and all paperwork

is now in the hands of the Canadian Embassy in Haiti! Ronel finally got to drop off the paperwork on Monday as last Thursday when he tried to get to the embassy, he got stuck in a "blokis" (road block) and didn't get to the embassy during the ONE HOUR time slot that they have (and only 2 days a week!) for dropping off documents!

Ronel said that the person he saw told him nothing other than they would contact him if they needed anything else.

I'm hoping we won't hear anything of that sort but that hopefully we will get some progress on our file!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Going to the embassy...

Tomorrow morning (EARLY) Ronel will be heading into Port au Prince to get the last piece of paperwork that the embassy asked for and then he will be heading to the embassy to drop it all off. If he can't get the paperwork in time, he will be staying in Port until Thursday when he can again go to the embassy (they have specific days & times for doing certain things)

Please pray that everything will go well and that he can drop off the paperwork Monday and not have to spend the week in Port au Prince. He has not been feeling well for the past couple of weeks (back pains) and is just starting to feel better and I would much rather he be able to spend the week at home resting rather than in Port trying to get into the embassy to drop off our paperwork!! Also please be praying that this will be all the paperwork they require and that the rest of the process will go quickly!! Please be continuing to pray that they won't require Ronel to redo his medical (it should have expired on November 5th, but they didn't mention him having to redo it in the letter they sent us) Not having to redo it would save us a good chunk of money as well as time!!!

I let you know how it went as soon as I hear from Ronel!

clarity...

Okay - so going over my past posts I realized that I never said where I was moving and so I thought I would explain my new living arrangement!

I have moved in with good friends of mine -- they are like family to me. There are 5 of us in the house (soon to be 6!) There are Eli & Terri along with their 8 month old son Willem (and they are expecting their second son in April), Terri's mom, Lynnette and myself. It is great living here (especially since I spent a lot of time here anyways!!) and is a total blessing!

Terri, Eli & I also work together -- (just to keep it clear!)

finally settling in

Whew --- after a long day of work, most of my bedroom is now unpacked! I only have 6 Rubbermaid bins left to go through and sort into however I decide to store the stuff in there that I end up keeping. (These are the boxes I didn't go through and sort & junk before I moved... I just ran out of time) I am really liking my set up and am thinking about painting my room -- I want one accent wall that is a dark chocolate colour and then the rest of the walls would be a light green colour (maybe like a light olive-y green??) with most of the accents in the room being white. I went to Ikea on Friday night and purchased 2 adorable bedside tables which are white, a new opaque glass table lamp for my bedside table and a new light cover for the main light as it is currently just a plain bulb. Last weekend I got my computer set up and then we got the internet cord down from upstairs (through my ceiling!) into my bedroom. Terri & I had already started to organize the craft room the same weekend that I moved in (We knew our priorities!) and still have a little bit to do before that is completely finished.

It is nice to have my room settled into before Christmas!

status update

So, after doing a little more searching on the CIC website - it seems like we are slowly progressing down the list. Where I have italicized and put in purple seems to be about where we are now. The embassy has asked for a couple more pieces of documentation and would like Ronel to redo his police check and also update some of the documentation since he filled it out a year ago.

So, once we get past this step, it looks like they may then call him in for an interview and then the next step will be the decision! This is where they say they check the medical results so this may be where they tell us if Ronel has to redo his medical exam or not, but I am currently taking it as a good sign that they didn't mention it in the letter they sent to Ronel as it was dated only 6 days before his exam was to expire.

What I am looking forward to is the step way at the bottom in GREEN which is when our application will be complete and Ronel will be here in BC as a permanent resident of Canada!


Status of Application

IN PROCESS
(A decision has not been made yet.)

Explanation
Application Received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
We have received your application and will review it in order of receipt. We will send you an acknowledgment letter.

Documentation Verified by CIC
We are reviewing your application to make sure it is complete and that no documents are missing. We will return incomplete applications for resubmission.

An Interview May be Required
We will review the application and decide if an interview is necessary. If so, we will inform you in writing of the date, time and location of the interview.

Status of Application
DECISION MADE
(A decision has been made at this point.)

Explanation
Medical Results Received by CIC
We have received your medical results. We will contact you only if additional tests are needed.

Approval Status Determined
Your application will be either approved or rejected. We will inform you of the decision in writing.

Permanent Residence Status Determined
If your application is approved, we will send you your permanent resident documentation and a letter saying what we need to finalize your permanent residence.

Status of Application
COMPLETE
(This is the last step in the processing of your application.)

Explanation
Applicant Arrives in Canada and is Granted Permanent Residence
You will need to meet with an Immigration Officer who will verify your documents and grant you permanent residence if all is in order.

Happy Anniversary to my double cabbage!

Happy 2nd Anniversary Ronel!
I can't believe it has been two years already since I walked down the aisle and became your wife! I wish that I was able to be with you today, but hearing your voice was great! (even at 3am!) I love you and know that someday soon we will be together and not just for a short period of time either, but for the rest of our lives! I know that the future holds so much for us and that we will be stronger as a couple because of what we have been through over these past 2 years. Thank you for your patience, your gentleness, your willingness to follow what you know God has for you & I - even though it has meant being apart for so long. Thank you for your love of ironing!!! Thank you for your smile - it always brightens my day.
Babe - one day soon, I hope that I can have a photo of you with YOUR luggage as you head for the airport on your way to Canada!!!

I love you so much and pray that all our paperwork will be done soon so you can come home and meet all of our family and friends who are waiting for you!

m'renmen ou anpil mari'm e m'ap tann ou!!

toujou madamn ou!

some news from Haiti!

