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God is Bigger Than My Situation - Applying for a Visa


There have been many times where I want to give up and take the easy road when things get challenging. When I was applying for YWAM DTS, things seemed to be going fairly smooth. Preparing to move out of Korea and leave behind a life I had built for the past 7 years was definitely the hardest part of this whole process. But now that I am back in Canada preparing to go to Honolulu is January things are looking interesting. Being a Canadian citizen allows me free access to the States with no visa EXCEPT since I'm not going over as a tourist but a volunteer missions trainee (not a student), I need to apply for a B-1 visa. 

Downtown Edmonton
To make things a bit more interesting, Canada post is on strike which means applying for the visa needs to be done in person at the nearest US Embassy/Consulate. I'm not sure how long this process will take me (please pray that this won't take long) but I am preparing to get my photos today and will fill out 40 pages online before I can make an appointment. Thankfully the nearest U.S. Embassy/Consulate is about 3 hours drive from where I am currently visiting. I don't drive so anywhere I go will need to be done by public transit via plane as the greyhound buses have recently shut down as well. 

When I think back on this crazy life journey that God has walked with me through, I can't help but laugh. Over 10 years ago, while I was in the middle of bible college, I was failing and was soon to be dismissed from college. Reality truly hit me in the face as I thought that I had failed God at life. I pleaded with Him to give me a second chance but nothing seemed possible. Shortly after I got into a tobogganing accident during a college event when I went down a ski hill at exceptional speed, hitting my face on a rail or pole, suffering a severe brain injury. I have no memory of the actual accident, only the few hours before leading up to it. At the time I INTERPRETED the situation as God's punishment to me but that was not the case but rather it was His GRACE that I survived! 

"Blind date" with a book at a cafe in Edmonton
It really changed my life forever for the better! I missed one semester of college (I was in the hospital) and as you can see, God gave me second chance at life and college. As I sit here and write this, I hear "Faithful, God you are faithful!" - Elevation Worship. It's the truth! It does get overwhelming at times when I run into these sort of obstacles along the way and I do get discouraged at times. There are many things I am thankful for and I trust that God will come through like He has in the past. I'm visiting college friends in Edmonton and I'm much closer to the U.S. Consulate than I was when I was in Manitoba. Also, there is a new airline that is extremely cheap in Canada and I do have friends that I could stay with if I need to. Most importantly, I have a God who loves me more than anyone and He is the one who directs my path.  

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."




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