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.

Photos for the non-facebookers

 Please click the link below to view photos from our recent Puerto Vallarta trip.
http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/thegizzos/Puerto%20Vallarta/

The link below is for pics that Raul took in Puebla and Mexico City.
http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/thegizzos/Puebla/

Forward motion

We Gizzos very much enjoyed our Puerto Vallarta vacation. Thanks to our new friends, Helder and Sarahy, we were able to tour much of the area. A visit to the jungle where they taped the movie Predator, a visit to several breath taking beaches, and a hike up to a gorgeous waterfall were among our favorite activities. Since Helder and Sarahy have lived in PV for several years now and both work at resorts, they were expert tour guides and they gave up most of their free time this past week or so to make sure we had a good time.

Since our hotel was in downtown PV, Raul and I spent much of our time just walking around town. There were shops everywhere and we met some interesting characters who tried to sell us a variety of goods--from expired vanilla to handmade crafts to expensive leather goods. Selling timeshares in PV is also a booming business and everywhere we turned, someone was trying to talk us into listening to a 75 minute presentation in exchange for cash or vouchers for some kind of entertainment. We did end up going to one of these presentations at a beautiful resort called Garza Blance, but only because Raul ended up knowing one of the sales people. As we were walking in downtown PV, a guy motioned for Raul to come over there, and it turns out he and Raul went to high school together. Small world! The 75 minute presentation at the resort turned into two and a half hours, but we got a free dinner out of it, so we were happy. :)

As you can imagine, it was very hard for me to board the plane and leave my love behind, but I am thankful that the next time we will see each other is less than two months away. It is rough to be apart from my husband, but what a blessing it is to be able to travel to two beautiful destinations outside of the U.S. to spend time with him. I will do more traveling in the course of three months than I ever have in my lifetime!

I did have some good news awaiting for me when I arrived home. I finally got an email from immigration with the date for Raul's first Consular interview. Please be in prayer for Raul on December 2 at 11:15 a.m. as this is his interview time. He will be traveling to Juarez a couple of days in advance to complete his physical exam and to get finger printed in preparation for his interview. The purpose of this first interview is to establish that our marriage is legit and that he is indeed eligible for the waiver which we will be submitting.

Both of us are settling back into our "old routine". This weekend for me will be spent prepping for a test I must take next week and starting on a paper that is due a week before Thanksgiving. Raul picked corn yesterday morning and then went fishing in the afternoon. He also stopped by to visit his grandma and Lupita, both of whom were happy to see him. We are both trying to take it one day at a time and to find the joy in each moment. Some moments are easier than others, but rain or shine, God is still good and we are glad we are in his hands.

Sunny Days

Ephesians 3:16-21
¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
 ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ever since college, this passage has been one of my go-to passages when I am struggling. When I feel like there is no way I can endure what I am going through and when I feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, I read this passage and am struck with how much God loves me and I desire afresh to be filled with the fullness of his power.

God has certainly showed me this week that He really can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. This week has brought nothing but good news. On Monday, I found out that one of my sister's prayer requests had been answered in a big way and I also found out that a scholarship reccomendation that I had written for one of the girls at our church was approved. On Tuesday, I received a large cash bonus from my place of employment. Though we were instructed not to share the exact amount of the bonus, I can assure you that it is definitely more than I could have asked or imagined! Bonuses are definitely not routine at Trinity, so this was a great reminder that my finances are under God's control, not mine.

Needless to say, my spirits have been pretty upbeat this week, not to mention that I have LESS THAN ONE WEEK until I see my husband! I will be leaving for the airport at 3:00 a.m. next Wednesday. Raul will actually get in to Puerto Varllarta the day before I do, so he will be able to meet me at the airport when I arrive. Our friend's brother was able to find us a very affordable hotel in downtown Puerto Vallarta to stay in, so all of the details seem to be taken care of. I have quite an extensive list of things to bring to Raul, so packing could be a challenge. Among the things on the list are fishing poles, a basketball, and baking supplies. He is a well rounded individual! :)

Raul is feeling a lot more at home in Santa Monica now. He has gotten to know many of the people there and has his usual group of friends that he plays basketball with. He's been attending a church there. He doesn't agree with some of its teachings, but it has at least given him a place to meet people and it is forcing him to search the Scriptures to see why he believes what he believes. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Raul ends up staying in Santa Monica for most if not all of his time in Mexico.

