Unexpected...

This may be boring to those of you who aren't immigration paperwork geeks like I am, but I'm going to share anyway.

Much to my surprise (and I think delight) I was able to move forward on paperwork last night. It took many hours, a ton of reading and rereading, a small forest or two in actual paper, writing my name and SSN enough for my entire life and lots of chocolate. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but this is all a very confusing process! I don't even think that the NVC/CIS really understands how it all works.

So, to make the story short, I was told/I understood that I would have to wait at least another week to six weeks before I could submit my final documentation to the NVC and then have everything sent Ghana for George's part. Well, I actually got to do the paperwork last night and will be mailing it today or tomorrow! How cool is that? I don't know how long it will take for the next step, but so far so good...I never thought I'd actually get to this point. Yay!

P.S. It's freezing cold! I can't wait to be in Ghana, dusty Harmattan and all!

Moving right along!

I honestly don't think I imagined being able to write positive post after positive post, but here I am! I don't think I'll get tired of good things continuing!

The NVC (National Visa Center) packet yesterday was fairly straightforward, so I'm happy for that. I was able to pay the fee for our next step online (nice!) and will print and send the receipt as soon as the payment clears. Then, I wait for further instructions. My understanding though, is that this is my last step. Once I do the paperwork I just paid for everything goes to Ghana.

Now that things are moving forward, I decided to look ahead a little bit and see exactly what is required of George. I was too bummed/cynical/freaked/mad to do so before now. I'm glad I did, because it gives me time to really understand what's going to happen, but more importantly, to PRAY! George will have to have a physical, blood work, immunizations and a chest x-ray before his interview. There is a small list of approved clinics where George can go for these things and not one can do all 4. He'll have to go to 3 different clinics and none of them are right next door to another. It's also my understanding that he'll only have about a month to do it before his interview. Now this freaks me out just a tad because of the way appointments, schedules and time management in general work in Ghana. Mixing an American timeline (the consulate gives him an interview date) with Ghana time is kind of like trying to Waltz to a Techno remix. So we'll see, maybe the Dr. appointments will happen while I'm there. For now, I'll add it to my prayer list and try not to worry.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:4-7

Mail!!

Never in my life did I think that the mail would be this important! It is hands down the single most terrifying and thrilling thing in my life (at the moment of course, and that better end soon:).

Today the paperwork/information from the National Visa Center came! I am so excited! Paperwork means I have something to DO, not just wait around. I can't wait to get home tonight and work on it.

I also got my other W2- tax return here I come!

Busy in my head

Interesting tid-bit of the day:

All I do is plan. No matter the specifics of what I'm doing outwardly, I'm planning in my head all the time. The planning is mostly about George and my future, but sometimes other things get thrown in there. I used to laugh at my mom and tell her she was even busy in her mind because she was/is always working on something...now I'm the exact same. :)

What this includes-fortunately or unfortunately depending on your perspective-is lots of shopping! I'm a shopper through and through, thankfully for my bank account I am a bargain shopper at that! When things are going poorly for us, I buy "needed" items for our future home and it gives me hope that we really do have a future (that's how I got most of the stuff I have). When things are going well for us, I celebrate by purchasing other "needed" items for our future, usually the bigger stuff. So far, I have a complete bedroom set collected at various times on various sales from World Market, our dining room furniture, dinnerware for 12 (which won't be nearly enough considering my family), paintings, decorative accents, beautiful lamps (1/2 off at Pier 1), 3 sets of sheets, pretty pillows, polka-dot coffee cups-for when I have girls over for coffee, gorgeous champagne flutes for future celebrating, a couple of green and brown rugs, and some other things. I'm thinking my tax return will coincide with other good news and I'll get to buy our living room couch. By the time George comes, I'll have everything ready to go! I'm so excited for our future!

I want to get these for the living room as well, I've been watching them for a while but I'm waiting...

That's all.

It's a beautiful day!

Yes, I am thinking of the U2 song, but that's not all...

More importantly, I'm thinking of how truly beautiful this day is- not just because the weather is amazing in January and I will be outside for hours on end without a sweater (bliss!). It's beautiful because I am full of hope, I am so in love, I am blessed beyond words, and I am still floating from the progress of immigration. Wow.

It's still hard to be so far away from George and not really know what's next, but it's much easier when we can see God working. I feel like such a baby when I think about my attitude (and my blog posts) when I don't see God working, how I throw scripture back at Him and ask him "why?", how I'm angry because nothing seems to work for me, how I wish I could be less responsible and run away, how extremely cynical I become. It's silly when I write it down like this, but it doesn't seem that way when I feel alone. I'm so glad that God keeps giving us His love and concern even when I don't do the same. The Psalmist was pretty upy-downy too, and I like that, I think it's God's way of showing us that people are people and He is still God.

...wondrous deeds...

It just keeps gettin' better! God is working even when we don't see it and we are finding out after the fact. It makes me so excited to see how things are working together for our good and how obviously God is involved. George got a call today about immigration and it has given us even more hope for the future processing and gratitude for what has already happened. Truly this is the providence of God.

KEEP PRAYING!

The update!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wonderous deeds and your thoughts towards us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. Psalm 40:5

I've been encouraged to update this thing...apparently someone/people read it. Anyway, it's not 2008 anymore and there is so much to say...

2008 was a trying year and I am glad to look back and see that it's over! But more importantly to see that God showed up big for us and that even though we struggled, and struggled and there were times that we/I felt alone in this big world (and that EVERYONE but me was getting married!) God has worked all things to the good. At the lowest of this past year I was without a job thanks to a creepy stalker boss and had heard that G's non-immigrant visa was denied and that he would not be coming and our plan would not work. At the height, I had spent time with my man, we had another plan, immigration papers had been sent, and God had provided me with a wonderful new job in record time (I still love this job and am so thankful for it!).

Then there was Christmas. I'm not gonna lie, holidays without George and watching my adorable, happily married siblings was tough. I had to try hard to be nice...and happy. Then December 27th happened. We got immigration news! After 4 months of absolutely nothing happening the envelope that makes your heart stop was in the mail. We found out that our application had been sent to another (faster) processing center. I was not sure what to think at first, but then I was elated- this meant someone actually looked at our paperwork!

My dad always says that things can change "in a day" and he reminds me of this a lot. I don't exactly appreciate it when I hear "in a day" for more than a hundred days...but it's true nonetheless. My entire perspective changed "in a day" as well. Three days later we found out our case was being processed. Two weeks after that we found out that it was approved! So now we are waiting again, but I have faith. It's not over yet though. The National Visa Center has our application so now we wait on them and we can't get the same status updates as before. But God has been good and I'm becoming more and more patient. I go back to Ghana in March and Lord willing, it's my last visit alone.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26