Success at the Garda!

With the grace of God we were successful going the Garda a few days ago. It took weeks to gather all the proper documentation, but what a relief it was to know that after all the hard work, we found favor with the Garda. Although it was an exhausting all day affair, it went surprisingly smooth. What this means is that I (Suzanne) have permission now to remain in the country for a year, until Sept. 30, 2010. With the type of Garda card that I have, I am currently not allowed to work, so we are going to have to be very creative in order for me to get a job and the Lord is going to have to work a miracle. If you could, please pray that the Lord opens an avenue of work for me. There are two ways in which this could happen. I could become a student, which would allow me to work 20 hours a week. Or, I need to find an employer that will sponsor me for a work permit. Currently, I am seriously considering taking a course through an adult program for working with Special Needs students. This would give me the training I need to become a Special Needs Assistant, and provide me with a beneficial certificate to have coming back into the states. I am also currently in the difficult process of applying to their Teaching Council, something I have to do in order to show that my teaching qualifications are equivalent to those here, and thus be eligible to teach or substitute. If the Teaching Council approves my application, then they could be the ones to sponsor me in attaining my work permit. It is quite the process... so please pray that we will patiently rely upon the Lord as He provides an open door in His timing. Your prayers are deeply coveted. We are confident that the Lord brought us here for His good purposes and will not leave us without the provision to stay. It is our hope that through the course of this time here, that our confidence in the Lord grows and truly sustains us with a deep shalom.

Our Celebratory Dinner Upon Receiving our Garda Cards

We're all moved in!

It has been so long since our last posting and much has occurred over the past two weeks. To our excitement, we have moved into our place over here. We have spent long days making it a comfortable place to call home. We have enjoyed painting the walls and scavenging the city for the best deals for all of our home essentials. Our flat came with a kitchen table, a couch, and a bed. It has been like getting married all over again as we chose our dishes, towels, bedding... Every time we go to do something we find one more thing we need to buy. We went to hang a cabinet in the bathroom and realized we needed a drill and screwdriver. We were doing our laundry and in the middle of it had to go and buy two clothes drying racks (many people choose to hang their clothes here rather than dry them). It has been quite adventurous carting all of our purchases back home on public transportation. One Sunday at church, a man came up to us and said that he had spotted us walking down O'Connell Street (the absolute busiest street for pedestrians) with huge bags in each of our hands. It was all of our bulky bedding and pillows. I am sure it was quite entertaining for him to watch us weave in and out of the crazy crowds. Gotta love it!

Although our place is quite tight, we are absolutely loving it. For all you planning to come and stay with us... expect a teenie tiny bathroom and an aero mattress on the ground... but for the lucky few who stayed with us in our last place in La Mirada it is a step in the right direction. At least now you will have more than just a curtain between yourself and us snuggled in bed :)

The entry way into our flat

Our TINY bathroom

The hallway between our bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen

Our livingroom

Our free pantry so generously given to us by a man in the church

Our Kitchen

Gotta love shoes! Looking at this now sheds light as to why our luggage was soooo expensive!

Our bed... obviously :)

Ross' Beloved Bookshelves: Now empty but soon to be filled up!