Speaking of his time in Mexico...we are still waiting to find out the date for his first consular interview. Apparently, they are restructuring the way applications are being processed and this has created a longer wait time for applicants. Though the first month apart has gone somewhat quickly, I get a little freaked out at the thought that we have many more months to go. It's a daily struggle for me to give up the timing of everything to God. I find that I am in much more of a hurry than He is most of the time. :)

All of your prayers are still very much appreciated. Though this week has been a good week, last week was a pretty rough one for me. I find myself thinking of my Dad more often these days  and I could use prayers for comfort for me and my family as we continue to grieve the loss of my precious father. Please also pray for safety for Raul and me as we travel to and from Puerto Vallarta. Also, I know it will be very hard for me to say good-bye to him when our vacation is over, so prayers of encouragement for both of us would also be greatly appreciated.

Blessed beyond belief

The countdown has begun and I officially have less than three weeks until I will be soaking in the sun with my hubby in Puerto Vallarta. I'm sure time will fly as I try to get ahead on homework so that I can unplug from everything and enjoy quality time with Raul. What a blessing it is to have a day on the calendar to look forward to. I am also extremely thankful that we chose to save our wedding gift money so that we can enjoy the time together without stressing about how we're going to pay for it!

Raul has sounded much more upbeat the last few times I have spoken with him. He has created projects for himself so he is busy most every day and time doesn't seem to drag as much for him now as it did when he first arrived in Santa Monica. His day begins with breakfast and coffee with his grandpa and then he travels to his grandma's house to check in on her and Lupita. While there, he enjoys some lunch and helps out wherever he is needed. He has also started feeding and watering Lupita's pigs and he slips some food scraps to her dogs as well. Those of you who know Raul, know that he has a soft spot when it comes to dogs so it's hard for him to see her scrawny dogs without doing something to fatten them up.  In the past week, he painted his grandpa's doors and replaced a gate for Lupita. He also has plans to help his uncle pick pumpkins from his pumpkin patch. So, at least he's feeling a little more productive now and he enjoys helping out his family.

Raul is also learning that news (good or bad, truth or lies) travels fast in a small town. While he was working on Lupita's gate, he accidently struck a water line. Since it was nothing more than a rubber hose a few feet beneath the surface, the water started spurting out. Before he could travel home to get supplies to fix it, everyone in the whole town knew about it! There were also rumors about him being so drunk that he had to be carried home to his father's house. However, I'm pretty sure that whoever started that rumor was mistaken since I talked to him the same day that was supposed to have happened and he sounded just fine to me! Ahhh, it reminds me a bit of growing up in Iowa. :)

We still continue to count our many blessing and are increasingly thankful for our family and friends who support us in more ways than we can count. While the future is still pretty uncertain for us, I can't help but be a little excited about what God is us preparing for. There are so many things in my life that I can look back on and see how God was working out all of the details. I know that someday down the road, this adventure will be no different.

Mrs. Mo is headed to Mexico!

If you are one of my friends on facebook, you are probably more than aware that I booked my ticket to Puerto Vallarta for October 26! Only one month away! I was originally going to wait until November to visit my hubby, but since my passport came early and I was already itching to hop on a plane, all signs pointed to "Just Book It!" I have emailed our contact in Puerto Vallarta and he is going to see if he can find us an affordable deal on a hotel, so the vacation plans are well under way. While we're in Puerto Vallarta, we hope to scope out the scene to see if it's an option for Raul to live and work.

Other than that exciting news, there is not really much new to report. Raul continues to check in on his grandmother and Lupita daily. He has also had the opportunity to meet most of his aunts, uncles, and cousins there. Raul has been enjoying the very authentic Mexican food, for the most part. He is getting his fill of homemade tortillas and enjoyed some very good turkey mole that his aunt made today. The sanitation methods there aren't quite what he was used to, but he says if he doesn't let himself think about it, he's okay. :)

One of the perks of living in Santa Monica is that its residents are qualified for free medical care. Apparently, Raul just has to fill out and file some paperwork and then he's ready to go. Just before he left Waukegan, his dentist suggested that he get his wisdom teeth out, so maybe we'll be able to get a good deal on that procedure south of the border!

I am in the process of adjusting as much as possible to the married-single life. I really need to kick my study habits into high gear now. I am hoping to finish a paper before I go to visit Raul.  We'll see if that happens... I am really thankful for my good roommie, my sister and her family, and my Journey Church family. They are all making sure that I do not have too many lonely nights at home.

And that's...about it for now!

A taste of Mexico

http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/thegizzos/Mexico1/

Raul went to the nearest town with Internet today to upload his pictures. Since the connection was slow, he was only able to upload a few. Hopefully, he will be able to upload more soon. I'm not sure where all of these were taken (other than Mexico, of course).