I got a call this morning from Ronel (at 3:18am my time!!) telling me he had some news. Well, since it was the middle of the night here, I told him I would call him back (and he was calling from his cell which was almost out of minutes) So, after school was done (for him) I called him - wished him a Happy Anniversary (which I hadn't even thought about at 3am!) and asked what his news was. Well, he received a letter from the Canadian Embassy about his case. They need a few more pieces of info (basically to update his file - since he filled out the paperwork a year ago) They didn't say anything about the medical exam so I'm hoping that they are just going with the one they have. This means that someone has actually LOOKED at his file and looked over all our paperwork, so the fact that they only need these couple of things is promising to me!

There are a couple of things I need to send to him for him to take to the embassy - copies of my passport pages with the entry & exit stamps of my trips and copies of all our emails - well we don't email anymore, we just talk on the phone so I've compiled all my Skype records to send down. Thankfully, I can just scan & email all those to Karen and she is willing to print them out and pass them along to Ronel which will make the process that much faster (hopefully!)

It made a ordinary day much better and put me in a much better mood (though I'm still trying to pack and move so....)

Happy 2nd Anniversary Ronel! I love you and can't wait till we get to live in the same country!!!!

lack of posts....

I'm sorry I've been such a bad poster! Life has been crazy busy - both at work and at home.
At work - we've been short staffed and have had a couple big events at church which took lots of time to prep for. Also, I'm moving December 1st and so have been trying to pack and go through all my stuff. I've also been making my girlfriend's wedding invitations. They look great and I'm really pleased with how they are turning out as one of the techniques on them is one I hadn't done before!

On a immigration note - Ronel's medical exam has now expired and there has been no progress with his paperwork so now we are at a standstill as we are not sure of what to do and I've emailed the visa office in Port-au-Prince to ask what we're supposed to do and am waiting for a response. This has been hard because it is highly unlikely Ronel will be here before my 30th birthday in Feb which was kind of my "deadline" in my head. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as it is getting harder and harder for us to be apart.

from the heart

I've been avoiding posting anything because I'm having a hard time dealing with being apart from Ronel and I don't really have much to say other than that.

Since I've been home from Haiti, I've been calling Ronel nightly - even if it is only to say goodnight and to say "I love you". I really thought that this trip would make the waiting a little easier but it has now had the opposite effect - We are both totally done and most nights one, if not both of us end up crying before we hang up. If I thought it would help, I wouldn't call every day but I know that it wouldn't help either of us, it would only make things worse! I have even begun checking the CIC application status site daily hoping & praying that the status will have changed from the day before.

I'm having a hard time because it isn't like I don't believe that God is still in charge of this whole process and I still believe that this was and IS God's plan for Ronel & I, but this isn't what married life is supposed to be. I'm not meant to be separated from my husband for more than 20 months, with no end date in sight. The fact that it is getting harder for Ronel as well is also making it harder for me - Ronel has been the one with the most patience and confidence through this whole thing and it is now wearing on him, and it is quite obvious even over the phone. My mom overheard our conversation tonight (it is over my computer and I use a microphone & speakers so anyone within hearing can hear Ronel) and she came back after I said goodbye and asked what was wrong. Without understanding what Ronel was saying, she could tell by the sound of his voice that something was wrong.

I don't doubt that Ronel will one day get his visa and be able to come to Canada, but it is when that one day will happen. I want to start life together with the man I love, I want to start a family, I want to kiss my husband goodnight and to tell him I love him in person. I want to introduce him to my family & friends. I want to go to church with Ronel, at my home church. I want to set up a home with Ronel. I want to come home to my husband after work.

so please keep praying for us and the paperwork process. It is getting harder but that just means that we need your prayers even more!


--- if you made it this far... wow! I know it was a long post and a vent at that, but that is where I am at right now.

And I will get more stories and photos from my trip to Haiti up soon!

adoption

Saturday when I was home sick, I watched a show on domestic adoptions in Canada and learned that there are over 22,000 (yes that would be twenty two THOUSAND) children who are waiting to be adopted in Canada. I cried alot during that show on Saturday and it reminded me of a conversation I had in Haiti with Chris & Leslie who are in the process of adopting in Haiti where they live. Chris really brought back to my attention domestic adoptions and that there are children here who are waiting for forever families. Well, tonight while I was doing some other things online I decided to look up some more info about domestic adoptions in BC especially and the ministry of children & family's website has a list of children waiting to be placed - there are more than a 1000 children right here in BC who need a family! Well, you can pick a name and learn more about the child and reading through some of the profiles I started crying! I just want to take them all in and give them a loving home!! But it really started stirring up my heart and reminding me that there are children right here who need a family! Who knows what the future has in store for Ronel & I but we both are quite open to adoption and we had always thought it would be from Haiti but now who knows!!

Anyways - I just wanted to let you all know what is going through my head and ask you to pray for us that God would reveal quite clearly to us what HIS PLAN for us is in this area (well, really in all areas, but especially in this area!)

Have a great night! (oh and please keep Haiti in your prayers as they are having more rain as there is a tropical low pressure system above them right now! (It isn't yet a tropical depression or even a storm yet but could still cause flooding and other damage to an already struggling country! )

Finally, stories from my trip to Haiti

Okay, so I decided that it is finally time to tell you some stories from my trip.

It started off smoothly with my good friend dropping me off at the Vancouver airport for my LONG trip... first stop was in Dallas, then onto Atlanta where the problems started! I arrived in Atlanta at 1:30am and was scheduled to leave at 6am. I woke up from what can barely be called a nap at about 5am and went looking for a bathroom. On the way, I came across a lady from my previous flight and she asked me if I was on my way to Miami. I said yes, and she said that our flight had been CANCELLED! What! So the two of us went out to the ticket counter and had to wait to see what could be done.

