Immigration

Our long immigration journey is slowly coming to a close. Ysmaille finally received his 10 year permanent residence card this week. The only other immigration decision we will have to face is U.S. citizenship, but he is not eligible for that yet. It has been a three year journey to get us to this place. For those of you curious of how U.S. immigration works read on. For those of you who get bogged down with the details you may want to stop here. Before I continue I would like to answer a question that I get ALL the time. Q: "Isn't Ysmaille automatically a U.S. citizen because he married you?" A: "No!" As I've said it was a three year process that was somewhat costly, extensive, and often a little ridiculous.

Here is our journey:
March 2006 Ysmaille and I moved to PA from Haiti and promptly met with an immigration lawyer in Lancaster. We began completing paperwork for him, although we couldn't technically file the paperwork until Ysmaille had lived here for three months.
June 2006 We made the costly mistake of assuming our paperwork was sent out as agreed upon by the immigration law office; however, it sat for three months in a filing cabinet until we became curious of his status and called the office.
November 2006 We finally received word that we had an interview in Philadelphia so they could either approve or deny our case. The letter said bring any proof of your relationship.
January 2007 Mom and Dad drove us to Philadelphia and we met with an immigration officer. We literally carried in a duffle bag of "proof": letters and cards written to one another, plane tickets, calling cards, photographs, utility bills, letters from friends who attended our wedding, etc. The man took a brief look at our wedding photos and sent us on our way. We had been approved! Although I was delighted, part of me felt a little annoyed that I had gone to all that trouble for nothing.
February 2007 Ysmaille got his S.S. card, two year permanent visa, driver's license, a car, and a job all within a few weeks of each other.
November 2008 We had to reapply for a ten year card.
July 2009 Ysmaille recieved his ten year permanent resident card (green card).

Of course this is the shortened version. There were visits to York for biometrics, hours spent making phone calls to the U.S. immigration office and filling out additional paperwork, more visits to the lawyers office, etc. I am so glad that phase of our life is drawing to a close. From what I've seen after becoming a resident alien, citizenship should be pretty painless.

Rumor has it...

Rumor has it that I am pregnant, and it's true! Ysmaille and I found out at the end of May, but kept it our own little secret for a while. We told my family right before we left on our trip. When we visited Ysmaille's family in Florida and Haiti we were able to tell them the good news. What perfect timing for us to plan our visit. We had our first sonogram on Monday. What an amazing experience to know that a baby is growing inside of you.

We feel really blessed. Things haven't always come easily for us. We've had lots of ups and downs in our four years of marriage. We've lived in two different countries and four different houses in four years. We've had uncertainties with immigration issues. This is one thing that came very easy for us and I am relieved.

I am really glad we waited to have children. The past four years have been a growing experience for Ysmaille and I as we've learned what it is to be married- to live with another person, to think of someone else before yourself, to share hopes and dreams along with fears and doubts. I will be officially done with all my graduate classes at the end of August. Ysmaille should be done with his school by February. Isn't God's timing perfect?

Timon and Pumba guard our little baby's picture that is proudly displayed on the refrigerator.

I couldn't resist buying a changing table. I ordered it on Monday and picked it up yesterday. Ysmaille got me started and then I put the rest of it together myself. Now I have to store it, because our "nursery" is still our office.

Four Years Ago

Four years ago today I stood in front of family and friends and pledged my life to Ysmaille Eliacin. I can honestly say it was the best decision of my life. Not to say we haven't walked through some difficult times, because we certainly have, but he is an amazing husband and I am so blessed and honored to be his wife.

Eric and April Lehman celebrated their four year anniversary yesterday and I really liked her "time capsule" of what the past four years have held, so I am totally going to steal the idea.

June 25, 2005 Ysmaille and I got married in Port-au-Prince, Haiti during a very tumultuous time in the country.

June 26, 2005 We left for our honeymooon in Punta Cana, DR. After eight hours on a bus and four on a taxi we arrived to our destination.

July 2005 Knowing how difficult things were in Haiti, we decided to stay another week in the DR with great friends, Karly and Tania Desrosiers.

October 2005 Ysmaille and I traveled back to Santo Domingo so he could get a visa to visit my parents in Pennsylvania for Christmas. God orchestrated amazing events to give us the visa we longed for.

