Match Madness and God's Victory!!

ANDEE GOT THE RESIDENCY!!!  HE MATCHED!!!  TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

Ahem, okay, so now that I got that out, let's start from the beginning!!  

From top to bottom, the residency application, examination and paperwork process takes approximately 6 months to a year to get everything in order.  During this season there are copious amounts of paperwork, a ton of individual research, studying galore, lots of fees due, interviews, and oh yeah, still maintaining a full-time, unpaid position at the hospital.  In addition, there is a seemingly endless waiting period in between the interview season and the actual Match results.  Sounds fun, right?  Indeed.

But our loving and merciful God wouldn't let any of that nonsense stop Him from moving in our lives!  God started early in the process to ensure His victory!  Within 24 hours of sending in Andee's applications for the residency programs, he received his first interview invite - which in and of itself is pretty amazing!  We booked the interview for early October, and found out quickly that Andee's personal statement involving faith and God's calling to medicine resonated with the Program Director.  This particular Program Director shared a similar calling, and was impressed with Andee's level of faith and confidence.  God was on the move!!  We really felt in our hearts that this program was special, and were convicted to believe God for this particular residency.

However, we were still holding out hope for a Canadian Residency, which would bring us closer to our family and where we feel the most at home.  We found out in November that Andee did not receive an interview in Ontario, Canada, despite having a very competitive score on the Canadian Licensing Exam.  We were disappointed to say the least.  We didn't want to admit it at the time, but we knew that God had more in store for us in the United States, and that an American Residency was where he was calling us.  We remembered our first interview and how God moved during that time, and knew that this was His calling for us.

At this time, I was participating in a study on Gideon with Harvest.  The tag line read "Your Weakness, God's Strength."  Perfect!!  This familiar Bible story is identified by God reducing Gideon's army from 32,000 men to a mere 300.  The 450:1 odds against the enemy was God's way of ensuring that the victory would be because of His strength, and that his people would not try to claim the victory as their own.  This wonderful story of faith and victory in impossible situations was exactly what we needed during this time!

We too felt a little like Gideon and his army about to go into battle.  There were so many factors that God used to reduce our army so that we would rely on His strength for the victory.  Not only is Andee an international graduate from a Caribbean school, but he is also a Canadian citizen applying to American residencies.  And with no interviews in Canada, our army seemed to be wearing thin.

With the odds stacked against us for a Residency Match, our only choice was to rely on God for a victory in our circumstances.  Good choice!!  Through the Bible Study we learned that our resources are in our relationship with Jesus, and that believing God for a victory was the clear direction.

Andee and I then participated in a 21-day fast, in which Matching to this Residency was our main prayer focus.  We chose to believe in God's truth's - that not only is he able, but he is willing to intervene in our lives in a personal and miraculous way!  We believed that God would fill in the gaps in our lives that this schooling had created, financially and in terms of future employment.  We were believing God for His victory in our lives, as His will, His glory, and his perfect plan were the ultimate purpose!  We believed that he truly has "plans to prosper and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future".  He had gotten us this far, and we believed him to finish his work in this situation!

God can only move when we are placed in situations where he has to move!  God was making room in our lives during the waiting season for His glory and power to move in our lives!  He wanted us to confidently trust in Him for the victory!

On Match Day, Andee and I expectantly waited by the computer for the anticipated email to arrive.  With God as our strength, we opened up the email that clearly stated...

"Congratulations!  You have Matched!"

The Lord has declared His victory in the lives of His Children!!!  We are beyond thankful and overjoyed of His work in our lives, and we give him all the Glory.  We love Him, because He first loved us!! 

"For years to come, this triumph would be remembered as the day when God fought on His people's behalf." - Priscilla Shirer "Gideon."

And, drum roll please, the Residency that Andee has been accepted to is.....

Northeast Iowa Family Medicine!!  Which means, we will be moving to Iowa in June!!  We are so ready for this next adventure that God has for us!!

We celebrated with real donuts, a "boatload" of Simpsons donuts, as well as going out for a delicious pasta dinner at Maggiano's!  