I had been rescheduled for a flight that was supposed to leave at about 2pm. This meant that I was going to be missing my connection in Miami and I needed to contact Ronel and tell him that I would not be at the airport at noon. I couldn't get through to Haiti on my cell so I tried calling my mom to get her to call Ronel on Skype. I bought a calling card and tried to call my mom but since it was only 4am in BC, she didn't answer. But, needing to get through to Ronel, I called my youngest sister and asked her to keep trying to call Mom to get her to check her mesages. Well, it turned out that Leslie had to drive over to Mom's and wake her up. She send me a text message once Mom was awake and I called her so that I could help her get through to Ronel. It was quite interesting being able to hear my mom, sister and Ronel all at the same time but Ronel was not able to hear me. So knowing that Ronel knew I would be late I set out to wait for my next flight.

Well, it got delayed and ended up leaving almost an hour late which meant that I arrived in Miami like 15 minutes before my flight to Miami was supposed to board. So I rushed down to the next gate only to find out that the flight to Haiti was also delayed!! (not that it was a huge surprise! Flights to Haiti out of Miami are frequently delayed! This is one reason I prefer to fly through Fort Lauderdale!) So we finally boarded the plane only to sit on the tarmac as some lady searched for a missing purse. At one point, the flight attendant came on over the loudspeaker and said to everyone that if they didn't all sit down and we left within 10 minutes that we wouldn't be leaving that day! Well that got people's attention and soon we were on our way!

We arrived in Haiti about 5:30pm - only 2 hours after my rescheduled arrival and almost 6 hours after my original time. I was surprised at the changes to the Port-au-Prince airport and was quickly through immigration and at the carousel waiting for my luggage. My carry-on came out quickly (they had gate checked it in Miami) and then one of my two checked bags. I waited and waited for the second and as the bags dwindled, it became clear that my bag was not arriving. So I went over to the counter to report my missing bag and was given a number to call the next morning. I then went through customs and headed for the outside. As soon as I got through the doors I saw Ronel's smiling face and that totally made my day! I was so thankful to see Ronel that it almost made the long journey and missing bag okay! (but not quite!) We greeted each other (I'll spare you the detail! ;P) and then I greeted Jean Jean and Gerald and saw our niece and Ronel's youngest sister (she's 8) who had been visiting in Port au Prince with family. We then loaded into the truck and headed for home. -- funny side story -- When I told Ronel that one of my bags was missing and that it might be brought in the next morning, Ronel asked if I wanted him to spend the night in Port so he could pick it up in the morning. I quickly said "NO" The suitcase was not that important to me! And we'd figure something out the next day but we were definitely heading home together. I know he was only trying to help as it is almost a 4 hour trip to the airport but I just wanted my husband by my side.

We got to Borel about 9pm (which is late in Haiti) and headed straight to the house. This trip we stayed again in the same compound where we stayed after the wedding but a different house this time. This time we stayed in the house where I lived when I first moved to Borel to work with Karen & Kevan. It was kind of nice as it was a familiar space and this was where the previous missionaries had lived so it was quite americanized - fans in every room, it had an inverter (which meant that we had electricity even without the generator - as long as the batteries lasted) so the fans would still work at night and it was fully furnished.

Ronel & I unpacked and shortly after headed to bed. I was EXHAUSTED! and hadn't slept well in 2 nights. It was SO NICE to be back with my husband and just be able to curl up in his arms. Friday morning, Ronel kindly let me sleep in. We started what turned into our routine - just hanging out with each other and enjoying being together. Early afternoon we called the airport to find out that my luggage had arrived and we arranged for Marc (a good friend of ours) to head out early Saturday morning to pick it up for me (by early I mean 3:30am!!) He got the suitcase and got right back on the bus and came home - he got in about 4pm! As I said, he is a GOOD friend and a real blessing to us! When I opened my suitcase, I discovered that it had been opened and items had been stolen - some of which were gifts for Ronel, others were items for me - like my conditioner! Atleast they didn't take my shampoo!!

Friday afternoon about 3pm we headed up to the orphange to see "my kids". It was so fun to see their faces when they saw me. Moyiz just came running down the driveway calling my name with the biggest smile on his face. All the kids were so happy to see me and it turns out that they didn't know that I was even coming to Haiti so it was a total surprise! The staff were also happy to see me and all of them asked me when I was coming back to live and work there. It was so nice to see them but also reminded me that God had called me back to BC and that it was no longer the place that God had for me.

Okay - so that is my first 3 days and I'll be back with more stories and photos....

wordle

try out Wordle - go to wordle.net and click on Create. You can use your own words or it will search your blog for the most popular words and create one for you...

Haiti links

check out the sites below for more on what is going on in Haiti and this news article on Haiti from the Miami Herald

Haiti Rescue Center
They run a rescue center and a clinic and the work they are doing is amazing!

Livesays in Haiti
A missionary family in Port-au-Prince

Please keep praying for Haiti and all the people there.