December 2005 Ysmaille visited the US for the first time. My parents tried to convince us to stay, but we knew we needed to go back.

February 2006 Elections in Haiti caused major turmoil. People stormed through the gates of Hotel Montana (where we got married), turned over cars in the streets, and burned tires in protest of election results. Ysmaille got another visa and this time we knew we needed to leave Haiti.

March 5, 2006 There was a shooting at Church on the Rock. It happened right before our eyes and I knew our decision to leave was the right one for us.

March 6, 2006 We arrived back in the US and lived with my parents for 2.5 months.

May 2006 We finally rented our first apartment at 511 Center Street.

September 2006 Angela and Hans got married, the first sibling on either side to join us in marital bliss.

Much of 2006 and 2007 was a blur of trying to survive. I was substitute teaching when I could and Ysmaille was taking odd jobs wherever he could find them. God was an awesome provider during this time.

February 2007 Ysmaille recieved his green card, got a social security card, a drivers license and a job all in a week or so.

August 2007 I became a full-time employee of the Chambersburg Area School District as a EAP Reading Coach.

September 2007 Josue and Erika got married, making them the second of our siblings to "tie the knot".

November 2007 Although we didn't even own our own house, Ysmaille and I took the plunge and bought two rental units.

March 2008 Ricot and Mandy got married. Now we had three siblings who have joined the ranks as a happily wedded couple.

March 2008 During this same month we moved into our townhouse on Gleneagles Drive.

June 2008 Dukens and Angela also joined the married couples list. Four of our siblings got married in less than two years.

August 2008 I was able to transfer from a reading coach to a third grade teacher.

October 2008 We bought our townhouse on Halloween.

January 2009 We went on a cruise to Grand Cayman and Jamaica, something we really wanted to do together before we had children.

May 2009 I graduated with my masters degree in Educational Leadership.

June 2009 We celebrated Ysmaille's parent's 50th wedding anniversary in Florida, then traveled to spend some time in Haiti.

When I look over what the past four years have held I am so thankful for God's mercies. His hand has been on our life in ways we couldn't have imagined. I thank God for bringing our two distinct worlds together and for giving me the lifetime love I have always longed for. Let the world know I LOVE YSMAILLE ELIACIN today, tomorrow, and forever!

Haiti

Haiti- the country I love so much. My first year there was the first time I lived on my own, my first teaching job, my first time eating a fresh mango from the tree. On this island I fell in love for the first time. I had my first kiss under the pink flowers of a bougainvillea. I got married there in a tropical paradise with family and friends at my side.

Ysmaille and I just got back from our most recent trip to Haiti. I got teary-eyed as the plane soared over the majestic mountains. When the plane landed I felt like I had come home.

Something changed on my visit here. I realized for the first time that Haiti wasn't my home anymore. I love the memories I made there, and would never change my experiences. What I experienced in Haiti shaped me as a person and have made me who I am today. Despite all that I felt disillusioned. One of the reasons I loved Haiti so much on my previous visits was because I knew my boyfriend, and later my fiance, would be waiting their for me. I knew we would go to all our old spots- Tiger Market for ice cream, Petion-ville for another painting, and the Baptist Mission for a peak at Charlie (the monkey who lives there). Now Ysmaille is my husband and we have started our life over here and it makes me really sad that somehow my love for Haiti has changed, not disappeared, just changed.

A Walk to Remember....

Last night I asked Ysmaille if we could take a walk around Wilson College. He agreed and then decided to park at the Coyle Free Library. I commented that was a strange place to park, but we got out of the car and began walking. As we got to the "Y" where Main Street becomes Philadelphia Avenue we noticed a girl stumbling across the street. As she passed us I turned around and noticed her pants were ripped and much of her butt was hanging out. I also noticed she wasn't wearing shoes. As we got closer we saw blood on her shirt and it was very obvious that she had been drinkinag. We asked how we could help and she just asked me to hold her purse so she could find her cell phone. She couldn't find her cell phone in her purse and we didn't have our cell phones on us, so there wasn't anything we could do. (Right at this point a bird pooped on me, but that's neither here nor there).

