Juarez and Beyond

James 1:2-3 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." 

I must admit that sometimes the passage above is much easier said than done. When I look back on my life, or even the past couple of years, I can definitely see that the greatest times of growth in my life were a result of some of the greatest hardships and deepest hurts that I have ever experienced. While some of those memories are still painful, God has indeed proven himself faithful time and time again and this is the reason why I am able to face each day without having a total meltdown. However, I do have to confess to having some minor meltdowns on occasion...

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of two of our close friends. While I was excited for them to start their new life together, I had to fight back the tears as I remembered our wedding and wished that I had the luxury of living with my husband and inviting people over to our new home. It is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and every day I feel more and more blessed to call Raul my husband. But, I also find it harder and harder to live without him near me. Yet, I hear God's soft voice telling me, "One day at a time, child. One day at a time."

The time is quickly approaching for Raul to have his Consular interview in Juarez. He will fly from Mexico City to Juarez (we found it was the same price to fly as to ride the bus) on Tuesday, November 29. Wednesday, he will have his medical exam and Thursday he will get fingerprinted. On Friday, he will have the actual interview and then he flies "home" on Saturday. Prayers for everything to go smoothly would be much appreciated. 

We are expecting him to have his waiver interview about two months after this first appointment. However, there will still be a long period of waiting after this interview to see if his visa application was approved or denied. Immigration is changing the flow of everything to make it more efficient. Because of this, the wait time for processing has increased. Yes, I know... After his waiver interview, it may now take up to two months to get the letter that says if he's been approved for his visa or if his case has been sent for further review. If it is sent for further review, we may have to wait 8 or 9 more months to see if his visa was approved. Needless to say, after I did the math and figured out that we may have to wait almost a year after his waiver interview to see if he was approved, I did have another minor meltdown (it may have been slightly more than minor). In my head, I know that God is in control and that wait times mean nothing to him because his timing is perfect, but sometimes there's a lag time between head knowledge and believing things in my heart. I think this is definitely one of God's endurance building exercises for me.

Still, even in the midst of all of my worries and doubts, I can see God at work and there are many blessings to count. Raul and I are continually encouraged by support from friends and family. It meant so much to us that people were excited for us to be able to go to Puerto Vallarta. I also see God's hand at work in each of our lives, molding us and shaping us, and our marriage has only grown stronger during this time apart. In addition, God has been blessing us financially. Because of the generosity of friends and family and other unexpected sources of income, we will be able to pay off the rest of our legal fees by the end of the year. The list of things to be thankful for could go on and on. 

Yes, I have been having a lot of freak out moments lately, but God is still faithful and I am so thankful for that. I am looking forward to the day when I can look back on this difficult time and see how God's timing and ways were indeed perfect. Whether we Gizzos end up in Mexico or the U.S. one thing is for sure, God will be with us, and that is my strength for today.