God's Timing Has Never Failed

Psalm 27:14
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

I was able to talk to Raul today for a few minutes. He was at one of his uncle's houses and it sounds like he's been meeting a lot of family in the past couple of days. He was able to play baskeball with some of his cousins last night. He informed me that he has not yet had time to play his Xbox 360, though. :)

Since there is really no other big updates on Raul today, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk a little bit about God's timing in our lives. Raul and I both had the opportunity to take a course at our church called Vantage Point 3 last year. As an assignment for the course, we both composed narratives of our lives, focusing on God's continued presence. This was an eye opening experience for us and we frequently refer back to the lessons that we have learned about God's timing as result of writing our narratives. Though we would love for God's timing to be quick when it comes to Raul's stay in Mexico, we are confident that God has a reason for every day that he will be there.

Since Raul was given 120 days before he had to leave the U.S., we were able to start part of the application process for re-admittance before he left. My sister, Vonya (who works as the paralegal for our immigration lawyer), said that Raul's Consular Interview will probably be sometime in November. The purpose of this interview is to prove that our marriage is legit and to prove that he is eligible to file the waiver that we are filing. After this interview, he will have his waiver appointment. This may be as early as sometime in December. There are two outcomes for this appointment. Usually, 3 or 4 weeks after the waiver appointment, a letter is sent. The letter could either come with an approval and a visa for the U.S.  or it could say that they are sending the it for further review. If it is sent for further review, it could take 8 to 9 months to hear the decision. It's pretty obvious which outcome we're hoping for, but like I said, we are obediently trusting in God's timing because he continually shows himself faithful.

As I mentioned before, taking Vantage Point 3 has really helped me look back on my life and see how God orchestrated circumstances in it to prepare me for things I am currently going through or will be going through. Though we are going through a hard time right now, I know someday (hopefully soon) I will be able to look back and see God's hand in everything.

We are already able to see God's hand and some of his timing in our current situation. Raul was actually able to apply for voluntary departure (the process he's doing now) without having to go through all of the court mess that we went through in May. We decided not to do that and instead went the court route first. Though waiting for the courtdate seems to have set us back timewise and paying the legal fees associated with preparing for court created quite a bit of debt for us, I am able to say that I'm glad we didn't go straight for the voluntary departure. Had we chosen that route, Raul would have been in Mexico at the time my dad passed away from lung cancer. I can't imagine going through that experience without him by my side. 

Even the timing of our relationship, engagement, and marriage was a total God thing. As some of you may know, Raul and I knew each other seven years before he finally decided to pop the question. Raul asked me to be his wife on December 10, 2010 and less than a month later, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Though there was much grief associated with my father's illness, our engagement was a bright spot in our family and provided joy for my parents. Raul had a court date at the end of January and we became aware of the fact that he had a slight possibility of being detained and then deported on the spot. Because of this, we decided to have a civil ceremony on January 13 and then have our "real" wedding in April if we made it past that date. Little did we know that my father would pass away before he could walk me down the aisle, but my mother tells me that it was a great relief for him to know that I was already married and would be taken care of. Like our engagement brought joy amidst the grief surrounding my father's diagnosis, planning for our upcoming wedding brought joy amidst the grief of losing my father so quickly after his diagnosis. God is good, and his timing is indeed perfect. I have never doubted that my marriage to Raul is part of God's plan for my life.

Seeing God's hand in those circumstances strengthens our faith that God is with us during this valley and that he will bring good out of all of this. I admit that it is a daily struggle for me to give control to God, but oh what peace comes when I am able to do that. Praise be to God!