Let us start by saying that today we had a miracle happen regarding our container. Thank you for your prayers!
Those of you who have been following our journey from the beginning might remember some pictures about a year ago when we were packing up to head to language school in Costa Rica. Just a few days before we left, we packed a truck that headed to Louisiana where our shipping container was packed and stored. For those of you who have recently been following our journey here is a link to the pictures from last year when we were packing to leave. kendoutt.blogspot.com/2008/01/packing-up.html.
So, as I said before, last night our container arrived at the port here in Managua. Then this morning it was taken to a shipping yard where it normally sits for a few days before they start going through the container and clearing the items. Well, today at about 1pm we received a call from our customs broker that the customs agent wasn't going to start working on our container until after the Holidays because there was a document missing that the shipping company didn't send. Well, luckily we had the shipping company scan all the necessary documents to us before the container left the states and so we printed our copy and headed to the broker's office. When we arrived he said he didn't think they would accept the document, but that he would try. He called over to the shipping yard and they said they wouldn't accept it because each item on the list had not been translated and approved by the consulate. So, being the naive new missionaries that we are, we asked if we could go to the shipping yard ourselves and talk with the customs agent to explain the situation and ask to help us get the paperwork moving so we could clear the container before the holidays. Our broker gave us directions and said "you can try, but don't be disappointed when he says no." Off we went to another part of Managua to the shipping yard. We went inside and asked to speak with the gentleman in charge of our container. He came out and we explained our situation and even offered to stay and help to make it go quicker. The most amazing part is that he agreed. He said that if we could go into the warehouse and help identify the items he would help us clear our documents faster. We had to identify every item as it came off the container, explain what each item was and if it was new or old. For the first 30 minutes they checked our every word. They opened up every box and checked every item inside to make sure our information was correct. Once they realized we weren't trying to hide anything and that we were telling the truth, they stopped opening the boxes and things starting moving quickly. Before we knew it, we were done. The best part is nothing was missing.
So, to sum it up, we received the call at 1pm that they wouldn't be able to work on our container until after the holidays and at 4pm today, our container was CLEARED! Some of you may not understand the pure miracle in this, but our fellow missionaries around the world can testify. This was truly a miracle!
