Pieter and Lydia Update!

For all who are keeping up with the process of my husband's visa via my blog, here is your update!

Last week we were under the impression that we had just a few more days of waiting left until Pieter's interview would be scheduled. We had waited the 30 days as well as an additional 15 days for the National Visa Center to review our paperwork. On Friday, January 22nd we received devastating news that although our paperwork had been reviewed it was missing many of the required scanned documents and one of the financial forms.
At that point, Pieter and I had had our hopes up for planning for his interview and his return to America.

This "hang up" will cause us to have to wait another 45 days for the NVC to review our completed packet. We are now waiting to hear that they have received all the new information and I plan to give them a call mid-next week.

Both Pieter and I are anxious for the month of February to arrive, because that is when I am able to fly back to be with him again. Being together makes this process a little more bearable and I guess, at this point, I cannot be picky as to where we wait it all out, as long as we can be side by side, legally residing somewhere!

Once I get to the Netherlands I am able to be there for only three months. It would be ideal for Pieter and I to fly back together in the spring. Having a restricted time limit makes things stressful! Once we receive an "okay" from the National Visa Center they will schedule his interview, he will undergo a physical evaluation, and if all goes well we will be able to book our flights!

There have been multiple hurdles as we have gone through this process the past 14 months. Last February I remember talking with the lawyer via skype, discussing our options and learning just how challenging it would be to get my husband back to Virginia. In February of 2015 I flew back to the U.S. in order to make money to pay for our lawyer expenses. We waited six months to receive an email from the USCIS reporting that Pieter's case was accepted. It took three months to put together all the financial forms, tax forms, and visa application last fall and now we are so close to being done. . .

Please be in prayer for the final stages of this long, difficult journey. Pray specifically that God would allow Pieter and I to travel back to the U.S. together when that time comes and also that we do not undergo anymore "hold ups".

We thank each of you for seeing us through this time and I cannot wait to celebrate with you all when we receive word that Pieter can return!

So Close...

A year ago today I experienced the most traumatic day of my life to date. Since January 9th, 2015 I have grown in ways I never thought would be necessary. A year ago today my husband was denied access into the United States because we did not have a marriage visa.

Since our marriage in September 2014 we have spent more time apart from each other than we have spent together. The strain that this brings on both of us as individuals and as a couple is too extensive to describe. We spend a lot of days wondering if this extended time of separation will affect us in the years to come.

While we have strong reasons to believe that the time of waiting for our proper visa paperwork to get filed is near, we find these last few weeks/months to be especially challenging. Days spent with my life on hold become tiring. I graduate with my Associate's degree in Psychology from Liberty University Online in May of this year. I am ecstatic to finally be finished with step one of many exciting and hopeful plans I have for our future.

I talk to God every night before falling asleep, asking Him to let us begin our life together again, to give us the opportunity to work on building a strong foundation for our marriage, and faithfully telling Him that He will receive all the glory on the day of Pieter's return to America.

One Year

On Monday, it will have been one year since Pieter and I flew out for the Netherlands for the very first time. Pieter has not been in the United States for a year now. I visited Brethren Woods this evening for their annual Christmas party. It was so great to see everyone and celebrate the birth of Christ with friends that feel like family to me. My husband and I have a sentimental connection to that camp and always will, because that is where we met.

It was August of 2012, I hugged Pieter good bye and thought I would never see that tall Dutch man again. Of course, he had no idea I had a crush on him, but even then, in my heart, I knew he was someone very special. If only we knew then how many good bye’s we would share in our future together.

As I drove down the driveway away from camp tonight, I fell apart. My body ached as the tears fell. I thought to myself “My husband is supposed to be here with me right now.” I cried out to God saying “Why me?” and begged Him to “Please bring my husband home to me”. I was heading home to an empty house. I tried to think of anywhere else I could go or someone I could call.