GOD IS SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!

Long Time No See!

...So it has been a while!  As most of you probably know, winter for me is synonymous with hibernation, and so I have been majorly slacking in the photos and updates department!  This winter was especially cold and snowy, with weather experts deeming it the worst winter in over 20 years!  Hopefully another 20 years will pass before this polar vortex returns!  Even as I am typing this, I am staring out the window with a marvelous view of countless snow covered branches and mounding piles of fluffy white snow on the ground due to our most recent mid-March snowstorm.  That is it!!  I am officially declaring Winter to be completely over and done with, making way for the beautiful colors, smells, activities, growth, and warmer weather that comes with the wondrous season of Spring!!  Can I get an Amen?!

Andee and I have been working and volunteering as usual, but one special day in mid-January we got a special surprise from an unexpected person while volunteering at Harvest!  On a typical day, Andee would drop me off at Harvest and head to work, but this particular morning he came inside to print off a quick homemade card before heading off.  As the two of walked by our good friend Amy Freitag as Andee was about to leave, she suspiciously stopped us and asked us to wait at the front for a few minutes.  A couple minutes later she arrived with a wrapped present and a picture of a hand written note with very familiar handwriting!  I knew right away that is was Cassie, but was still confused as to how the note even got to us, let alone what was in the package!  We excitedly opened up the package with Amy giggling and taking pictures, and my amazing sister Cassie had bought us a brand new TABLET!!!!  We were shocked, and so excited!!  We had recently been looking into getting one when both of our laptops died within a week, but decided against it since we are a little low on funds.  But Cassie in her generosity decided to get it for us as a gift, working through Amy to get it to us in Illinois!  And on the note read a very encouraging and needed verse; "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."  We are so grateful for family and friends who are the hands and feet of Jesus in helping to meet the needs of His children!  Since opening up the tablet that day, we have used it an embarrassingly large amount and have so enjoyed finally being able to play The Simpsons Tapped Out!!  What an amazing gift, and what an amazing sister!!  We love you Cassie!!

Since Christmas, our little Aloe cat has been extra affectionate and adorable as he has now become a lap cat and loves to cuddle!  And what is better than a cuddly cat on a cold Winter's day?  Nothing! We also celebrated our little Choop-face's "birthday" (the day we adopted him) with a special gift for him that we named "Companion Cube".  If you do not understand this reference, ask the nearest game-er and continue reading.  He loves to play in his new cube, and is oddly always very receptive to gifts!  Happy Birthday Aloe Cat!!

We also recently took a trip to the Brookfield Zoo on one of the warmer (still freezing) days of this Winter!  Although the weather was less than desirable, many of the usually docile animals were loving the cold!  And no one was having more fun than the Snow Leopards!!  Momma and Baby leopards were having the time of their lives playing in the snow, and the baby was even playing with me through the glass!!  Very little in this world entertains me more than a zoo full of amazing animals!  Typing this now is making me want to go again!  Better head to the Library for the free passes!!

Recently at Harvest I was invited to a Staff lunch/celebration of Harvest's 14th Birthday!  Little did I know, but they had a surprise waiting for me when I got there!  Every so often, Harvest gives out a "You Inspire Us" Award for a Staff member to show their appreciation for what they do in service to the Lord!  However, they decided to break tradition and give the award to a volunteer - Me!!  I was so surprised and excited to receive this award that I naturally started to cry and was unable to properly thank everyone!  The whole staff had come together to write such thoughtful and encouraging things in the award, and I am so thankful for the work that they all do for the Lord in serving others!!  God is at work, and I am so thankful to be a part of it!!

Speaking of God at work, he is currently moving so much in our lives through Bible Studies, speaking through His Word, and speaking through others!  We are in a season of waiting and expectation in the Lord, and we are confident in His perfect plan for us!  We would love prayer during this time, and so if you are reading this, please pray!  More updates on this particular topic to come!!

Well, that's all folks!  Spring has almost sprung, and God is making all things new!  And if you are reading this, it means that I love you!  Happy Almost Spring!!