Praise God....no matter what!

I met my husband Marvin Ramos in Honduras. After knowing each other for 1 year, we discussed him getting a visitors visa to come meet my family. We both hoped marriage was in our future and getting to know my family was an essential step to get to that point. During this discussion, Marvin (knowing how hard it is to receive a visa) said, "If I get a visa, praise God." 
I thought, "Yeah! Praise God if we get exactly what we ask for." 
Then he continued, "And if I don't get a visa..." 
"Oh no," I thought, "that would be terrible!"
Then he continued, "...PRAISE GOD!"
I felt so confused, why would he say "Praise God" with the same enthusiasm and conviction for if he didn't receive a visa as he would if he did. Something I learned about Marvin on that day is that he gives thanks to God no matter what. 

On this day- August 18, 2015- we are so thankful! Marvin was sworn in as a citizen of the United States of America early this afternoon! PRAISE GOD! Not because things have gone exactly how we have planned, but because we have seen God's hand at work in our lives, our marriage, and Marvin's immigration process. 

Here is what I can remember about this whole process:

1) October 2009 received 10yr visa with re-entry (shortly after the above conversation took place, the US actually revoked ALL Honduran visas due to the political instability in Honduras...we said Praise God and waited. A few months later, they started offering visas again and Marvin received the unimaginable!)
2) March 2010- applied to Homeland Security to approve us as fiancees (this is when we provided PROOF- phone bills, emails, pictures, travel dates, references, etc)
3) September 2010- Medical Exam in Tegucigalpa (received lots of shots!)
4) October 2010 fiancee visa interview #1 (turned down because a missing document)
5) November 2010 visa interview #2 APPROVED!
6) December 11, 2010 WEDDING in Hixson, TN
7) December 2010 another medical exam (he received even more shots!) and applied for Social Security card
8) January 2011 completed an application for residency
9) March 2011 fingerprinting in Atlanta
10) April 2011 received work permit
11) June 2011 received 2 year residency
12) May 2013 applied to renew residency
13) July 2013 fingerprinting in Atlanta
14) August 2013 received 10 year residency
15) March 2015 applied to change status to citizenship (Application was actually not accepted until the 3rd time it was sent in due to some incorrect formatting)
16) April 2015 fingerprinting in Atlanta  
17) July 2015 citizenship interview in Memphis. (Had to prove knowledge of American Government and be able to read, write, and communicate in English)
18) August 18, 2015 sworn in as a UNITED STATES CITIZEN....PRAISE GOD!

Like I said, this has been a long process. We are so grateful for the timing of each step in the process and have learned so much about putting our trust in God and praising Him no matter what. 

In March of 2010, Marvin asked my parents for their permission to get married. On that day we saw a beautiful rainbow. We tried to convince my parents that it was God's promise of a beautiful future together. Well, there was a rainbow today too. God is fulfilling His promise to us as we walk with him each day. We are grateful to so many people in Honduras and in the states, to our immigration lawyer David Elliott, and to my parents for all the support they have offered throughout this process. But most of all, Praise God...no matter what!

March 2010 Do you see the rainbow?

August 18, 2015 A sign of God fulfilling his promise!

I would NEVER do that!!!

Have you ever felt invincible? Like nothing can stop you, nobody can tell you "no." Have you ever thought, "That'll never happen to me!" It is easy to consider ourselves strong, when in reality we are weak. It is only through Christ that we have the strength to overcome tempation, diversity, and the challenges we face in life.

Much of Jesus's time was used to disciple 12 men. One of them, Judas, heard Jesus speaking of the one who would betray him and spoke up saying, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" (Matthew 26:25) He doubted his own weakness. Another of the 12, Peter, listened as Jesus spoke of the challenges he would face leading up to his crucifixion. Jesus spoke knowing that the disciples would be scattered, but Peter did not consider himself weak like the others. "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." (Matthew 26:33) And as Jesus spoke of Peter denying/disowning him, Peter claimed, "I will never disown you." (Matthew 26:35)

Rather than be confident of our commitment to the Lord, what if instead we acknowledged our Humanness? What if we accepted our weakness and asked God for his strength? I like to think that there are things that I would NEVER do, NEVER think. But the truth is, I think bad things, do bad things. So instead of hiding in my own shame or becoming prideful in false confidence, I choose to admit that I am weak, but God, WOW....God is strong, God is compassionate, God is good!

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!" (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Judas and Peter were not willing to admit their weaknesses, and they both did exactly what they said they would NEVER do. Don't be afraid to admit your weaknesses, for only through that, will you find true strength- through Christ!