As I regained composure, I went through my phone and began listening to every Christian song I had on there. As my heart was in pain, the words of those songs gave me peace and comfort as I drove home. I felt God speaking to me through the lyrics and although I did not have anyone to talk to or anywhere to go, I felt great relief in knowing that God is always present. In my time of trouble, He was there.


No, this is not an easy time for myself or my husband. Certain days are better than others. Holidays and big events can be lonely and emotional, but through Christ, we find strength. As we look into the coming year of 2016, we are hopeful. Pieter’s visa application is in the process of being completed and will take up to 60 days to be finalized. From there, he will set up an interview and begin his final preparations for returning to the U.S. Our journey through this is not over yet, but we do believe that there is an end in sight.

One of many sunset pictures taken at camp. 

Discouraging News

All the Christmas tunes say it best_ “I’ll be home for Christmas” and “There’s no place like home for the Holidays”. I decided to return to America for a short stay to visit family and refresh my winter wardrobe before flying back to the Netherlands at the end of December.

So, here I am, back in the U.S. for just a few weeks, or so I thought. . .

How does a person make two huge visa mistakes in one year? It really gets complicated when you are going back and forth across the Atlantic so many times. This was my sixth time across the ocean in a course of 12 months. While I have become a professional at navigating airports, going through security, and staying occupied on a long flight, I have not gotten the hang of these visa guidelines. For anyone that was wishing I was staying longer than five weeks, your wish came true!

As I was making plans for my return flight at the end of December, I came across the “180 day rule” for visiting the Netherlands and other European countries. For every 90 days (by the way, I stayed 107 days) that a person visits the Netherlands they are to wait 90 days before returning. I will not be eligible for returning to the Netherlands until the end of February. Even then, my seventeen day overstay will pose an issue. Re-entry will be a challenge whenever I do decide to go back.

My heart is bitter and torn with regrets. I am striving to stay positive through it all and strong for both my husband and I, but it is difficult. Pieter and I kissed goodbye at the airport in Brussels thinking we would reunite just 42 days after that, but it will be much much longer now.

Our life together in Aagtekerke was wonderful. I had grown to love living in the Netherlands, the country that is such a big part of my husband’s history. We had so many plans for the year of 2016 that we would spend together. Greeting him when he got home from work was always my favorite thing. He was gone all day and I spent time cleaning, doing school assignments, packing his lunch for the next day, and preparing dinner for the two of us. I guess everything was going too well.

While our (American) visa process has shown great progress the past few weeks, we have come across a small bump in the road that may cause the progress to come to a halt. This reality scares both Pieter and I as our time together rests solely on this visa now. It may be March when we are able to reunite again, but it may take until June or July. The time of our separation is indefinite. The thought of that makes me cringe.

All I can ask now, our only hope, is constant prayer that the visa process for my husband will progress quickly.

All we can do now is hope and pray that Pieter is able to return here soon.

As It All Comes Together

Life in Aagtekerke, NL is going well! I have gotten more comfortable shopping on my own, but have yet to figure out the most appropriate way to let people know I do not fully understand their language. Is “I don’t speak Dutch” accompanied by an apology acceptable? Or should I just go with it and speak English, hoping they catch on?! I have become familiar with the series of questions asked by the supermarket cashier, but I still get nervous that they will need answers other than “yes” or “no” or the common “thank you”. I still feel quite self conscious of my cultural differences here, but I have developed an appreciation for some of the quirky Dutch ways.

Once Pieter and I started to build a little life here together with a car, small home, and electrical bike of our own, we started trusting God and giving Him control and we ended up receiving some good news!

With the news of Pieter’s visa paperwork being accepted, the idea of getting back to America has become so much more real to us. We are not in the planning stages yet, but anticipate hearing more positive news in the weeks to come. Next, we send in financial documents and complete Pieter’s actual Visa application. If all goes smoothly, these next few processes should not take nearly as long as the first one did. So, you do the math!

