Letters

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated you all on the life of the Gizzos. It seems hard to believe that it has almost been a year since we got the letter from Homeland Security telling us that our waiting would soon be over and the Gizzos would be reunited on this side of the border. We continue to praise the Lord for the miracle that he performed in parting the Rio Grande, so to speak, to let my husband come home to us.

We received another exciting letter in the mail this week. About a month and a half ago, Raul had his hearing to see if his driver's license could be reinstated. Raul has not had a license since his accident when he was 18 and has had to rely on public transportation or family or friends to get to and from work or anywhere else he needs to be. This Wednesday we learned that he was approved for a restricted driving permit that allows him to drive to and from work and on the job as well. After 9 months, he is able to apply for full reinstatement. Since he will soon be able to drive on the job, Raul's boss has told him that he will be able to offer him full-time hours on a regular basis. This is also big news for us since the hours he has been able to work has varied from week to week. More money coming in means the faster we will be able to save for a place of our own!

I am almost half-way done with my internship at Nicasa. So far, I have really been enjoying this experience. My time there is spent doing DUI evaluations, co-leading substance abuse treatment groups and doing lots and lots of paperwork (case management). I have recently been given the opportunity to do some one-on-one counseling with a couple of clients who are in my high risk group for those who have been diagnosed as dependent (addicted) on alcohol or drugs. I am hoping to get more one on one opportunities in the semester to come. Graduation date is set for May 17, 2014 (assuming I passed my comprehensive exam that I took today).

Though a year ago I was counting down the days to my next trip to Mexico, Raul is now the one who is counting. Raul will be traveling to Mexico to visit his family and friends at the end of December. I did laugh when he turned to me the other day and said, "It's November. Next month I go to Mexico!" Now where have I heard something like that before....? He is excited to go "back home" and I'm glad he has the opportunity to go. I'm hoping to use the time while he's gone to pack in some extra internship hours.

There is hardly a day that goes by when I do not thank God for the life that he has blessed us with. What a story he has given us, and we are excited (though at times a little anxious) to see his plan for our lives unfolding. Though I have said this time and time again, I still marvel at the fact that "God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine according to his work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)" God is good and we are blessed.

Home

This update blog is quite a few months later than I had originally anticipated. It is  hard to believe that Raul has been home for almost 4 months now. In many ways, it seems like we picked up right where we left off. We moved back in with Raul's parents until we can get our own place. Raul was able to return to his old job. Even though the amount of hours per week are not guaranteed, he has been averaging at least 3 or 4 days of work per week. Some weeks, he even gets over 40 hours. Much of our free time is spent with his side of the family or mine. Just like the good old days...

Yet, things are different this time as well. Before Raul left, we were in somewhat of a holding pattern. We could not make many plans for the future because we did not know where our future would be. Now that we are fairly certain that we will grow old together in the U.S.A., we are praying much about what God will have for us to do here. Where and when shall we buy a house? What will happen after I finish my internship next May? Should Raul go back to school and for what? There are many, many plans yet to unfold in the lives of the Gizzos. Though I must admit that I do still worry about the decisions ahead, I am mostly excited that we are finally able to move forward together, trusting that the Lord will provide and lead just as he has the past two years.

The Gizzos and the Warrens

It's been fun to see how excited people are for us. We have enjoyed going home to Iowa to visit my mom and family there. Raul is usually the center of attention as he has many stories from his Mexico days to share. No matter how many times I hear them, I always enjoy his tales of being a comandante (police officer). Last month, while we were in Iowa, we were able to have dinner with Jim and Peggy Warren, the couple who hosted Raul while he was in Juarez. They were visiting one of their supporting churches. It was fun for me to meet them in person, and they enjoyed catching up with Raul.

Next week, I will begin my internship for my master's program. I am happy that I am finally to this last stage of my program, but I am not looking forward to arriving home later in the evening. Though the internship is around 20 hours per week, I am glad that I have practically no travel time since it is literally 5 minutes or less from where we live. Though the clientele could be challenging because most are court mandated, I am excited for the hands on experience that I will gain in substance abuse treatment and prevention programs.

Well, I guess that's the quick update on our lives. I don't want to bore you with any more details! And for those of you who are wondering...no, we do not have plans for the arrival of any little Gizzos until after my internship is complete. ;)

A New Chapter

I am sorry it has taken so long for me to finally sit down and write this blog post. It is THE POST that I waited almost a year and a half to write. I had the privilege of picking up Mr. Gizzo from O'Hare Airport on Saturday, Feb. 9. It is hard to believe that he has been back home in Waukegan for almost a month.

Though I was envisioning a reunion made for the movies, somehow I missed seeing him at his baggage claim where I had been waiting since before his plane landed. I eventually got a call from him from outside where he was waiting for me. I have no idea how we missed each other, but I was relieved to hear his voice on the phone because I was starting to get worried something had gone wrong in Houston where he went through immigration and caught his connecting flight.

After we finally found each other, we made our way to Raul's parent's house. Though we had told them that he would be home soon, we did not tell them the exact date because Raul wanted to surprise them. And, surprise them we did. When we pulled up to the house, we saw the cars of his sisters and their families as well. They were at his parents' house celebrating the birthday of his brother in-law. Raul walked into the kitchen and everyone turned silent. They looked at him, then each other, then back at him, and one by one the women in the family began screaming. It was priceless.  We spent the rest of the evening at his family's house before we headed back to my roommate Jen's place where we spent the night.

The next day, Sunday, we headed to church where Raul again was able to surprise more than a few people. It was fun to see everyone's smiles when they saw him, especially the youth at the church. I was busy the week before organizing a welcome back party for him. We had an "All-American" menu --fried chicken, mac and cheese, potato salad, and apple pie. If anyone needs a recipe for mac and cheese that feeds 100 people, I have a good one!

We're now settling into this new chapter of our marriage where we actually get to live together. For now, we are living with Raul's parents. The plan is that when Raul gets some steady income, we'll be able to save some money and buy a fixer-upper home. He was able to get in a week doing carpentry work with his former boss, but we are not sure if he will be able to get on full-time with him again. We should know in a few weeks.

These past few weeks have flown by. I've been busy with a modular class and lots of church meetings since our head pastor recently resigned. Raul has been busy meeting with old friends and hanging out with the family. He's also looking forward to working with the youth at our church again.

Right now, we are in Iowa celebrating Raul's return with my mom and the rest of my Iowa family. Raul has been entertaining the family with his stories about being a comandante (volunteer police officer) and his other adventures in Mexico. What a blessing it is to have him home.

Thanks again to everyone who prayed Raul home. Please continue to pray for us as we try to figure out what God wants us to do in this next chapter of our lives. Praise the Lord that we're fairly certain that this next chapter of our lives will take place in the U.S.A.!

Though I originally started the blog to update you all on everything immigration related, I hope to continue to blog from time to time to share what we Gizzos are up to. Until next time....