Haiti links - hurricane aftermath

Check out these links with news & photos about what is happening in Haiti

Storms batter Haiti - photos
More news & photos -
Hanna's impact on Haiti


A woman outside her home in the Artibonite, Haiti

You can also check out the following blogs for more links & photos about what is currently going on in Haiti

Rollings in Haiti

Lifeline Mission

Matt & Esther in Haiti

Please be praying for all of Haiti and for Ronel and all his family members there. The Artibonite river which is close by where Ronel lives (in the Artibonite Valley) is in danger of flooding and that would cause the canals which flow out from it to also flood their banks. There is a canal that runs right in front of the HATS orphanage where I lived & worked and it flows down and behind where Ronel lives. Both of the bridges which connect the central part of Haiti with the capital city are not passable - the one in Mirebalais has collapsed, and the one in Montrouis is in danger of collapsing and they are not letting vehicles cross it. Schools have been closed which means that Ronel is not working and is without an income - this makes life difficult. This has been hard on me as well as I can not do much from here and when I can't get through on Ronel's cell phone, I have no way of contacting him and that makes me nervous as I then don't know if he is safe.

Please also be praying for our paperwork as I don't know what this is doing to the paperwork process. With all the flooding and deaths in the country, I don't if the embassy is still getting work done on the visa applications.

I will keep you updated and will try and get stories from my trip posted.

a quick post...

So I'm back from Campbell River and enjoying the small time I have left of my day off before heading back to work tomorrow and the craziness of back to school time!

I wanted to post this photo of Ronel - it is one of my favourite photos I took this last trip. I have no idea why he decided to wave but it makes for an adorable photo!!

Enjoy the photo and I will try and post some stories about my trip soon....

sad news

Sorry I've been so quiet even though I've been back from camp for 3 days. Last Thursday I got a call from my mom while I was at camp and found out that my uncle died Thursday in a logging accident. He is was a heli-logger and apparently was falling a tree and stepped away from it and a tree that they weren't even touching, and which looked healthy but apparently had bad roots, decided to fall and the top ten feet hit him from behind and pinned him. He had a broken leg, broken pelvis and lots of internal bleeding. They put him in a air ambulance to Vancouver General Hospital but he died on route and so they returned to Bella Bella with his body.

The service will be in Campbell River on Sunday, Aug 31st and so now my sisters and I are making plans to travel up there. My youngest sister and her husband, my brother & his girlfriend and my mom were all able to go up as soon as they heard but my other sister and myself were both out of town and unable to get up there. My youngest sister and her husband have returned so that they can work all week and will go back up with us on the weekend. This has been a hard week as my uncle was just married on the 26th of July and I was unable to be there for his wedding. He was only 42 - just 9 months older than my oldest sibling. He has a 9 year old daughter and just in the past few years started turning his life around. I was very proud of all the changes he had made to his life and the choices he had made because he wanted to be around for his daughter, and now he won't be.

My grandma has now had to bury both her sons and her husband. And two of them in less than 3 years.

I will try to write more about my trip to Haiti but right now my heart really isn't into it and trying to arrange the travel for this weekend is taking up a lot of my energy. Plus I am back to work and school starts next week so there is lots to do. Please keep my family in your prayers - especially as there are many who are unsaved.

Home for the night and away I go....

I arrived safely home from Haiti at about midnight last night. It was an adventure getting home and many changes to my flights but I made it and I slept in my own bed last night!

I had a great time in Haiti with Ronel and it was a MUCH NEEDED time of reconnection for both of us. I have lots of stories and photos to share but they will all have to wait for a week as I am off to the BC Foursquare Kids' Camp today for the week where I will be assisting with Photography & Computer stuff. I am totally looking forward to a week of fun & also a week of seeing God move in these kids' lives. I will be back on Saturday and will then begin telling you about my trip~!

Have a great week!

and I'm off...

Well it is 6:51am and I am packed and ready to go! I just have to make a quick stop at the bank for some US cash and drop my car off at Canadian Tire so that my brother in law can make sure it has an oil change while I am away (He manages the auto service dept.) Then my ride to the airport will meet me at CT and away to the airport I go!!

I'm am so glad to be done and packed!! Last night was a little stressful as the dryer here stopped working after my first load of laundry and it was all stuff I needed for my trip (majority anyways!) It did mean I ended up getting to hang with friends while I did my laundry but at first it just made all my emotions come to the top!!


I will try and update the blog if I can, otherwise you will have to wait till late August to hear all about my trip!! I know many of you will/are praying for my trip and I thank you for those prayers!

Please pray for safe flights & that I make all my connections! Also that any tropical storms/hurricanes stay far away from Haiti & Florida during my trip!

Ok - off to double check that I have everything and then get ready for my day!

Orevwa! M we ou pita!
(Good bye, I will see you later)

blisters...

So I've had a sore throat and this morning it started to really hurt to swallow so when I went to the doctor (previously scheduled to see about my ankle) this afternoon, I asked the doctor to check my throat and it turns out that I have a rather large blister on my throat! I had never heard of such a thing and found it kind of funny! Except that it HURTS - - my doctor gave my a prescription in hopes of it going away before I leave for Haiti in 12 days!

I'm also on anti-inflammatories for my ankle - the same one I hurt in Oct of 2006 when I fell out of the bus a month before my wedding! It has started to hurt again and with me leaving in less than 2 weeks, I didn't want to risk it getting worse while I was in Haiti.

To help you understand the steps....

This is taken directly from the CIC website.... This is the info given to us to understand the application process better and the explanations of the Status

Application for Permanent Residence for Family Class Members Living Outside Canada

This diagram explains each step in the application process.