I have gotten settled into a nice routine here in my Dutch life. We feel overwhelmingly blessed to have found a beautiful and affordable cottage to rent for a few months. It has given us space to appreciate our time of being a young couple again. I believe it was only by God’s great provision that we found a place where we can both be comfortable. 

We spend our weekends biking to nearby villages as Pieter shows me around. Saturday mornings are spent visiting a nearby produce stand and going grocery shopping with my extensive shopping list. Pieter has made a detailed monthly budget for us and has been working so hard everyday to make money to support us. I honestly do not know how he does it, but I am thankful to have found a guy with such great work ethic. My week is spent keeping house and I love it… to an extent. Some days the dishes, laundry, and cleaning really gets to me, but my days of working every day will come again soon enough as I anticipate finishing my degree and working full-time once we are back in America.

We have roots here now and I will miss the Netherlands when the day comes that we have to say goodbye to all the simplicity here.

Biking on a beautiful day!

Our special Saturday morning breakfast after a long week.

Bountiful gathering from the local produce stand.

Yodel-aye-hee-hoo!

"An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain top high, when along came a Jersey cow interrupted his cry. . ." A classic camp song that has been stuck in my head the entire time I have been visiting the beautiful country of Austria.

During this adventure I have felt incredibly blessed to be a small part of this continent of Europe. I am thankful for this opportunity as so many people do not get to see beyond their own comfort zone.
"There's too much world and not enough time to see it all"
_ I watched the mountains grow larger as we drove through Switzerland on our way to Austria this amazing realization crossed my mind.

The road to Fort Valley, Virginia would seem like a short stroll in the park after the mountains I have zig-zagged up and down here. My favorite landmark we visited was the White Lake. The water was crystal as it tumbled down the mountain, melting from the glaciers. The lake looked as if a mermaid could pop out of the water any minute. There was a magicalness away from reality that enveloped me in it's beauty.

In my short time here we saw snow glaciers, listened to a German marching band, took a tour of a castle built in the 1200's, went mountain biking for 15 miles (which made me feel more alive than I have felt in years), rode on a cable car for the first time, went down the Fiss Flitzer (which was a terrifyingly wonderful experience), and visited Samnauen, Switzerland and Reschen, Italy.

I have settled into the embrace of these large mountainous rocks. I can only imagine how exposed I will feel when I return to the Netherlands this weekend. I love being able to look out the window and see into a deep valley and look for miles to see mountain top after mountain top surrounding me.

Pieter and I hope to make coming to this part of Europe a tradition for our anniversary. We'll see where life takes us! For now_ Farewell Austria, I hope to visit you again in the coming years!

Austrian mountains

The White Lake 

The hike around White Lake

Snowy mountain tops in Italy

Church tower in Italy

To Germany!

Through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Germany we made it to Rickenbach, Germany on Saturday afternoon. It was surreal for me to ride through those foreign countries. While most of the sights were open fields, mountain ranges, and roads, we did pass a beautiful castle in the distance and some French and Swiss homes that are unique and adorable like little doll houses. My mind kept thinking about how I had seen movies filmed in these countries and as a child how I had read story books about them. Swiss cheese, German chocolate cake, Belgian waffles, and French fries_ it is so much more than all that!

After being in the flat Netherlands for a month, it was strange to drive up a steep mountain into a place that looked similar to my home. Surrounded by mountains and gorgeous open fields brings me comfort. The village we are staying in is built on a hill. Any walk you take includes some cardio. The architecture in the buildings makes it difficult, for me, as a tourist, to not stop and take pictures.

So far, we have ventured off on a few hikes up in the mountain of Totenbuhl. There are patchy forests with tall trees and then vast open fields that are perfect for reenacting 'The Sound of Music' opening scene. The sky seems more blue here, the air fresher, and the grass greener. Pictures cannot even express the beauty found here.

The village below

This beautiful tree was planted after the 30 years war. A 367 year old tree! 

German homes

Beginning our hike, one of many hills!