. The Congressman's aide forwarded a rejection letter from USCIS on December 9th. I was devastated. This meant certainly there was no chance of my husband being with me for the delivery of our baby. Not only were we rejected, we were told we were missing pages in our spouse visa petition- which was impossible. I called the lawyer, who's assistant said we needed to wait for USCIS to send our physical packet back to them to rectify the missing page (there is no missing page!) and then send back to USCIS. 

Through our tears, we prayed together, “Lord, we trust You are good, even when we don’t understand, and when life doesn’t work out how we prayed. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done”.

I requested the Congressman's office contact USCIS with a copy of the full packet (I had a digital copy) to show them all was in order and ask them to keep processing the Petition. On December 22, I missed a call from my Congressman's aid while I was in an OB appointment (crying because I missed my husband and didn't want to be without him for the delivery). His voicemail said, “…please call me back, I have news”. I called back later expecting him to say something like "they didn't accept for us to submit the 'missing' page" or on a positive note, "they accepted the missing page"... either way, I was not expecting the news I received. 

It went something like this... 

Aide: "I got an email this morning saying your petition was approved"

Me: "what does that mean, "approved"... they accepted the "missing" page from you?" 

Aide: "That's what I thought too, so I scheduled a call. They said the petition was approved and they sent it to NVC... I hesitate to tell you all the details, because it hardly seems real. I've never seen anything like this. Apparently, there is an employee who is retiring at the end of the year and wanted to do something nice for someone as a Christmas gift before she left... she found your petition, the denied request and was moved by your situation. So she processed it totally and moved it out of USCIS and sent the processed petition to NVC."

Me: silence... tears... "This is amazing!!! Thank you! thank you!! Thank GOD!! I can't believe this!! This is the power of prayer!"

Aide: "She said give it about 30 days and then follow up to make sure a case has been opened by NVC for your petition."

My thoughts at that point were... 30 days?! That puts us at the end of January! I'm due 18 February... Barring more miraculous situations with retiring people, he'll never make it. But at the same time, I see God’s hand in this and I believe for more miracles.

Christmas was hard for me without Black. I missed him so much. I slipped away from family for some introverted time and got an email ding. I looked. December 25th, I received the email saying Black's case file was officially registered and we could make payments and start uploading documents. Further, the email said do not send in any documents via snail mail, only digital uploads are now being accepted. WHO WORKS THE FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS?!!?! Again, joy, gratitude and awe. I felt hope again. I had come to the point of praying, "Father, Your will be done, I trust you, no matter what. You've told me clearly in the past that you would do certain things, but I have not heard You say Black will be here for the birth... just to apply for the visa. So I trust you are still good, even if this doesn't turn out the way I want". 

In the meantime, I was working hard to upload all documents and finish all the remaining applications and affidavits. Black was working hard to get the National Police of DRC to provide his certificate stating he's never been charged with a felony or sentenced to prison while also leading our ministry during an influx of refugees and insecurity in our region. On the US Embassy application, where we list all the addresses Black has had since 16 years of age, I decided to put Uganda for the (almost) year he was in hiding. He was registered with UN refugees, but has no documentation, and we don't have an address of the church where he lived. But because the event was so public, I did not want to hide it. After completing the application and uploading all we had, I got a notification that we needed a police certificate from Uganda... This isn't possible because there is no record with the Ugandan police that he ever lived there- he was in hiding and registered only with the UN. My heart dropped into my stomach. There was no way to change this. 

We started looking into contacts who could help us get a copy of his UN registration. We have also been praying this living situation will be invisible to the US Embassy; they won’t even care to acknowledge it. 

Now the NVC has all the information they need to process the documents, go through them for errors and make sure we have all our ducks in a row. This is still a 2 month (Minimum) process and it's now the end of the first week of January. Once again, we applied for a compassion expedite of the process based on my maternal risk and eminent birth... we were rejected. I felt like just leaving it and praying that God would open the doors, but I also had this nagging feeling that I needed to “knock on doors”. So I did. On January 13th, I sent an email to the US Embassy Consular Chief  respectfully requesting an emergency visa interview. My friends and I drafted the letter and then we prayed over it before sending. I prayed all that night for compassion and for God to move the heart of the Chief. The morning of January 14th, the day of my baby shower - a Saturday - I received an email back saying the US Embassy doesn't take cases that have not been fully vetted by NVC, but they would make the exception even though they are currently scheduling 2 years out. His interview was set for February 2nd.

