The lady tells me he has no passport and asks where it is. I assure her I will not put him on the flight until I know the answer. She, did not believe me and called the gate to let them know the problem. Sergey is crying because his passport is lost. The lady tells me he can not stay there crying he might upset the other children...that have all left. He was the only one in there. So we take the Poltava children to the gate. The flight is overbooked the children have no seats. I'm having to push them to get seats for the children. They send me somewhere at the other end of the concourse to ask about Sergey's passport. They were very unhelpful and implied it was my problem to fix. I at this point begin crying. I had to go to the gate to get the others on the flight. They are the last to board and finally have seats. Delta is thrilled to give away Sergey's seat.
I return to the other end of the concourse to ask for his ticket back. They are still no help and tell me to go to lost and found outside of security.
I receive a phone call....Delta found the passport, they will fly it to NY, no direct flight, it's coming to Atlanta. I'm to stick around until 2 to get it. I go back to the gate to inform them and ask about another flight. By the time the passport arrives at 2 he will not make it to NY to join the group. Delta, hearing they really do have the passport begins to be helpful.
Sasha did the paperwork to get Sergey in the US. He was flying home with a group of 12 orphans. Not on Delta. Their flight was at 9:30 p.m. Delta agreed to put Sergey on the flight with them. We waited 12 hours in the airport between flights. By the time we left the airport Rachel and I had been there 141/2 hours. We woke up at 3 a.m. We had no breakfast. We did not get lunch until 1. Picked up the passport at 2. Rode the train to all the concourses. Sergey did not want us to nap, so we did not. We went to the gate early to get his seat assigned. The attendant knew who he was, checked his passport and said he could not board until the adult arrived. (Again, I'm not going to let an orphan board the plane without an adult.)
The flight from Tampa with Sasha and the children was late. No place for it to dock. I leave Rachel and Sergey at the gate. I travel on the train from E to A. They are at the very end. We walk and talk. They tell me the children need the bathroom. I explain the plane has already begun boarding before I left to get them. Rachel calls to tell me they have called the final boarding. We top the escalator to hear it a second time. We get the thumbs up from the Delta workers as we enter the gate. They are the last to board the plane.
Would the 12 orphans had made it on the plane if there had not been a problem with Sergey's passport? What are the odds they flew home the same day? Isn't God's timing perfect.
As tired as we were, Rachel and I talked the 3 hour drive home. We arrived home about midnight. We were excited about what God had done.
Phone conversations on the way home reinforce another area of ministry God is calling me to with the orphans. Through prayer and praise the answers to my questions were found. The answers of how to do it right.
