How I Got My Passport

The story starts on Friday, the seventh of November. I visited the Post Office to try and get my passport. All that week I had tried to contact every single post office in my area to see if they had any appointments available, but I don’t think the phone system was working because no one answered. Eventually, I decided that it would be better if I just went to the nearest office and asked if anyone had canceled their appointment and if I could take their place. When I arrived at the post office, the man at the front desk told me, “Go wait in that corner and when the lady in charge of passports walks out ask her if anyone has canceled their appointment. If she has any openings, maybe she will be able to help you.” I smiled and said thanks, walked over to the corner, sat down in a chair, and began praying. I was honestly extremely nervous but at the same time I knew that if God wanted me to go on this trip, then a passport probably would not stop him.

After five minutes, a lady came through the door with the label “passport” on it. She saw me sitting in front of it and asked if I had an appointment. I told her that I did not but I needed to get a passport as soon as possible so I decided to stop by and see if anyone had canceled and if I could take their place. “I can not help you if you do not have an appointment,” she said. I asked her, “Is it possible that someone has canceled their appointment that day because I would be happy to wait until that opening and take their place!” She did not share my enthusiasm and informed me that she did not know of any cancellations. I was starting to feel a bit lost as to what I was supposed to say next. Then she suddenly looked at the folder I was holding in my hand and asked if those were the documents for the passport. I said yes. She grabbed my folder and started to sort through the documents. A couple of seconds into examining my papers, she pointed out that I did not have a photo. I explained to her that the appointment I was scheduled for included a passport photo so I did not think to bring one. She told me, “if
If you do not have a photo, I can not help you.” Then she gathered up my papers and told me to follow her. I was ushered into her office and told to sit down in front of the photo booth. Yet again she reminded me that she could not help me if I didn’t have an appointment. A light suddenly flashed in my face and I realized that she took my photo. She looked at it and said, “I think it looks good.” The image that the passport lady showed me was definitely not my most flattering look. I appeared extremely confused and utterly lost but I did not care at all, I was in no position to refuse her service.

Then she told me to wait around the corner at the passport service counter while she filled out my papers. A couple of minutes later the passport lady appeared at the window and handed me the papers that she did not need anymore. I was honestly still unsure as to what was going on but when she asked me if I wanted to pay with credit or debit I knew that I was about to get my passport! “Debit please”, but then I remembered that I still had one more mountain to climb… I needed to get my passport needed to get expedited, otherwise, World Race would not be able to order my plane tickets in time. The issue here was that due to Covid, passport agencies were only allowed to expedite for individuals in life and death circumstances… that was definitely not me. I was going to have to explain to the lady that her favor was not enough and that I needed her to break the rules one more time for me. This was all going through my head when the lady suddenly looked up at me and asked, “Would you like this expedited?”

“Yes!!”