Drum Roll Please!

I had imagined the moment over and over again in my head on how we would react to whatever news we received. The “Call me ASAP” text I received from my husband seemed very out of character for him. He's a fairly chill guy. I thought to myself as I had numerous times before, “Could this be about the immigration case?”

I called him and when he told me, I simply did not believe it. I was shocked. It felt so surreal. I kept asking him “So, it's over, it's really over?” and burst into tears.

This will be a Thanksgiving and a Christmas where gratefulness truly abounds. My heart is full as I declare, finally, but in God's perfect timing, that our waiver has been approved!!

It still does not feel like it is real.
We had prepared ourselves for the very worst and were ready to accept it.

So, after years of waiting, praying, and so many ups and downs, what's next?

This exciting new reality also comes along with many important decisions and challenges that we will have to face in the coming months. The waiver is not an instant ticket to the U.S. And other red tape must be sorted through before travel plans can be confirmed.

We also must accept that things will not return to the way they were back in 2014. Pieter and I have grown and changed by leaps and bounds since then and we will have to settle into a new pace of living once we decide where that will be!

We are trying to avoid making hasty decisions regarding the future and will be taking time to sort through the changes and pray about the next steps to take. We are still figuring out the logistics of the year ahead and are both thrilled to move forward and reach goals together in 2018!

It has been your prayers, support, and keeping of the faith that have kept us going. For that, we will always be thankful!

Love to you all this Christmas season,
Pieter and Lydia Tramper

Season of Gratitude and Joy

The laundry has filtered in and out of the washing machine and dryer, the suitcases have migrated to the hallway to make their way up to the attic, and I have settled right back into work as if I never left.

My journey home was long and tiring, as one would expect it to be. I was shuffled from airport to airplane like a piece of worn out luggage. The airline did not accept cash for their food service, so I rationed my mixed nuts and candy bar throughout the six hour flight. 

At 34,000 feet, I sat there in seat 13D thinking about how I had no where to go and no one to talk to. I looked around at the couples and the families that were enjoying traveling together and remembered how just a week earlier, Pieter and I had enjoyed a flight together to Slovenia. Bitterness and confusion built up in my mind as I asked myself “Why me?” for what seemed like the 1000^th time this year... and tears began to roll down my already makeup smeared face. At this point, several hours into my journey, I just didn't care about what anyone thought of me anymore. I scrambled to find a way through this emotional pain and ended up finding comfort in a playlist I named “You Can Do This” -reassuring myself of just that every time I selected a song to add to it. When I finally arrived at Dulles airport I was exhausted, hungry, and relieved.

November has blown in with cold temperatures and a thick reminder that the holidays are right around the corner! I am convinced that we will all be sick of Christmas decorations once December 25^th finally comes along. It seems as if retail and restaurant chains are really rushing it along this year, or maybe it has always been that way and I am just now noticing.

I, too, am guilty of rushing time. I find myself wishing I had soaked up every minute that I had with Pieter during my time there, so I could hold on to every memory he and I made just a little bit longer. As the season of thankfulness and joy comes around I do want to express how overwhelmingly blessed I feel to have two homes where I know that I am surrounded by people that love me.

I want to encourage you today with the reminder that God knows exactly where you are at this very moment. You can be anywhere in the world, and He still sees you and knows you. How humbling is it to know that in this vast and intricate universe YOU are on His mind and YOU mean the most to Him? I pray that with this knowledge you will have peace and hope as you press on in life's inevitable obstacles.

*Stay tuned for an immigration update and a special Christmas greeting in my next blog posts.*