The Quinteros: April + May Update
Sometimes it is challenging to write these updates and to begin to capture our experiences and the experiences of those we get to share life with. To capture the human experience using words is near impossible. Maybe you can relate? There are not enough adjectives to capture the emotion. There are not enough photographs to capture the nuances of day to day life.
The past two months have been full. Full of joy. Full of celebration. Full of community. Full of worship. Full of hardships. Full of praise. Full of heartbreak. Full of growth. Full of unknowns. Full of learning. Full of new perspectives. Full of transformation. Full of trust in God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. For from Him, and through Him, and for Him are all things. The things we hoped for and received. The things that leave us asking why. The things that come to us easily. The things that cause us to sit in discomfort. All things.
Here are some stories that I pray capture a few of these moments.
Border Perspective
It has been a truly incredible Spring season here in South Texas. This Spring (March-May) Border Perspective, in partnership with the local church, has had the opportunity to host 137 individuals from 13 different churches in 9 different states. These statistics represent something incredible. There are 137 people who see, maybe for the first time, or maybe in a new way, the nations that are before them. 137 people that know the heart of God more deeply. 137 people who decided the news and the politics and the noise of our day are not the calling of a Christian. 137 people who loved our neighbors here in South Texas, and are now home loving theirs. There are 137 people in 9 states out of the 50 that are receiving immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees on a daily basis, who are committed to loving the person in front of them regardless of the system in place or the person in power. There are 137 people who are newly committed, recommitted or more deeply committed to sharing the gospel of hope and living it out. This brings me great hope that I cannot begin to describe. I wish I could capture every conversation had, every realization voiced, every piece of scripture shared, every prayer uttered. To see the church from all parts of the United States alive in this way. To see the partnership of nations. This is the unity I see described in scripture. This is a glimpse into heaven’s gates. There is truly nothing like it.
Laguna Heights Tornado Relief
On Saturday May 12th at 4AM the Laguna Heights community, just outside of Port Isabel and South Padre Island, was hit unexpectedly by a Tornado. Nearly 100 family’s homes were impacted by the storm. 11 were hospitalized as a result, and 2 were found dead. Jennifer Moya previously worked for Salvation Army’s Department of Disaster Relief in Dallas, TX. Salvation Army reached out to her on Saturday, and she, along with her sister and her mom (Pastor Eunice Moya), spent the day on the ground serving alongside Salvation Army and determining how the local church and Border Perspective could come alongside the impacted community in the days to follow. On Wednesday May 17th and Friday May 19th, members from Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive traveled out to the coastal town and served 500 meals to impacted families on both days. On Thursday May 18th, the team serving through Border Perspective willingly changed their plans for the day and went out to Laguna Heights to serve meals and to pray with members of the community.
Here is a video that includes the stories of just a few of the families impacted, as well as footage of the Border Perspective and Salvation Army Team: https://www.krgv.com/news/salvation-army-leading-tornado-recovery-efforts-in-laguna-heights/
Visits from Loved Ones
During the first and third week of April, we were so excited to host a team of women from Dunwoody Baptist Church + my parents. We were starting to feel the effects of homesickness towards the end of March, so the timing could not have been more perfect. They got to meet our friends and community, partner with us in ministry, attend church services, and put feet on the ground in the place we call home. It was so so sweet. We left the month of April full of joy and gratitude and lifted in our spirits for the season to come.
Personal Update + Our Trip To Atlanta
At the end of April, we took a last minute trip to Atlanta. As most of you know, Eduardo and I are currently going through our own immigration process and have been for the past couple of years. We are in the final stages of the process before Eduardo will officially be a permanent resident of the United States. We are grateful and excited for the movement we have seen with regard to our immigration case in recent months.
Mid-April we received a notice from our immigration lawyer informing us that the US government is waiving the need for an interview for some marriage-based residency cases, and request a medical record in place of an interview in these cases. The government requested an up-to-date medical record for Eduardo from a Civil Surgeon. One $500 physical and 6 vaccines later, we were ready to submit his medical report to our lawyer. We drove to Atlanta to submit the report in person. They completed the forms to be submitted to USCIS in office, we signed the paperwork and we were on our way. We were told we could most likely expect a residency card in the mail within 2-3 months.
This past week, we received two more notices in the mail from USCIS, and to be honest they felt contradictory to each other. The first notice stated Eduardo had been approved for a work permit. The form number connected to this particular work permit is exclusive to those who are eligible or approved for permanent residency. We celebrated, thinking the day had finally come. A few days later, we received another notice from USCIS saying that there was not sufficient evidence to support our marriage being legitimate and that we had 30 days to submit more evidence. Apparently a marriage certificate, our taxes, two years worth of bank statements, joint bills, our social media accounts, personal photos and 40 page questionnaires about every detail of our being (down to our opinion on the Cuban government, ha) are not sufficient pieces of evidence to support the legitimacy of our marriage.
My first inclination was to be discouraged, but Eduardo reminded me that while the enemy might be placing road blocks into our path, it is only because what God has on the other side of this immigration case is beyond what we could ask or imagine. We have to fix our eyes on what is unseen. We have to believe in faith that if God started this process, He and He alone will bring it to completion. As Pastor Eunice Moya often says, the blessing is in the waiting.
***We are hoping to submit some hand written notes from friends and family about us and our marriage. If you would like to write a hand written note (including your signature and phone number) for us to submit to USCIS, please scan and send one to me by text or email by Monday June 5th 2023.***
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for sustained health in the church. The families of Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive have experienced several rounds of different illnesses in the last few weeks. The Lord is moving. The enemy knows it. Pray for protection from illness and for the work that God is doing in and through the church.
2. Pray for our immigration case. We are believing in faith that Eduardo will be a permanent resident of the United States in 2023.
3. Pray for the upcoming summer season and the 170 individuals who are coming to serve alongside Border Perspective and the local church. Pray for the spiritual fruit and life transformation that God will bring forth in each trip participant, in each member of this community and in the lives of those who are passing through.
4. Pray for our ministry partners as they navigate change following the end of Title 42 and reimplementation of Title 8. Pray the Lord would grant them wisdom and guide their ministries here along the border.
5. Pray for Eduardo as he prepares to take his Journeyman’s licensure test in September. He is dedicating as many evenings as he can to studying in preparation for this test. Pray for Eduardo as he discerns employment opportunities towards the end of 2023 into 2024, and that God will provide something for him with health insurance benefits.
“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. ”
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