Status of your application	Explanation
IN PROCESS (A decision has not been made yet.) WE ARE HERE - in one of the THREE different explanation areas......	Application Received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) We have received your application and will review it in order of receipt. We will send you an acknowledgement letter. Documentation Verified by CIC We are reviewing your application to make sure it is complete and that no documents are missing. We will return incomplete applications for resubmission. An Interview May be Required We will review the application and decide if an interview is necessary. If so, we will inform you in writing of the date, time and location of the interview.
WITHDRAWN (An application can only be withdrawn when it is IN PROCESS.)	Application Withdrawn You may only withdraw your application before the Immigrant Visa has been issued. There are no refunds after processing has started.
DECISION MADE (A decision has been made at this point.)	Medical Results Received by CIC We have received your medical results. We will contact you only if additional tests are needed. Approval Status Determined Your application will be either approved or rejected. We will inform you of the decision in writing. Permanent Residence Status Determined If your application is approved, we will send you your permanent resident documentation and a letter saying what we need to finalize your permanent residence.
COMPLETE (This is the last step in the processing of your application.)	Applicant Arrives in Canada and is Granted Permanent Residence You will need to meet with an Immigration Officer who will verify your documents and grant you permanent residence if all is in order.

In Process

Permanent Residence

We started processing RONEL CLEDOMIN's application on June 5, 2008.

This is what I was delighted to see tonight when I logged in to check on Ronel's application status. For weeks it has said - Not Available under status.... tonight it said IN PROCESS! While it doesn't mean that Ronel gets to come home with me in August, it means that SOMEONE has actually looked at his file and that there is progress being made with getting Ronel here, home to BC! I really needed this tonight and I'm so glad that I decided to check. I haven't check for like a week and a half because it was just getting too hard to always see... Not Available. There won't be another status change until the decision is made which could be months away but I will be checking to see if the description (which is what is in blue up above) changes as the time goes on.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us.... please continue to pray for us as the waiting is only getting harder and I think that leaving will be difficult in August. I know that the wait after the visit will be shorter but the emotions of leaving with all be fresh again and so I've been praying that God will give us a lot of strength in that area....


Thank you God for "In Process"!

sorry it's been so long!

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I have updated my blog. Life has been BUSY! Since I've last posted, I've tried to have 2 garage sales, but first time it POURED so that one was cancelled and then finally on the long weekend, we had a successful garage sale - I raised approx. $270 Cdn which will go towards Ronel's immigration costs. There is still more stuff in my friends' garage so there will be more garage sales in my future!!

That weekend was crazy busy with my friend getting her ordination that Sunday and we threw her a surprise "Congrats" party after church. It was a lot of fun. Then on the holiday Monday a bunch of us headed south to go to the Seattle Zoo. It was so much fun and I LOVED it! I can't wait to take Ronel to the zoo...

This past weekend was a little more relaxed with a clean up day at my church and then a craft flea market where I found a couple things at a good price. After that, I got together with a couple friends and we stamped. Sunday afternoon we stamped some more and it was so relaxing and an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

This week I have been getting ready for our church's Ladies Retreat this weekend and trying to figure out what I am going to bring for food for myself as the retreat center can't provide gluten free meals. Then I return home on Sunday and head straight to my youngest sister's wedding! I know - I'm just a tad bit crazy but I couldn't miss a whole weekend away just for a Sunday afternoon wedding! Then yesterday I was home sick for the afternoon as I have been feeling nauseous since Monday and knew that I needed to take the afternoon to rest so that I will be better by this weekend. Today was a bit better but still a bit queasy. (No, there is no reason for the nausea! - that can't happen till July :P )

The countdown is getting closer - it is less than 2 months now and I am getting a bit more excited. In January it seemed SO FAR away and now it is more of a tangible date. Plus I got my summer schedule which helped cement in the fact that I am away for 3.5 weeks!! Now if I could just get some progress updates on Ronel's visa application. The website still says "Not Available" which means that the embassy hasn't even looked at it yet. It is a tad bit frustrating but we've been praying at minichurch that the right person would look at Ronel's file and that it will be approved A LOT FASTER than the 7 - 17 months that the CIC website says that visa applications are approved at the embassy in Port-au-Prince.

Well, I just wanted to update you....

Happy Mother's Day

to each and every one of you! I pray that you will enjoy your day and be surrounded by those who love you! And to those of you who have been a special part of my life - Thank you and may you be blessed as much as you are a blessing to those around you!

good news!!!

I got HAPPY MAIL today! I had an envelope from CIC(Citizenship & Immigration Canada) today and figured it was a confirmation of the arrival of my paperwork but it was SO MUCH BETTER!! It was a letter telling me that I have MET the requirements for eligibility as a sponsor and that Ronel's application for Permanent Residence has been forwarded to the Visa Office in Port-au-Prince. The letter is dated April 14th so that means that it was less than a month since the paperwork arrived and 10 days (not just business days!) since they started processing it! Praise the Lord!! Now if the next step can also go so quickly!
I have included a scan of the letter (with some highlighting and framing of the oh so important part!

ticker changes

Okay - so some of you will notice that the ticker at the top has changed. I did this so that I (and all of you) can see how long our file has been in process, and not just since it has been mailed. So the 36 days countdown for my approval process was only started 8 days ago and that means that IF all the paperwork was in order (and it should be!) that I should be approved to sponsor in just 28 more days - that is only 4 weeks!! Then the file will start the LONG process of getting approved at the visa office in Haiti.

waiting game...

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted anything!

Since mailing the paperwork there really hasn't been much going on. It is now just a big waiting game and I haven't heard ANYTHING from CPC-M (Case Processing Centre - Missisauga) and so I am just waiting to hear if I have been approved to sponsor. Once that has been decided, the file will go to the Visa office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Ronel's application for permanent residence will be assessed.

Okay - so while I was writing the above part I decided to go look at the CIC website and check out the application processing time. Well, there was a link to check your application process and so I went there and one of the ways you could log in was with your receipt number from the application payment. YEAH - so I logged in and this is what it says

We received your application to sponsor on March 13, 2008.

