Get up-to-date by reading Post 1 and Post 2 of this blog series first!

It was a huge blessing to get our passports at the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica within 20 minutes. As we walked out of the doors, I think both David and I felt like yelling out for joy. One major hurdle had just been crossed much quicker than we had anticipated.

We got to the van where Edwin was waiting and the first thing he tells us is that it looks like we won’t be able to leave the country until the next day. The police station had called him while we were in the embassy and needed us to come back to complete another report as well as to meet with a judge.

I was kind of caught off guard. Everything within me resisted the whole idea of having to stay another day. I had already been away for 9 days and even if we caught a flight that afternoon, this whole day would be over by the time we got home. I asked how long Edwin thought it would take, but he could not say. We quickly started figuring out how long it would take us to drive from the embassy to the police station and then back  to the airport. It looked as if it was going to be tight on timing.

David and I both resisted a little more, explaining that it was simply our desire to go home, but Edwin insisted that our testimony could help get the robbers off the streets which in return could help the local community including the families and children we had been ministering to all week. So, we compromised.

I told Edwin that we would go fill out the extra report and if there was time we would  talk with the judge if that is what they wanted, however, we would be leaving at 10:30 am local time. Edwin started driving to the police station, and of course, traffic was extremely heavy. It seemed like the day was going by so slow, but the time on the clock was ticking by faster and faster. Had I known what had just taken place in the United States with Congressman Frank’s office in assisting us with expediting our passports, I’m not sure we would have even risked going to the police station.

We finally arrived at the police station and it was nothing but confusion. We first had to get through security and then as we proceeded to the first office, the same place we gave the report the night before, we discovered after wasting valuable time that we were in the wrong place. They sent us to another office, once again it was a dead-end. David and I decided during our walk between offices that if it did not appear we were making any progress in the next fifteen minutes, we were just going to leave, even if we had to take a cab. We already considered all of our stuff a total loss anyway. We just wanted to get home. Finally, the third office that we stopped at was the right one. We waited and waited some more. Finally, Edwin got someone’s attention and told them what the situation was and how we were short on time, because we were determined to catch a flight back to the U.S. at 1 pm. The judicial office moved quickly.

We were immediately called back where we gave our testimony and description of the robbers, all of this seemed like a total waste of time since the restaurant provided the police a video of the suspects. We finally signed the paperwork and signed Edwin over as our representative in-case they needed a local contact. As soon as we were finished we checked the time, it was 10:35 a.m. – It appeared we were in the clear to make it to the airport on time.

We were also on a time crunch to get to a WIFI spot so that I could contact Nicki to make sure we had a ride. The only communication we would have was SKYPE. My only set of keys to my Nissan Altima were in my book bag. Nicki was working all throughout the day to get the car towed and a new key programmed. She had to know if we were on our way home in time to get to Atlanta, pick-up the car, and then get to the airport to pick-up David and me. We got to the airport and there was no WIFI. The free WIFI zone was not working, and the only other place that offered it wanted $30 a person to enter and use the internet. We were running out of time, I had to notify Nicki from the airport so she had time to make all of the arrangements.

I finally found a booth selling 20-minute international phone cards for $5. Fortunately our flight was delayed by 45 minutes, so this bought us a little extra time. Finally, we could slow down and breathe. I called Nicki only to get more bad news, it cost $483 to replace my keys. Fun! But, the good news was, we had our tickets home, and thanks to Drew’s mom, she got the change of flight fee of around $300 waved the night before. Nicki would be at the airport to pick us up when we arrived in the states.

I would like to say a special thank you to Billy and Seree Wilson for dropping what they were doing that day to assist Nicki. It’s always a blessing for a pastor to know there are people at home watching after and caring for their family while they are away. Billy took off work early to drive to Atlanta to help Nicki get my car and to make sure we got home safe. By the time I arrived in Atlanta I had been up for around 43 hours, so Billy drove my car home while I rested with Nicki and David in their van as Seree drove us home. We finally arrived home around 12:30 am on Wednesday. I was exhausted but grateful and excited how God worked all things together for the good to get us home.

Like I said in my first post. The robbery was only the beginning of a whirlwind day. Getting home was more stressful than being robbed. There are so many people to thank. It is amazing to see the church and family rise up in times of need to make things happen. It is the greatest network I have ever experienced.  I would like to once again thank Drew’s mom, Kim Writer, for all she did the night of the robbery with phone numbers, flight scheduling and financial savings. I would like to thank, my wife, Nicki Carnes, for all of her support and hard work at home to get the car issue situated with the hotel and Nissan and for being there when I got home. I would like to thank my brother-in-law, Clay Brewer, for having the intuition to contact my brother, Ben. I would like to thank Ben for pulling Congressman Franks out of a meeting to take care of business, as well, I would like to thank Congressman Trent Franks for getting the ball rolling immediately with his staff. I would like to thank, Greg and Michele Hansel for caring for Billy and Seree’s children, so they could drive Nicki to Atlanta, and once again, for Billy and Seree with all they did to help us get home. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who prayed for our missions team and for David and me while we were stranded. I thank God for you and I thank God he heard and answered your prayers.

Until next time…

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