My journey to move from London to California began with the encouragement I received from Pastors. I packed several suitcases and tried as best I could to fit my belongings into 12 large cardboard boxes. It was easy, and it was hard because Robert was a major distraction. I had to leave one suitcase behind at the airport, which had a lot of paperwork in it because I had exceeded my weight limit. As we tend to do, we hold on to too much. Who knew paper could be so heavy?
When I first arrived in the US in December 2022, I did not know how things would work out. My tourist visa ran out after three months, so to avoid overstaying, I had to leave the country and come back to get a new stamp of admission. I was very anxious about not being admitted on my second visit in April 2023 because, previously, the immigration officer had asked me some tough questions at the port of entry and detained me for about 20 minutes. It seemed he wanted to ensure that I had the financial means to sustain my extended stay here, but it did not help that I was unemployed. But lo and behold, on my second visit back to the US, my flight was re-routed and delayed such that I landed in the wee hours of the morning, at which time there were no questions asked, and I was admitted into the country. My Heavenly Father took care of that!
Fast forward to a year later, Robert and I just celebrated our one-year anniversary! In December last year, Robert filed a petition to the US government to sponsor me as his alien relative. In legalese, USCIS may take more than two years to complete the adjudication of status applications, during which time I was not allowed to travel outside of the US. I know of a friend who went through a similar process and had to be separated from her spouse for one year to process her visa at her local consular back in her home country.
With Pastors, Robert’s mother, and Elder Mata’s help, they wrote letters to support my application and, if necessary, testified before an immigration officer. This week, only six months later, I was approved for permanent residence, and the green card is coming in the mail. To top it off, we were not required to attend any interviews with the immigration officer. All glory to God!
So much has happened in my life since I first stepped foot into the church that Christmas of 2022. God does new things, and I feel that it is just the beginning for our new little family. It has taken me a lifetime to get here, and marrying Robert is another lifetime in the making. Sorry, I digress.