18 Months

Here we are, 18 months into our stay in the US.  We came for Albino’s US green card.  That’s taken care of, thank goodness.  We can come in and out of the US without a problem.  That is a huge relief for us.  Now on to the citizenship step in this crazy process of working with US immigration.

We came to spend time with my family.  Done, but never enough.  We have seen my brother and sister multiple times in the last year, which is quite a feat for us considering we are regularly stationed in Mexico, Peru, and Massachusetts.  The best part has been having the first grandbaby in the house with my parents.  They often say that their day is not complete if they do not see Doriana.  What a joy it is to see our daughter “run” to give her abuelitos a hug and a kiss when they come in the door from work.

We came so that Albino could learn more about US culture and become fluent in English.  Albino started with minimal vocab in English; he can now discuss events in the daily life, politics and religion.  I no longer have to translate for every conversation :)  We have covered a good portion of US territory: from the Rocky Mountains to the cornfields of Iowa, visited cities of Chicago and Boston, cheered at professional and college football and baseball games, learned US history in Washington DC, and touched the Atlantic Ocean. 

We came to find a new sending organization.  Though we had an excellent relationship with Wycliffe Associates and ATEK, we knew that God was calling us to a new ministry with La Casa del Maestro (www.casadelmaestro.org).  It led to a mutual parting of ways with WA.  We have now been accepted by the Reformed Church in America (www.rca.org) who will be our partner for the next three years at least.  God is good.