Vaccines and medical evaluations... My husband didn’t get most childhood vaccinations, or if he did get some, the records were burned when Mt. Nyiragongo volcano erupted in 2002 and destroyed his house. So what does he need? Everything? Was everything available? Ultimately, he worked with a local doctor and was able to get all necessary vaccinations in Goma. Now the medical evaluation…? This can only happen with US Embassy approved physicians in Kinshasa and can take up to 3 weeks. At this point, we didn’t have 3 weeks and no visa can be granted without it. 

Then, the Pope decided to come visit Kinshasa. This was the comical part... because of his visit, the mass crowds (pun intended) and street closures shut down the US Embassy for security reasons. So now I'm seeing this message on my US citizen email update, telling me all appointments are canceled, but Black didn’t get any email to tell us what was going on with his appointment. At this point, I've been asked to only email the visa department email, not the Chief directly. What should I do? I went to bed praying, "Lord, put a deep burning on this lady's heart to take care of us. I need her to reach out to me". I woke up at 3am and sure enough, there was an email... 2 paragraphs long, talking to me about what we can do to make sure he gets an interview the week of the 6th. 

Much to my disappointment, the interview was rescheduled for Friday, February 10th... which is literally the 11th hour of this pregnancy. “But God... “ Scripture says, What is meant for evil, but God turns it for good....

On Saturday, January 28th, we started praying 5 very specific prayers. 

1. Black's medical examination Starts immediately on Monday, January 30th - May it be completed quickly with no complications or delays and in his hands by the end of the week. He cannot get his visa without it.

2. His interview, now scheduled for February 10th - May the US Embassy Consular Agent be blind to Black’s time in Uganda (we did get the registration through the UN showing Black was registered! But it does not show he has no criminal record there).

3. May his interview have favor for an automatic visa given to him that day! He walks out of the US Embassy with a visa in his passport.

4. A seat available on an immediate flight to Washington DC.

5. This baby girl does not start labor until her daddy is here! 

So, I sit here today, February 1st, 2023, with an oppressive cloud of anxiety trying to take over my thoughts. Not only for the visa, but for the safety of my husband in Kinshasa. I have an undercurrent thought of doubt that somehow the enemy of this world will shut this door, despite the fact that scripture clearly tells us no door God opens can be shut. The devil is a liar and is working hard to stop my faith and to stop my husband from coming for the birth of this little miracle baby. We are also praying against the theft of Black's backpack which has all the original documents and documents needed for the interview. 

Today, I felt the need to write out in faith, not just this story, but the praise of what the Lord has done. He is the God of miracles; big and small. He does make a way. It is easy to say, "I trust You no matter what happens", but the doubt still creeps in. It is not easy to say "I know, that I know, that I know, You are doing this" because in fact, I don't know what God is doing. I know what He has done to this point and what I think He’s doing. There is no way I could "manifest" this situation myself, or made it happen. Had our initial expedited request been granted, our file would not have been in the office to get pushed through on a Christmas retirement kindness effort. But because it was written out, a kind woman read our story and had compassion for us. I can't control that! Our lawyer told me to pray all I want, but the process takes the time the process takes- average 10 months- and Black would maybe be here in time to turn around and fly home to Goma with me and baby. 

With all God has done in my life, doubt still creeps in, it’s human. But I see His faithfulness and I see the way He moves in power and it builds my faith for times like this. I've seen time and time again what God can do, so I will no longer listen to what other people say He can't do. In fact, I'm tired of hearing what He can't do... He is God. Maker and Creator of heaven, earth and humanity. Rather, I’ll enjoy sitting in awe of what He continues to do.    

