Turned Back at the Border (Our Journey to Montreal, part 3)

Just a recap, Vernon and I are praying we make some good timing before we reach Burlington, Vermont where Sonny had business to take care of.

We started on our way to Burlington and surprisingly we were making good time and we made it safely there without any problems. This made Vernon and I very happy because it was Thursday and we were just 2.5 hours from the Canadian border, which meant we would be in Canada by evening. However shortly after arriving in Burlington our troubles began. Sonny was not sure where he was to go. You see he did not plan ahead, so we were riding around the city of Burlington blind with a U-Haul truck up and down small streets. After 3 wrong stops we found out where to go, luckily there was a Chinese restaurant in the same parking lot, so we decided to eat before crossing the border.

We had a very good meal and Sonny’s business was taken care of and we headed to the van and moving truck. When Sonny got to his van the electronic door and ramp would not work. For several minutes Vernon and Sonny worked on the door to get it to open. Finally they were able to open it, but now a new problem the door would not latch shut. No matter what they did it would not shut. You must be asking what time it is. Well it is getting later and later. The sun had set and we were still in the parking lot. Finally they called a service company and the advice was to get some bungee cords and strap the doors together. The service company gave them the name of a mechanic that would be able to fix the door both in Canada and in Vermont.

So that is what we did. Let me just say this. In all of our troubles on this trip God was ahead of us. He made sure we were near whatever we needed to help us out of trouble. So when I say God is good, they are not just words to me. The parking lot where we were parked had a Dollar Tree and they had bungee cords so we did not have to drive that U-Haul around looking for a store that had bungee cords. Vernon went in bought what he needed, got the doors strapped together and we were on our way to the border.

What happened at the border I will never forget as long as I live. We were behind Sonny and Meriam and when they reach the window we could see from the truck that something was not right. Then the gate opened and Sonny was pulled over to the side. We drove up to the window and we were asked all kinds of questions like, ‘What’s in the truck?’ ‘Do you know how long Sonny is staying?’ ‘How do you know them?’ It was at this point we knew they had not done what they needed to do to cross the border.

We were told to pull alongside of Sonny. It was there we found out he had no visa and no papers to say he was moving to Canada. Their van was searched like they were criminals. When they were asked if Sonny was moving to Canada they lied and said no. They were asked whose things were in the U-Haul they said it all belong to Meriam. The border patrol knew they were lying.

Vernon and I were told we could go across into Canada but not with the U-Haul. We could have someone pick us up. It is now 9:00pm and we are stuck at the border. There was no way we could leave Sonny and Meriam. About 9:30pm after the Canadian border officers told them they could not go into Canada and Sonny could not come back until he had residence in the US for a month and that would only be to visit. Because Sonny sold his house, and that was one of the questions they were asked and they lied about that as well. The border officers knew the truth already.

You see we found out that they were told to lie by their attorney and they paid him $700 for that bad advice. He had told them to lie about being married as well. They were in a mess and we did not know how to help them.

We crossed back over the border onto the US side. It is 10pm now and we all are tired and weary. Meriam called her sisters and they said they would be there the next day to pick Vernon and me up. But until then we had to find a hotel. After 2 attempts to find a place to lay our weary heads we found a place about 30 minutes from the border. By the time we all got to sleep it was 1:30 in the morning. The hotel manager was gracious to us and told us our check out would be 2:00pm. See how God works. Even in our troubles He is there.

After checkout we spent the day getting the door fixed on the van and looking for a storage place to park the U-Haul to store Sonny and Meriam’s things.

7:30pm Friday night Vernon and I were picked up by the head Elder of the church (where we would be speaking) and Meriam’s sister Mercy. Now when I look back on things I see how God was with us all the way.

Until next week for the more of the story... Part 4 How God worked it all out.