We started processing your application on April 4, 2008.

So the process has started and it says that the current processing time is 36 days for applications received up to March 13, 2008.

I looked at the link they provided about what this all means and my file is IN PROCESS - the following is the explanation given - to me this means that there are two steps in the "in process"

Application Received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
We have received your application and will review it in order of receipt. We will send you an acknowledgment letter.

Documentation Verified by CIC
We are reviewing your application to make sure it is complete and that no documents are missing. We will return incomplete applications for resubmission.

So, now with a little more info that before I started this post, I am still waiting and trying to listen to what God has to tell, show or teach me during this time. (And also counting down the days till I see Ronel in July!!)

snow.....

that's right - we got snow?!?! It was hailing on Wednesday when I went to work but it turned to rain, then apparently yesterday we got some snow and then today it snowed for most of the morning, it wasn't sticking to the roads but was sticking to the grass & buildings. I can't believe that we are getting snow at the end of March!! I hope that the sun & warmth come out soon and that they stay around!!

Guess what!

I met Mike McCardell from Global TV! and was on Global News last night! We were on our fieldtrip yesterday and were flying kites outside the Planetarium and he & his cameraman came up and asked if they could video the kids. I had to call and check with the "boss" and she said yes, so he talked to the kids and got some footage of them flying their kites.

And we made the evening news! You can go HERE to see our time in the spotlight! The kids were so excited to see themselves on TV - we even watched it this morning at work as one of the staff had taped it last night!

hello....

Anybody out there??

I can tell by my site meter that you are there but I'm beginning to wonder if it is all in my imagination!

I would love to have you leave a comment - let me know that you are alive and well and that I haven't bored you to death or scared you away with my lack of regular postings!

Have a great day!

done, done and done...

As of 12:30pm this afternoon, Ronel's immigration paperwork is on it's way to Mississauga, Ontario to the Case Processing Centre. It should arrive by Thursday. So, this now means that the countdown is ON. This starts the process that will bring Ronel here, to me.

Dropping the paperwork at the post office was quite the emotional event. This has been such a HUGE process and we have hit many stumbling blocks and I have had many personal struggles with the whole thing as well. Struggles that I apparently hid very well, even from those who I can't normally hide anything. Last week at minichurch was the big breakthrough. The sermon the week before had been about how nothing is impossible for God and that God is not a liar so if He says it is possible, then IT IS POSSIBLE. Well, at minichurch we discussed that some people have fears that seem impossible to them and how we really needed to come together and pray for each other. While they were talking about this, I was crying. A few weeks ago, a girlfriend asked me how the paperwork was going and I said it wasn't done yet and she said "Don't you want Ronel here?" It was a HUGE wake-up call for me, I did (and do) want him here, more than I can express in words, but I was also terrified about sending off the paperwork and taking it out of my control. As of today, I have NO CONTROL whatsoever over the paperwork and the result. I can't make them say yes and I also have no control over how fast or slow it is. Now, I do know - in my head - that God has COMPLETE CONTROL over all of it, but that doesn't always make it to my heart. On my good days, I am happy that God is in control of the paperwork and that it is now all out of my hands, but on the not so good days, that terrifies me. This is really the only thing I have been able to have control over and now it is out of my control.

Friday was a hard day, there were a couple of times where I thought I had - once again- missed things and that it would delay things but each time it was only a misunderstanding and everything was fine. I had all the paperwork I needed, all our communications and photos were added and there is NO reason why anyone should deny our claim for Ronel to be allowed entry to Canada. When I was finally done everything, I called my friends (and also minichurch leaders) to share the good news and then went over to hang out with them & celebrate (after 10 hours of working only on my paperwork I needed out of the house!) It was a great feeling to know that I had overcome my fear and finished the paperwork!

Sunday in between services a few of my friends & I gathered to pray over the paperwork (and also Ronel & I) and then today I sent it off. Even now, part of me wants to cry and part of me wants to get up and dance with joy! This is such a big step in the whole process and it has taken SO long to get here. Tomorrow marks 16 months that we have been married and 15 months & 1 week that we have been apart. The big prayer on Sunday (and still) is that the paperwork would be done before Ronel's medical expires on Nov, 5th 2008. And even more, that it would be done in time that I could make changes to my ticket for July and Ronel could come home with me then. That thought makes me shake - with joy and anticipation. I leave for Haiti in 135 days and it could be possible that Ronel could be home in that period of time. It would require a God sized miracle but it is possible. Current timelines for CIC is 35 days for the approval of my sponsorship application and then 7-18 months for the approval of Ronel's permanent resident application which take place at the visa office in Port-au-Prince. 10% of files are approved in 7 months in Port-au-Prince. We're asking God to have them done in less than 5 months!

Please keep this in your prayers! I'll keep you updated on the progess

drumroll please......

The immigration paperwork is
DONE

There is a LONG story that goes with this all but for now I will say that I took the day off and all I did ALL day long (10 hours) was work on completing all the needed paperwork!

It is such a great feeling to have this all done and now the hard part comes - waiting for the government to approve our application or not! The current wait on the approval of my sponsorship application is 35 days, once that is done, Ronel's application for Permanent Residence gets sent to the Visa office in Port-au-Prince where the decision is made. The current wait there is anywhere from 7-18 months! Please be praying that it is decided quickly! Ronel's medical exam expires Nov 5th, 2008 and if we aren't approved by then, he will have to redo it and that will delay the whole process!

Ok, off to shower and then am taking the paperwork over to get prayed over by some good friends of mine!