I believe my husband will be by my side for the birth of our little girl. So now, 9 days before Black's interview, I say thank you God for Your miracle, for being the God of the impossible: a 24+ month process in 4 months. There simply is none like You. 

UPDATE: February 9… Black still does not have his medical evaluation that was said to be ready by February 7. In all fairness, this process could take up to 3 weeks. He went to the hospital to check on it since his visa appointment at the US Embassy is tomorrow. The receptionist took him to the administrative office working on the medical packets. He was asked his name, then rudely told he is not special, there is a long line of people ahead of him so him coming in to ask doesn’t mean she’ll do it for him in urgency. Then the lady snarled at him, “Don’t expect a miracle out of me.” He respectfully asked to explain his situation; she refused to listen and told him to leave.

We were both incredibly angry by this treatment not just of Black… but of anyone. My initial reaction was, “who can I email or call about this! She’s unprofessional, rude and we need this evaluation. They cannot approve or issue a visa without it”. We calmed down and wholeheartedly agreed with her. We don’t expect a miracle from you, rude lady. That is what God does. So Black stayed in the hospital reception area praying, I was here praying. We prayed for God to fight for us, to cancel all these demonic delays in Jesus name. At 4pm, the hospital was closing and he had to leave. We kept praying. By 6pm, his time, he received a call letting him know his packet was electronically sent to the embassy for his interview tomorrow!

UPDATE: February 10… During check in, the admin assistant noticed Black’s passport is from DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo… because that’s his nationality. She said his paperwork (inaccurately filled out by our lawyer’s assistant, which I corrected when I completed all the forms, and she changed back and submitted anyway) showed his nationality as being REPUBLIC of Congo… different country. Luckily, she was able to correct this with no problems. His interview went as well as it could have, he was approved the spouse visa (which gives him a green card and legal residency. in the US) and told congratulations on our expected baby.

The Visa was not given to him on Friday, and to be honest… we were totally ok with that. It wasn’t the time frame we prayed for, but had total peace. We have seen God move in such impossible ways during this process, that we can only just sit in awe of His timing and trust every little step. They said they would print the visa into his passport and call him when it is ready. Still praying baby does not start labor until daddy gets here.

UPDATE: February 12… I reserved an airline ticket for Tuesday, February 14th in faith that the US Embassy would give back his passport and visa Monday.

UPDATE: February 13… The US Embassy called him in the morning and informed him his passport/visa was ready!!! He battled Kinshasa morning traffic to get to the embassy only to be told by the outside security guards (local Congolese company) his name wasn’t on the list and he could not enter. Black pushed back and after quite the ordeal and standing up for himself, he was eventually let into the US Embassy where he was given everything he needs to come to the USA legally and in time for our baby to be born!

UPDATE: February 14th… Black left his Kinshasa hotel at 6:30am to get to the Kinshasa airport by 10am. Traffic can be that bad. Rather than just traffic, the torrential downpour in Kinshasa caused flash flooding and almost stopped the car from being able to drive. Black sent a video of the water coming up the middle of the doors. How the car didn’t stall out, I don’t know. He made it in time, had zero issues in the airport, flew from Kinshasa to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and boarded another flight to Washington DC that night… 18 hours on the plane.

UPDATE: February 15th… The first time Black came to the USA was with a tourist visa. He was held and questioned for almost 2 hours, including removing every item in his suitcase and going through it all. This time, he was asked 2 questions and in less than 2 minutes he entered baggage claim with a “Welcome to the USA Mr. Bausi”. God is amazing… And here my husband now sits beside me... exhausted, happy, in awe of our God... and the size of my 39 week pregnant belly! Ha! Now we can deliver this baby, that doctors said we could not conceive, whenever she is ready!

Again, this 29 month process - that God has fulfilled miraculously in 4 months - continues to blow my mind, grow my faith and humble my understanding how truly incapable I am. I could never fulfill something like this on my own through my own strength, intellect or perseverance. The only perseverance I/we have truly maintained has been prayer, even with doubt and hopelessness trying to tell us it was impossible…