Well, here goes the first post! The past few weeks have been filled with so many thoughts that although I have not been extremely busy, I feel like I have worn myself out by today! It's less than 2 weeks now that I board a plane that takes me to the land of England. I have always wanted to go to England, but I never thought my dream would really come true! The past month has had me feeling that my trip is still weeks away, but as of lately I have woken up to the realization that my journey is not far off and I've become a bit more rushed on my last minute shopping and complications (such as communication back to the states, converters, etc....all the boring but very necessary things).
I'm quite excited to meet all the students that I have been talking to online. I've met some people that I feel sure I will be friends with and the thought of going to school with people who share my faith causes bubbling excitement within me! I have never been able to go to class knowing that all my peers believed, trusted, and loved the one true God that I also trust and love. God will do amazing things with that, I'm sure of it! There is not much that I'm absolutely sure of, but knowing that God will do amazing things.......I'm sure of that!
Having my visa is such a relief! I'm just now hearing about so many more students that are still having complications with their visas and it just makes me praise God that he worked out a way for me to get mine. It was quite a miracle that he worked out! It seemed most Capernwray students had sent in their visa applications long before I'd began working on mine. That got me a bit worried, add on top of that a worried mother...let's just say it was not good! I thought I would not ever be able to get my visa papers sent in, in enough time to have the visa sent back to me. That meant no Capernwray! I started having thoughts of the local community college and the like. I cried as my mother yelled about getting this application finished. I tried and tried but it seemed like it just couldn't work out. I doubted God could make this one happen. Oh what a silly thing to do! God proved to me that even when I think He can't possibly handle another one of my little problems...He can.
As I prayed and seemingly uselessly searched my stack of papers to send for a visa application, and then checked them twice with the list of supporting documents found on the web....I found a new site that I had not been on before. What was this mysterious site? Oh, it was God's miracle.
The site led to a page that talked about the Chicago Consulate Office (where you send a visa application). At the veeery bottom of the page in a completely different font as the rest to seem as if it did not belong there...as if it was ADDED there, was a small blurb that read: "During summer 2009, UKBA will offer in-person services for Tier 4 Student Visa applicants. For more information, please see the following documents for New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles." I nearly fell out of my chair! It was instantly clear to me that God had once again taken it into His own hands to solve a problem. Whew! What a relief to know He's got it all under control!
I went to the Consulates office the very next day and waited...and waited...and waited to be let in to see if I would get my visa. Ahem! I finally got there and was...delayed?!? Well at least I wasn't denied!!! Who knew 3 small letters could make such a big deal? It turned out that I didn't put my middle name on my application when it was on my passport. Hmm... So it took longer to process, but I came back a week letter and picked up my beautiful visa! Getting delayed was great, though, because it made for a fun Chicago trip with my dad. He even took me dress shopping to Peaches Boutique where I found a dress for the All Academy Ball in December for only $50!! We also went to Nordstrom's off Michigan Ave. after I got my visa and I got a makeover! He was so sick of the girliness by then, but he said he enjoyed the day with me. I enjoyed the day with him too!
Anyway, God has made some great opportunities for me from that visa experience! I have helped some other girls get their visas for Capernwray and we have had some heartfelt and wonderful talks! Who knew that God could do all that?!? Well, I should not have underestimated Him! I would like to say I will not do that again, but I'm only human and can't make any promises.....
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