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!!!