Humbled and Awed

I haven't written lately because I just haven't had the time to contemplate, and I quickly tired of talking about food...because I have been too busy to look for new and exciting recipes. That sure happened fast, didn't it?

Well, lots of things are moving quickly! Green cards are supposed to take 6-9 months to process...but Joaquim received his in the mail today after less than 3 months! Are you jaw-dropped-to-the-floor surprised? Yea, we were too! It wasn't really supposed to come until April or so...and here it is! Merry Christmas!

So, what does this mean? Well, it means that God is at work and this is for a reason. It doesn't mean we're hopping on a plane, because we are realizing we have a lot to stabilize here first...and that will take some time. You can be praying for us at this stage - the only next step we currently have is just that Joaquim is looking high and low for a job. Once that gets taken care of we will be able to plan a bit better for the future, but we're not quite there yet.

Our attitude is really one of amazement, as you could guess from the title of this post. We are just blown away by how smoothly this process has gone until now, and don't want to do anything to mess it up! God's hands are just all over this situation and we're taking every step before Him. He has been very clear about closing some doors as far as jobs go for Joaquim, and that has been interesting...it seems as though everything he has been really close to sealing the deal on, just wasn't good enough to the opportunity fizzled for no apparent reason. I guess that is just me being optimistic that it could only have been God saying "just hold on..." We know there is a really good plan here, but we are still in the dark!

Financially, God has been providing our every single need and blessing us here and there with babysitting jobs and things like a $700 dollar discount on getting the catalytic converter replaced on our car. He is so good, but He is just not letting us plan ahead! I've got to admit it's getting a liiiiittle frustrating. :) I know that in our hearts we plan our ways but God directs our steps. We are doing our best to ask for His guidance in every step and He has been faithful to give it. We know He will continue doing that.

Right now, we are praying about when our first trip to Brazil will be, and how that will go logistically. It will be a quick visit...but even those are expensive! Joaquim is looking into some options for classes at Harper, to potentially lead into further education and training to be a pastor...which would obviously be incredible. It feels as though God is just stirring up the waters, and it is AMAZING to think that Joaquim now has nearly every legal right here in the US that I do...all except voting. He can officially own property and he is eligible for any kind of school and would not be considered an "international student" with all the crazy paperwork involved. Recalling our attempts at planning his studies here a year and a half ago, and how many hurdles we faced, it seems nearly too good to be true that none of that would apply right now. This is just so good...what in the world is next? Stay tuned...