I'll try and be a good girl and post more of the back story soon!

in only...

5 months from today I get to see Ronel's face.

Just thinking about it makes me smile!!


I have lots to catch you guys up on but life has been busy so I will have to post that later. I just had to come let you know how soon I get to see Ronel!!

M'ap vini mari'm!!

a new toy!

I received a MP3 player today - I was talking to my youngest sister, Leslie, and asked her what this thing in her room was and she said, "oh that's a MP3 player I got at (work's) Christmas party. Do you want it?" I said "Sure, I've thought about them but didn't really know it I would use it" She has an Ipod so she didn't really have a use for it.

Well, I LOVE it! I set it up and put all the songs I had on my computer on it (only 55 songs) and I've been listening to it all night while I've been stamping. I can't wait to add more songs!

I think it will come in really handy on my trip to Haiti! It is A LOT smaller than my CD player and I won't have to lug all my CD's with me! I can have all my favourite songs and all on one little player! I also enjoy that I can walk around with it and it isn't in my way or cumbersome. It has a neck strap and it is so handy to have it just hanging there! (I've always kind of laughed at people who wear their mp3 players around their neck! To all of you - I apologize and I've joined you!)

Annie

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tonight I went to see the musical with some friends of mine.

It was put on by Burnaby South High School
and the cousin of one of my friends was in the play.

The play was SO much fun and really well done.
It was a great night and just a fun way to spend Valentine's Day
especially since I couldn't be with Ronel!


Happy Valentine's Day Ronel!
M'ap vini mari'm!

another update on paperwork...

so, my notice of assessment arrived yesterday in the mail! It was so nice to have that in my hand! But, I realized that I shouldn't be sending in the originals of any of our letters and such that I need to send to prove our relationship! I had all the written letters and such in the STACK of papers to be mailed and when I went through the papers, I realized I probably want to keep the originals and mail in copies! So that is what I will be doing for the next couple of days! First snag was the fact that my printer ran out of ink (which after the amount of emails I had to print out - that Ronel & I have sent to each other - I really am not surprised!) So, my mom is picking me up ink on her way home! Then I am going to scan and print all the letters off. I have 2 notebooks full of letters between us (we used to keep notebooks that we wrote to each other whenever I was out of the country - we would then switch when I would get back. It was like a journal but to each other of what had gone on while the other was away.)

So, my original goal was that I will have all the paperwork mailed by Valentine's Day but I have revised it to have it mailed by my birthday which is only 2 weeks from today! I think that it is a bit more realistic, especially since I have been SO tired lately and have been going to bed quite early lately and I have a busy week ahead.

I will definitely be posting and letting you know when that package goes postal though!

Closer....

I went and checked my bank account online and my tax refund has arrived in my account (by direct deposit) and that means that my notice of assessment should be here soon!!

I am going to double check and make sure that I have all the rest of the paperwork ready and then I can send it all in as soon as the notice of assessment arrives! I think that I need to print out some photos to send in but other than that, everything should be ready!

This means that the paperwork should be filed by Valentine's Day (giving myself a couple of days for the notice of assessment to arrive and for me to get it into the post office!)

What a great Valentine's gift for both of us!

And here's hoping & praying that Ronel gets to come home soon!

prayer needed...

The Livesay family are missionaries in Haiti and their 3 month old baby girl Lydia Beth needs your prayers. She has bacterial meningitis.

Please go here and learn more about what is going on with Lydia and keep her lifted in prayer! To get the whole story you will probably want to go back in the posts to the Tuesday, January 22nd post.

Thank you in advance for your prayers for this family and especially for Lydia Beth.

It's done!

My ticket is BOOKED! I leave out of Vancouver on July 23rd.

YEAH!

now to wait...

So my mom said that I can use some of her AAdvantage Miles and I had them transferred today and they tell me that the miles will be in my account within 7 days. It cost me $84 US to transfer the miles ($50 US for 5000 miles, $4US GST, $30US Processing Fee) and it will cost me about $150 US in taxes and fees for the reward ticket so in the end I will have a round trip ticket to Haiti for less than $250 US and I get to leave from Vancouver! This is such a blessing and it just goes to remind me that God is in control and He has every detail taken care of!

Haiti, here I come!

Well, I have been given the go ahead for the time off work and now the only thing I am waiting on is talking to my mom to see if she will let me use some of her AAdvantage miles so that I don't need to buy the extra I need. She is currently away on vacation so I called my uncle on Skype and asked him to talk to my mom and get back to me. (They are staying with my great aunt & uncle just down the road from my aunt & uncle) Transferring the miles will take 72 hours and then I can finish booking my ticket! I am SO excited!!! I went ahead and put up the countdown because now that I know that I can have the time off, there isn't much that will stop me from getting this ticket. The only difference is whether I buy the extra miles or get to use my mom's miles.

I will be flying out of Vancouver which is awesome as it means a 20 minute trip to the airport rather than a 3 hour trip! I will be leaving July 23rd and arriving in Port-au-Prince on July 24th at 11:25am. I will be in Haiti till August 16th and arrive back in Vancouver in the early evening on August 17th. This means that I will be in Haiti WITH Ronel for 23 days and I will be away for a total of 26 days.

Since Ronel is off school and won't be working, I am hoping that we will be able to do some visiting around Haiti. There are some friends I would like to visit and if possible I would also love to meet the Livesay Tribe! I have been reading their blog since before I left Haiti in February of 2006 and I have never met them but would love to!

I am looking forward to just spending as much time as possible with Ronel and getting "recharged" before having to come back home by myself and waiting again till Ronel is able to join me here.

