He Brought Us Through! An Immigration Miracle!

    Heartfelt Greetings to you!

 I am very excited as I write this with very good reason. Many of you may have heard the wonderful report of God's Faithfulness on Facebook via our travelling press person (AKA my mother). For those who haven't heard or would like to read a first-person account of our immigration miracle, please read on!

Patience and Benaiah say: "Ingoni(Hello)!"

    Joyce and I want to begin by thanking those who have been apart of our immigration journey since 2016 and have supported us through prayer, letters, and words of encouragement. We cannot thank you enough for how you have walked alongside us in this! 

    It has been a long road of paper trails, last minute travels, late nights on the computer, and anxiety in wondering if we brought the right documentation. There have been depths of deep frustration and heights of awe at God’s providential intervention. The past four years often seemed to crawl by and yet the process was speedily expedited by the Lord, so that we got paperwork though much quicker than usual. Praise the Lord! 

    The culmination of this journey was Joyce’s naturalization/citizenship test that took place on October 6th, 2020. We had applied in May of this year and were scheduled for an interview by the end of August. Many 2019 applicants are still waiting for an interview so this was uncharacteristically quick. In preparation for our trip, we misplaced important identification for Joyce, but found it the next day. Our car started driving rough as we got to the hotel, but we prayed and asked the Lord to get us to the interview the next day.

Playing in the leaves outside the hotel

    Finally D-Day came. Joyce and I were both anxious, but Joyce had studied hard and we put the rest in God’s hands. I was denied access at the door and Joyce went into the immigration office alone. I rejoined my mother and the children outside and waited. Patience made a grandfatherly friend who was showing her how to jump up and down and do a “tight rope” walk. He turned out to be a fellow believer and a pastor of a church near the Berkshires! Thirty minutes after Joyce entered, we received a text from Joyce: She had passed with flying colors and was waiting for her swearing in ceremony. Due to Covid-19, they did not allow families to come inside for the swearing in ceremony, but we were waiting outside to welcome her with open arms. Our van had no problems that day and our drive back home was uneventful.

Joyce, the new USA Citizen

Yay for God and Mama!

    Joyce is a United States citizen! This is a huge milestone for us and we thank God for the stability that Joyce now has, as we will be travelling back and forth from South Sudan to the USA. We now are planning for a trip to Africa in winter 2020/2021. The hope is to stay for two to three months and get some quality time with Joyce’s family. We are also praying for an opportunity to assist getting her parents, brothers, and sisters back to their homes in South Sudan. Passports and Yellow fever vaccines for Joyce and the children need to fall into place before we can book flights, so we are trusting in the Lord’s timing. We will keep you updated on the progress of travel preparations and when we have set a date for our travels.

 

Enjoying the leaves on a family walk

Running with Baba!

    October 12th was Benaiah’s birthday and we celebrated the anniversary of his first year with a healthy sweet potato corn bread cake. He just took his first steps as I was writing the post! Happy Birthday Benaiah! 

First Cake... Benaiah is thinking about it,

 Prayer needs:

 -Continued prayer for Lozi, who went for a check up on October 14th. Unfortunately, the outcome was that the Doctors said there was nothing more they could do at this point, but hope for improvement of the infection and the leg, and are continuing to monitor. Lozi is back home with family. Pray for his physical healing and a spiritual renewal in his heart to experience the grace and mercy of Jesus on his behalf.

 -Joyce’s father was diagnosed with an ulcer and malaria and her Mother has been experiencing chronic back pain from a degenerating lower back. They were seen at a clinic and have both received treatment. There is some improvement, but keep praying for their continued healing. 

 -Preparations for a winter trip to South Sudan and God’s timing for our travels. 

 -Time needed for our Sonship studies and for the Lord to prepare our hearts spiritually to reach others with His Grace, both here in the states and in Africa.

Fall in the Berkshires

 That’s all for now. God bless you and keep you! 

Jonathan, Joyce, Patience, and Benaiah