Sunday 18 August 2019

Walking in God's Grace - Part 2

It really feels like God has just wanted to bless us and show us a snippet of the beauty He has created.

Luke received a phone call one evening, out of the blue, from a guy from the government of Manitoba. After a lengthy conversation he gave Luke the means to apply for something called a provincial nomination. This was something we had heard about but never thought we'd get. Before you know it we had a provincial nomination. This gave us a few extra points....We now had 1000 points!!! We didn't see that one coming!!

We were soon selected to apply for permanent residency but were also advised to apply for a temporary work permit as it can take at least 6 months for a permanent residency application to be processed. The current processing time for the work permit was 5 weeks. Great! We started getting things in order. I cracked on with getting Josh signed up for a Christian school in Winnipeg. God saved a space for him that's for sure! From kindergarten right through to grade 12, the grade Josh will be going into was the only one which wasn't full! It dawned on me though that because we weren't permanent residents yet we may have to pay the international student rate for this school - roughly $8000 more than a local student per year!! Painful, but I really felt this was where Josh had to go. I requested clarity on this fee and praise the Lord we were offered a local student rate - saving us the extra $8000!! Phew!

In the meantime we undergo all the checks and procedures required for our applications and we are creeping closer to the 5 weeks then we suffer a frustrating blow. The processing time for the work permit increases. Again and again and again it increases. I Google around only to find other people have been in the same situation and some people have had to wait over 20 weeks for their work permit!

Now we're feeling deflated. It's got to happen! God has brought us this far! Surely it can't all fall through now! Is the company in Winnipeg willing to wait this long for Luke to start his new job? His interview was in February...It's now June!!

Luke does some Googling and we find out we can apply for the work permit he needs at the first airport we get to in Canada. Great! One problem...what if they say no? 

We prayed about this big time. It was a big risk. We'd be getting rid of all our stuff in the UK, car gone, house on the market, Josh pulled out of school. We needed it to work. Luke got all his documents in order and we did it. We took a leap of faith and booked the flights! 

That weekend there was a word given in church that someone was about to take a risk. But with God involved there is no risk, it's just part of the journey! That offered some comfort!

The following week was a whirlwind of selling stuff, cleaning, packing and goodbyes. The day we left soon came around! The flight was 2 hours late and our Duracell baby was restless and all go. Our prayers were very different at this point. I was praying "God please get me through this flight with this wriggly 17 month old". Luke was praying "Lord help me to convince the border officer we're legitimate and have good intentions!" 

It was tough but we made it through the flight. And we made it through all the waiting around in the airport when Duracell baby, who only grabbed 45 minutes of sleep on the plane, still refused to sleep in the waiting room while Luke was dealing with the border service agents.

Luke wandered over and I was just expecting to get a bit of an update on how it was all going and say we have to wait now for something or other but that's not what happened. Enter God and his many miracles again! We arrived at the airport expecting to get either a 6 month work permit for Luke or at worst, get sent back home. Luke came and told me "We're in! We both have work permits that will last for 2 years!!" I was gobsmacked! God totally blew me away with how he was carving a firm pathway for us, not just allowing us to scrape through but showing how, with Him, anything is possible and he wanted what was best for us. It really dawned on me that we were going through a time of God just wanting to bless us!

It felt so good leaving the airport and entering Canada. It was surreal for sure! We spent a night at a hotel in Toronto then flew onto Winnipeg the following day. Cue the next blessing...

We arrive at our airbnb only to find that the family we are staying with for 3 weeks are a Christian family who's son is a similar age to ours. Our son Josh and his new friend got on really well and his parents were lovely people. 

The day after we arrived in Winnipeg we visited Joshes new school. Again, we were totally blown away. We attended their morning worship session and the way they prayed, spoke and worshipped really brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't believe our son was going to attend a place like this and that God had chosen it for him!

While we were in the office a lady came in. She would normally be at work at this time but had to swing by the school to collect something. The staff in the office quickly put two and two together. We were from the UK...so was this lady! A brief introduction was had, we exchanged contact details and before you know it we'd struck up a friendship! They invited us to their place for our first weekend. We chatted lots. They got a BBQ on the go while Josh took full advantage of their swimming pool. They found out I played guitar at the church we attended back in the UK and we ended up taking a guitar back to our airbnb. Turns out they had one which wasn't being used and wanted us to make use of it. I'm now wondering what God wants me to do with this guitar! Is there a plan about to unfold or is it just for me and Him to hang out together? Time will tell!

After our 3 week stay at our airbnb we moved into our new apartment and God sent people our way to help us move and one family blessed us with a kitchen-full of crocs, pots and pans, cutlery, towels and bedding. Thank you Lord! And Lord bless that family! The people we have crossed paths with here really are lovely and I know God has been in it and with us all the way.

It really feels like God has just wanted to bless us and show us a snippet of the beauty He has created. Like a grandparent will take full advantage of treating their grandchild for the day when they have them! 

We are still in the settling phase of our move and we still have milestones to reach but we can approach them confidently - knowing He has brought us this far and will continue to lead us into the new lives He wants us to lead here for His glory.

Thank you Lord for preparing such a wonderful journey for us and for taking our hands and walking us through it!



Author
Samantha Tarplin

1 comment:

  1. What an incredible story of God's Grace, Love and Provision we've seen through your story over these past two blogs. May He continue to guide you as you continue your adventure with Him as a family, and may you walk always in the favour of the Lord. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Be blessed.

    ReplyDelete