Hi Pastor John,
I wanted to write about my testimony that I gave in the meeting today. I know I left so much out, and I think it’s a good testimony that might help others who don’t live here, but want to.
When I first learned the truth was the truth in late September 2005, I loved it! I knew I wanted to live here because this was everything I had been searching for in Christianity, but never found. I immediately left Christianity and followed you. I received the CD’s and followed on whatever I heard from what was going on here. After a couple of years of receiving the CD’s I started visiting back and forth from Australia each year or two. Then, knowing I wanted to live here, I started cold – calling hospitals here in NC, making applications to jobs and making nurse profiles on hospital websites to try and see if a hospital would sponsor me as a nurse for a Green Card. I would make applications and get no reply, then wait a few more months and try again. I knocked on many doors, and got zero response. I don’t even think anyone ever replied to my emails.
At the same time as this I also put my name down in the Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery does not automatically award you a Greencard; only the right to apply. So, if you win in the lottery you still have to go through the lengthy application process. I applied for the Green Card via a secondary company which turned out to be unnecessary because you can make the application for free once every year. But I didn’t know that, so I paid the company a one-time $400 fee to enter my name in the lottery each year for 4 years. The company placed a LOT of emphasis on making your application for 4 years, so I did. Then I all but forgot about it, and placed my effort in applying to hospitals for Green card sponsorship.
In the meantime, I kept up my normal life. But after a few years, and seeing there was no response from the hospitals, and thinking the 4-year Diversity Visa lottery time period was up, I finally concluded within myself that maybe moving to the US was just not going to be for me. I began to feel at peace with that, and finally I just let go of the idea of moving to the USA. I accepted that it would be perfectly okay for me to stay in Australia, just live right and continue to receive the CD’s, watch livestream when I could (internet connection was always an issue for me), visit when I could, and continue to follow you; my pastor. I fully felt myself let go.
(I want to say at this point I NEVER felt it was essential to my future salvation to LIVE in NC. Never at any point did I think that – I just WANTED to live here.)
When I let go of the idea of moving to the USA, I decided that I didn’t want to live in Sydney where I was almost completely alone. Instead, I wanted to move up to Tamworth in the country to be nearer to my Mum and Dad. Tamworth is 5 hours north of Sydney out in the country, so I didn’t see them a whole lot. I figured at least I could be near them.
So, I got a nursing job at the hospital at Tamworth, and packed up my Sydney apartment and moved everything to Tamworth. After I unloaded my belongings at Tamworth I returned to Sydney to clean up my apartment to have it ready for renters. Well, you wouldn’t believe it, but the very next day after I returned to Sydney to clean up the apartment, I received a phone call from the Green Card Lottery company telling me I had won a place in the Green Card Lottery!! I was astonished to say the least! At first, I thought they were scamming me and I cried and begged the lady on the phone, “please don’t tease me”. She assured me it was real, and she had me go on the website and confirm the details. And as you know it was real! She also explained that the 4 year time period had elapsed, but they take a few ?weeks before they get to calling people to tell them you’ve won. Anyway, as we know from Brother Gary’s song; Jesus had that lottery fixed!
The lesson I learned is that sometimes you have to let go, before God will do something.
And I think maybe the reason I didn’t find out about the Greencard until after I had moved to Tamworth was because Jesus knew I wanted time with my parents before I would live here; in fact, I had prayed that if I ever did get to move to the USA I would want some time of being closer to them before I left. But he also knew I would not have moved to Tamworth if I knew I’d gotten the Greencard – I would have stayed in Sydney to wait out the Greencard application process. I’m very thankful Jesus did it this way, and I’m thankful I won the lottery, and that I got a Greencard, and now I am a US citizen! But more than this, I am glad I live here in NC with everyone here. There’s no where else on earth to be! And I am most thankful you are my pastor.
Love, Jenny