Ever since Richard and I met 3 years ago, we have been eagerly waiting on God for His perfect timing regarding our marriage. There were some moments that we lost hope but, true to His unfailing word, after some deliverance in my personal life, we were finally married on 16, February 2010. There were two ceremonies: The first was a civil ceremony conducted in Chennai by a pastor who specializes in international marriages. The second was a church ceremony in Dindigul led by Lowell Smith and Richard’s brother Britto that same evening. It was a very, very long day, and one filled with much joy. Our family and friends in India who were there said they had never seen a bride smile at her wedding (Most brides are going into an arranged marriage and may have only met their groom once or twice before.). We did not have a traditional honeymoon as it was not in our finances, but we are praying that one day the Lord will provide for us to travel to Israel to experience the land where Jesus lived, died, and rose again.
Less than 2 months flew by and we were informed that even though we are married, because I am in India on a tourist visa I would be required to leave the country for a minimum of 2 months, as per a new law enacted a few months before. This was very frustrating—we are newly weds, just adjusting to life together and because we had not even begun to process any paperwork regarding a visa to the US for Richard, we would be forced to separate for that time. As upsetting as this was, we trusted that God knows what he is doing and in mid-April I travelled by myself to the US for what turned out to be 3 months. Richard and I kept in contact as well as we could given the time difference and his dying cell phone through emails and phone calls. And of course, we were able to see God’s hand in the whole thing.
When preparing to leave India, I realized I had miscalculated my original flight booked with British Airways. As my departure was so close, there were no seats available for any other flights and I was forced to purchase a one-way ticket on a different airline. There were only 2 flights available and I chose the one that had the least amount of layover time. What I learned after arriving in the US, is that all flights to/from London were being cancelled due to the volcanic plume coming from Iceland. As I was on a different airline, the flight pattern was lower and the airline was unaffected. After arriving in the US, I was very tired. This is normal because of jet lag and time differences. But a few weeks later, I found out that I was pregnant with Richard and my first child. This is a huge blessing, and something that we have been praying for earnestly since before our marriage.
To be continued...
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