My mom recently made the long journey to Amsterdam for a 2-week visit. It was her first time out of the United States! She braved the airports and flights and customs checks all by herself, to be here with me, tour around the Netherlands, and play a special role in a special event - my wedding! For those of you who don't know, I got married last week. His name is Ghaith and we met in March of 2008 when I was here in Amsterdam scouting potential ministries to get involved with. God had more in store for me than I knew at the time… and what a gift Ghaith is in my life! God has been doing an amazing work for us as a couple, and I am excited to share more about our story here on this blog in the coming weeks as I have time to write and post.
Take a look below, and you will find a slideshow of some of our wedding photos. Our friend’s talented photographer nephew generously offered to do a photo shoot with us, for an incredibly low price. Ghaith’s seamstress mom made my dress (by my design and Ghaith’s measurements) and sent it to us in the mail. To our amazement it fit perfectly! Those are just two of the wonderful blessings the Lord gave us in preparation for our special day.
Considering all that the Lord has done to make our relationship and marriage possible, we trust that He will get us through our next set of challenges. Ghaith is here as a refugee from Iraq. I am here as a missionary, still volunteering with the Scharlaken Koord, a prostitution outreach ministry and re-integration program. Neither of us have permission to obtain a residence permit in this country, and therefore are not allowed to hold jobs. We have been living, eating, and getting by thanks to the grace of God, but we are in serious need of help at this point. I have applied for a visa for Ghaith to immigrate to the U.S. The process is long and complex. We have an attorney who is working on our behalf in the states, and we are now waiting for Ghaith to receive an interview with the American Consulate here in Amsterdam. As far as we know, we could be waiting for another 3-4 months, or longer if complications arise.
We need your support during this time of waiting. We have been looking for odd jobs and ways to earn a little money here and there – not easy thus far. We have assistance from an organization here in the city. They are helping us to have groceries each week, thank God! Still, we have rent to pay and I have bills back home, which I have managed to reduce to a monthly total of $200. Somehow, God has made sure they’ve been paid each month this year. Now that I am needing to stay a bit longer in Amsterdam than expected, I don’t know how these bills will be paid.
We need your prayers and those of you who are willing/able to make a financial contribution, please let me know. There is information below about options for making donations.
Please pray that the Lord will:
*Provide for all our needs here
*Make a way for my bills back home to be paid
*Make a way for me to stay here legally for the next few months
*Open the doors for Ghaith to immigrate to the U.S.
Thank you all for your support,
Tiffany & Ghaith
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