This happened a few days before we had left for Korea in 1995. As had been expected, things went well after that covenant made by God.
In a short period of time, with the help of the Lord, we were able to solve a problem in three days, which cannot be done in a month! We managed to check out and make an extract from the housing registration book, and we gave the apartment to another missionary.
However, we didn’t expect to experience another problem at the Kimpo airport, Seoul, Korea.
On that day, there was joy and peace in my soul that the Lord is always with us!
Here we are standing in a line and waiting for our turn to go through passport control and customs inspection. Then there were no scheduled planes, but a charter flight, which was very rare at that moment..
Here we are standing again with the documents in front of the border guards to go through passport control, and one of the border guards pushed my son aside Daniel, but let others go through. At first, I got angry at the border guard for his unacceptable manner, but later realized what he had done was appropriate. Naturally, I had to go out with my son, because my son did not have his entry visa. The border guard told me: Don't come without the entry visa of your son! As a result of my negligence, not only us but also all my family had to leave the waiting room again. Until now, I cannot understand how I could have forgotten to apply for my son's entry visa, which is of great importance. Frankly speaking I flew to the Korean embassy, which is in Vladivostok on purpose to get his visa as well..
Although many years have passed, it sticks to my mind, which makes me think over and over again why I had forgotten to get a visa.
At first sudden panic overtook me and began to rush around the airport. My wife began to grumble at me. The whole mood soured, I did not know what to do, because I had been driven into a dead end. My wife screams at me for my negligence, and I let go of my head. Then I sat down on a bench and began to pray for God’s guidance. All of a sudden the peace descended on me for no reason and I was confident that everything would go as planned. This was the providence of God. And I was one hundred percent sure that God would solve this problem out in no time and in an amazing way.
On the one hand, it seemed that I was out of my mind, or God orchestrated specially to show a miracle so that he would be glorified. On the other hand, I was just inattentive. Anyway, what happened happened.
When my wife found out that it was my fault, she got angry with me. I had been trying to reassure her, convincing her that everything would be fine. After all, we saw a huge rainbow, which was the sign that God would be with us even if we got into trouble. I told her that we do not need to be discouraged, no matter what obstacles await us on our difficult path we must trust our God. In such a situation, I looked like a fool in front of my wife. There was nothing I could do about in such a situation but pray to be guided by God's providence. Then I had the feeling that God heard my prayer, which was inside of me, and said everything will be fine, child! God was moving us in a direction from a worldly point of view that seems to be unimaginable.
If the other person were in my shoes, he would have frozen from despair. As I finished praying, the wisdom of the Lord came upon me that makes me act out. So I could no longer watch my wife grumble at me.
In order to act out I went outside, and took a taxi to go to the OVIR (department of visas and registration). I had only 40 minutes left until the office is closed. I made the taxi driver hurry, he drove as fast as he could that we got there in 20 minutes, and besides, there weren't many vehicles on the track that day. However, by the time we arrived in the department, it was 6 o'clock. It was the end of the working day!. But the door was still open, so I went in there, then a woman came up to me, waving her hand that the working day was over, come tomorrow. Despite this, I began to whine and beg her, but she did not want to hear me! Being frustrated and in despair as I was about to leave, but suddenly God prepared the woman I was familiar with. When she saw me, she recognized me at once and asked: What brought you at this hour? I explained to her everything that happened at the airport. She says: show me your passport! So I handed out my passport, which did not have my son's entry visa, she examined it carefully, and then she says: just a minute. She took it and wrote something on it by pen, put a seal, and said: now enjoy the trip! Having taken the passport with the temporary visa, I went to the airport as fast as possible, in the same way as we came but the time was late. Although I arrived in the airport late than I should have been, the flight was delayed due to technical problems. The moment I entered the airport, I found my wife and children, they were eagerly waiting for me. By the time I got to the airport, she calmed down and behaved properly. Thus far she knew nothing about the result of what makes me be absent. Apparently, she guessed from my face that the cases were resolved successfully.
The women have some senses we as man know nothing about. They are likely born police officers- don't try to cheat on them, they will find out in no time what you have done. No man can hide anything from them!
Then I showed her my passport with the handwritten visa.
Being convinced that we had our son's entry visa, we went successfully through passport control this time without any cavils.
And now we are on the plane. As soon as the charter plane took off by spreading its wings towards the sky. From a sort of a helicopter perspective, the beautiful panorama of the Sakhalin Island with all its glory is being opened below me. The more the plane climbed higher, the smaller everyone around became, and I could see the outline of the island, becoming smaller and smaller. Suddenly, tears began to well up in my eyes, but these tears were not tears of sadness, rather the tears of joy and assurance that God led us all the way. Leaving the island with open wide fields, and cars rushing back and forth, I felt so good in my soul, and forgot all the difficulties that I had to overcome with the help of the Lord.
However, we faced another serious problem with regard to passport and some other documents that were related to Korea law at the Kimpo airport, Seoul, Korea.
When we arrived at the Kimpo airport, Seoul Korea, I did not think that I could be detained and interrogated for more than an hour without being allowed out.This was due to the registration of marriage, which was important for obtaining citizenship. I didn’t know that a lot of problems were expected in Korea.
I had already lost hope that they would eventually release me from the airport, because they thought my passport was fake, and my daughter is not our daughter she must have been kidnapped. In this case, I turned into a sandwich, I could not enter Korea nor could I go back. Therefore, if I begin to describe in detail everything that happened to me at the Kimpo airport, I think it will take a long time. So I have to let go of something a little and get to the point.
My wife had a picture of my daughter Deborah attached to her pasport, which were believed to be fictitious. Because of that, we were held detained at the airport. Although we were married in Russia in all respect, our marriage is considered to be illegal in Korea. In fact, even though we were married officially in Russia, in Korea this marriage is not accepted based on the Korea marriage law. It all boils down to the fact that my wife is a citizen of Korea, and I am nobody, because I did not have Russian citizenship nor Korean..
It turns out on the basis of the Korea law of marriage; the embassy employee had no right to attach my daughter's picture to my wife's passport, because my wife and I were not married under the Korean law of marriage. .
Then how was I able to enter Korea in 1994 with the same picture of my daughter being attached to my wife's passport without any hindrances!? Back then we came to Korea to find my parents' roots. Then the thoughts of my son's visa crossed my mind that forgetting about the visa was nothing but the grace of God.