M'ap vini cheri mwen!

I'm leaving on a jet plane....

but not yet! So today I started looking into flights to go see Ronel - I am looking at going mid July for 3 weeks - possibly a little bit more. I wanted to wait till our anniversary & Ronel's birthday in the fall but last night Ronel asked me if I could come while he was on vacation for the summer and I said that I would look into it. I would rather not take my vacation in the summer as it is a fun time at work and it is going to be HOT in Haiti but Ronel would like me to be there when he doesn't have to work and I want to see my hubby so I will handle the heat (somehow!) and go in the summer. There is a 4 week period of time that I can be gone from work in the summer. We have two large events in the summer - our VBS which is the 3rd week in July and then the Lower Mainland Foursquare Kids Camp which is the 2nd to last week in August.

So I started looking at flights leaving right after we finish VBS and I found some good flights for around $850 Cdn flying out of Seattle (Tickets were $1250 or more Cdn flying out of Vancouver!) then tonight I started looking at American Airlines website and I almost have enough AA miles for a flight to Haiti - I need less than 5000 miles and it turns out the I can purchase the miles I need for approx $150 Cdn and then there is approx. $120 in flight taxes & fees. This way requires me to take an extra 3 days off of work but that also means I get 3 more days with Ronel!! so before I can go ahead and book it (and purchase the additional miles) I need to find out if I can get those 3 days off. I should be able to work & bank the hours needed to cover those 3 days so that I don't have any unpaid time off so I just need to find out if I can get that extra time off (especially since it is 7 days more than my vacations days!) I have the flights on award miles on hold until Jan 31st so that gives me some time to figure it all out!

So hopefully very soon I will be able to put up a countdown to my trip to Haiti! It is so absolutely amazing to think that in 6 months I should be seeing my husband face to face again! (for the first time since December 1st, 2006 - 18 months!)

You can also be praying for a miracle in Ronel's immigration paperwork - I am hoping to have it all filed by mid February (am just waiting for my notice of assessment) and I would love to be able to bring Ronel home with me in August but that would be only 6 months and for that to happen God has to have His hand on the paperwork and make it fly through. I know that God can do this but your prayers are all very appreciated!

Okay I have to go to bed now but wanted to share this with you all!

Look what I did!

I did this up tonight after going shopping for the paper & the embellishments. I am quite happy with the results! It was super easy and looks so cute!

no fun or interesting title!

Saturday was a jam packed day - It was my sister, Rhonda's 27th Birthday and so we all went out for breakfast - all except for my youngest sister Leslie as she was working.

Our Grandmother was also there as she was in town as she was heading out for vacation yesterday along with my Mom & Jacques. They are heading to Boqueron, Puerto Rico to visit my aunt & uncle and also my great aunt & great uncle - they have both rented condos down there and are staying there for 3 or 4 months. My mom, granny & Jacques will be there for 2 weeks.

Yesterday after breakfast, we (Mom, Granny, Jacques & I) headed down to Seattle. We stopped in Mount Vernon to check out some antique shops (Mom & Jacques both love to antique shop!!) and while we were there I stopped to check out Skagit Valley Food Co-op. Well, they had a great selection of gluten free products, many of which I had never seen here. One brand I had heard alot about on a GF Google group that I am a part of, but had not found it here, well, SVFC had it and it was very reasonably priced and so I picked up a box of GF cereal, two different brands of GF baking mix (use it to make pancakes, waffles, muffins, and a wide variety of baked goods!), a box of vegetable rice noodles and then Mom & I both got some locally made yogurt for in the car and it was also labelled GF! When I told the cashier how happy I was to find the GF items, she went and got me a pamphlet which lists all the GF items aisle by aisle!!

After we were done in Mount Vernon, we continued to head south and we stopped in Lynnwood at the Target there where I got a GORGEOUS knee length winter coat in a beautiful charcoal gray. It is incredibly soft and it was 50% off! I paid only $29.97 for it! ( I will try and get a photo and post it!)

I also picked up 5 white mini mailboxes from Target

(mine are just like this but white!)

which I have been reading all about on Splitcoast Stamper's and am excited to alter them! I am planning on doing one up for Ronel and sending it to him with the other stuff that Sandra & Dickie are taking down for me. You can see some finished ones here.

After Target we headed to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! It was a first for all of us - I found it online when I googled gluten free restaurants in Seattle and so we decided to try it. It was alot of fun and the food was incredible! I had the Drover's Platter which comes with a half order of baby back ribs, a full chicken breast and french fries, but the fries aren't GF there so I substituted it with a dressed baked potato. It was a great meal and while it was not cheap, I would definitely treat myself to dinner there again (and next time save room for dessert! They have a totally GF dessert called Chocolate Thunder from Down Under! It looks delicious and I am sure it tastes fabulous!

After dinner, I dropped them off at the airport and headed north, I did stop off at the Super WalMart in Tulalip so that I could pick up another pair of jeans (I bought one last week when Mom & I whipped down to Bellingham and they fit great and are only $9.98 so I knew I needed atleast one other pair! I have the worst time finding jeans that fit well!) I also got two long sleeve t-shirts that I love!

I got home late but it was a great day and I really enjoyed it!

update on paperwork

So my 2006 taxes are filed! My mom dropped off the paperwork at the Canada Revenue Agency office in Surrey today. As soon as I get my notice of assessment back I can send off our immigration papers!!!!

Plus I should be getting a nice chunk of change back with my taxes and that will help with both the immigration expenses as well as me taking a trip down to visit Ronel this year (plus I should also get $$ back with my 2007 taxes!)