As we watched here stagger away we stood there deciding what we should do. I told Ysmaille we had to do something, because I was concerned she would try crossing the street and get hit. We began following her. Ysmaille put his hand in his pocket and discovered he did have his cell phone after all. By this time the girl had dissappeared from sight. We found her sitting on the steps of a house. She was very upset and crying. Apparantly she and her husband had an argument that got out of hand. We let her use our cell phone to call her sister. She insisted she was okay and that her mom would pick her up. We found out she was planning to walk to Sunnyway to meet her mom (who lived in Mercersburg). We told her we would drive her to Sunnyway. She was so grateful and said in very slurred speech that we were the kindest people she had ever met. She held my hand all the way to the car. As we walked I had a chance to pray with her and just express how much God cared for her.

We drove Ami (we found out her name on the walk to the car) to Sunnyway and she got out of the car. We didn't feel right just leaving her there so we waited in the car. After 10 minutes or so she went inside. We didn't see her coming out so we got suspicious. We figured that she may have begun walking again, so we pulled out of Sunnyway parking lot. I thought I caught a glimpse of her walking and then she dissappeared. As we got closer we sawing her lying in a field next to the road. We stopped the car, told her to get in, and asked her where she was going. She was heading to her aunt's house not far away. It was if the God in us was pursuing her. Just as we couldn't let her wander aimlessly, God felt much the same way, and used us in a practical way to show his love for her. We couldn't let her go until we knew she was safe. We took her to her aunt's house and explained everything to her aunt. They began calling her mom and I'm not sure what happened after that, because we felt like we should probably just let the family deal with the situation.

Previous to our walk Ysmaille and I were feeling let down and a little frustrated. Things have been very tight since Ysmaille lost his job. We have been praying and fasting and just believing God for a breakthrough and there are moments where our faith is so strong, and other moments were we falter because we put our eyes on things that are happening in the natural. As we drove home we began thinking of how God was leading us. Why would a couple living in Scotland drive to Main Street to take a walk? We believe God had set up a divine appointment for us. And if God was leading in that circumstance he is certainly leading us in other areas of our life. It was such an encouragement to us. I also felt so blessed. Although I might not have the extra money for new summer clothes, or the stove I've been waiting for, I do have so much more! I have a husband who would never lay a hand on me. I have family who supports me and cares for me. Material things are so temporary. It's the relationships around us that are eternal!

Mexico- a lesson learned

Yesterday I started a unit on Mexico. I wanted to know what my students already knew about Mexico: the culture and the people, so I had them get into groups and make a list. I was horrified to find out what my students thought about our neighboring country. One student said, "juvie". I had no idea what he was talking about until he cleared it up by saying "jail". His perceptions of Mexicans are people who end up in jail. Another student asked, "Do they use spoons in Mexico?" When asked to give their list of things they new about Mexico one boy said that in Mexico they used camels for transportation. I knew I had to stop there and clear up some misconceptions. I told them that although different countries around the world have different customs and beliefs, we are more alike than we are different. I explained to my students that many people in Mexico live pretty much like you and I. There are good and bad people. It has NOTHING to do with skin color, educational background, where you are from, and EVERYTHING to do with what is inside of you. If my students don't remember the capital of Mexico is Mexico City, and they don't remember the main language spoken there is Spanish, and they don't remember where the Yucatan Peninsula is, I hope they do remember that you can't judge someone because of where they came from, people all over the world have the same basic needs, and yes, they do use spoons in Mexico!

An old DC Talk song...

As I was thinking about how to title this blog an old DC Talk song came into my mind. . .

God is doing it. Yo, who's doing it? God is doing a new thing. (Except for I think they might have used the words "nu thang" instead of "new thing", and I just can't bring myself to do that.)

God has really been refining Ysmaille and I over the past month. God is burning away things in our life-- our reliance on "the world" for our provision amony many. He has had to remind us that He is our source. Much of what we've gone through has been private and probably most people have no idea of the work God is doing. As hard as God's refining work is, I am so glad for his redeeming work as well.

I feel excitement bubbling up inside of me! As much as walking through the fire hurts, I know that God has an awesome plan for our life together. I am so excited to see how God will provide for our every need-- emotionally, physically, financially, etc. I feel like I just need to prophecy that God is not done with Ysmaille and I. God is taking us to a deeper place in Him, a place where only those who have been refined in the fire can go. God is truly doing a "nu thang" : )