Israel Lets me Down in my Time of Need

Today (March 15) I went to get a duplicate driver’s license. I have to have a passport if I’m going to travel to Israel to meet the Zambian sweet potato, and I need a photocopy of my driver’s license and old passport to get a new passport.

On Friday, I got my license out and put it in my pocket by itself. I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where it was when I started working on the passport. I spent quite a while trying to scan my old passport. I had software problems. I gave up and made a copy without scanning it into the PC. Then I looked for the license, and it had vanished.

It’s still gone. The thing that drives me crazy is knowing it’s in this house and I can’t find it.

They gave me ticket number 52 when I got to the tax collector’s office. I wasn’t paying attention, so I thought it said 62. I got up when they called that number, a good long time after I had arrived. The lady who actually had 62 was not happy with me. Fortunately they let me get back in line ahead of number 63.

Today we passed a major milestone. We didn’t spend an irresponsibly long time video chatting. Finally. I was afraid we would do it every day until the world fell apart around us.

I knew there had to come a time when we would be able to bear time apart. Most couples get really, really good at it. Maybe now we’ll be able to get a few things done.

It has been hard to figure out what to do. Things developed so quickly. Should I ship her here right away so we could get to know each other face-to-face and make sure where we want to go forward? Good idea, but it takes time to get a visa. Should we meet in Israel for the same purpose? Also a good idea, but my passport will take time to arrive.

It all boils down to time. Which of these things can we do fastest? She will be busy in May, so we need to try to get together in April.

I think I could get a passport by the first week of April, based on what I’ve read. I think I should try to do that. I’ll need evidence of plans to travel. I may have to buy a ticket for myself. If I do, what happens if the State Department doesn’t come through in time? Can I get a refund? Can I get refunds for her airfare and travel expenses? I don’t know. I have to find out.

What about coronavirus? Will I have to be tested in order to travel? What if I fail? Do I have to eat my ticket, stay home, and text her about her great Israel trip?

I should Google.

Okay, Googling over.

It’s not a pretty picture. Israel is closed. Even the Messiah can’t get a visa. You have to qualify to enter under a short list of exceptions, and neither of us will make the cut.

Europe is not good. I looked at Greece, as an example. Closed.

What if I go to Zambia? No problem, except they’ll make me stay in quarantine for 14 days. Forget that.

Mexico will work, as will South Africa. Sweden might work. South Africa requires a 35-hour trip for me. Neither she nor I would need a visa.

Okay, here’s the obvious question: what are we supposed to do with our time in South Africa? We are Christians, so the answer you’re thinking of is not an option. I guess we could go around looking at lions and elephants. Not that exciting for an African girl.

What do tourists do in Sweden? I think they look at fjords and go home. Nothing ever happened in Sweden. The Swedish Empire never ruled half the world. No saviors were born there. America never had a revolution and broke off from Sweden. There are no Swedish pyramids. They have no alps. What do people do?

Greece is very interesting. Actually, it’s probably a lot more interesting to me than to anyone who grew up in Africa. Anyway, it’s closed. Like Wally World in Family Vacation. The muse out front should have told you.

I didn’t know any of these obstacles existed, but then I don’t do a lot of international travel.

What kind of lives can we have, if this craziness continues? Would we find ourselves sitting around the house together until Jesus came? Of course, a lot of other people have been living that way for over a year, so I suppose it wouldn’t be an unusual punishment serious enough to make two people avoid marriage. I suppose we sit around the house most of the time now, except we’re not together.

This would only be the first phase of our international moves. Even if we got together and became convinced we should keep going forward, we would still have to go through this again for the marriage. What will the travel picture be like a few months from now? What if coronavirus variants have run amok by then, essentially ending international travel? Would it still be possible to get a fiancee visa?

Is it too late for us? Is anyone else out there still getting married?

Who cares? Worrying is pointless, so I won’t do it. If God wants us together, nothing can stop us.