Immigration Update

Safe Arrival

My parents and I left Chester, Nova Scotia at 5:30am Atlantic time and arrived at the border station in St. Stephen New Brunswick at around 12:45pm AT, Thursday.

The drive through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick was uneventful but did provide ample time to ponder my situation.

Joy's parents and I drove from Calais, Maine to Dover, New Hampshire - arriving around 6:45pm Eastern time.

Many thanks to all who have been praying for our safe travels and crossing into the States.

The Situation

So what happened you ask? Well quite simply this: The United States government is taking serious the "resident" part of the "Legal Permanent Resident" (LPR) card - otherwise known as the Green Card.

Last summer, when we flew up to New Hampshire, one of the CBP agents mentioned that I should consider filling out a form because my time out of the States might cause trouble with my Green Card - but he did not mention which form it was. Well, upon landing in Houston on this trip I found out.

Apparently in 2009, before we moved, I should have submitted form I-131 (Re-Entry Permit.) This would have been good for two years and would have permitted me to come and go between the US and Guatemala for periods over one year (up to two years.) When I was physically out of the US for more than twelve months they said I could have been considered to have voluntarily abandoned my resident status.

After explaining the situation to the agent in Calais, Maine - who, for the record, was wonderful, helpful, polite, and professional - he said my LPR status was fine and I could pass without problem but I did need to complete the process (and receive the re-entry permit in hand) before returning to Guatemala. Honestly, at one point my parents and I thought he was going to deny me entry to the States.

The paperwork is in the mail heading to the processing station in Texas. At this point there is no way of knowing how long this whole process will take. The instructions for the I-131 suggests starting this process two months before your desired travel time... so this may take a while to complete.

As mentioned above the I-131 is normally good for two years. However, in circumstances where the applicant has been out of the States for significant time prior to filing the application approval may only be granted for one year (if at all.) This is what I'm hoping for - one year. This would allow me to return to Guatemala to be with my family. It would also give Joy, the girls and I time to pray and consider what our next step will be.

If anyone knows of an immigration lawyer who would be willing to advise us please let us know. Unless other options are unveiled to us we see the following as our choices (assuming my I-131 is approved for one year):

1. Guatemala: give up my LPR status and surrender my Green Card. This path would mean that any time we return to the US or pass through it I would have to enter as a tourist. I would be permitted to spend money but not make money. We would likely have to change all our support and bank accounts and remove me so that the IRS could not say I was earning income. It would also mean that while in the States as a tourist I would have to leave and re-enter every 90 days. Should we decide to leave the mission field and return to the States to settle I would have to start the LPR status anew. From what I've been told and read this process would be more difficult the second time.
   
2. Green Card: give up overseas mission and return to the States. This is not the path either of us want to go down. Joy summed it up pretty clearly the other night, "I don't want it to be God's will for us to move back." - but we have said all along that we want to follow God's path for our family and bring glory to Him in the process. The prospect of closing up in Guatemala and coming back to the States is more daunting that when we moved to Guatemala nearly four years ago. I won't list out all the challenges here as I'm sure they are well known.

So, there it is. Pretty much the entire story. We are seeking prayer for God's guidance for what we should do.

I am also asking for prayer for Joy and the girls. Until this is resolved and I can return to Guatemala Joy is doing both single parent and full time teacher jobs. She has decided to suspend all her private piano lessons until I return, which will help.

Abigail, Emma, and Sara are adjusting but it has not been easy. This past week was Holy Week in Guatemala so they were off school. On Monday they will return to school. This might make the schedule a bit more full but it also might give them something to distract them. Please pray that they start sleeping better at night.

Please join us in praying that we can see God's plan through all of this - that He would make everything plain to us and that we would not fight Him - whether Green Card or Guatemala.

In Christ,

-knme

Maribel - Kidney Stone

Please also be in prayer for Maribel as it looks like she has kidney stone(s.) She has been off since Wednesday but hopes to return to work on Monday.

Immigration Debacle

Greetings from Chester, Nova Scotia - Canada.

This is Kenneth writing. I am in Chester with my Mom and Dad for the funeral of my amazing Grandfather, Norman. He passed peacefully at home two Sundays ago on 17 March. He had just turned 88 in late January. It has been a great time visiting with my parents and with my family who is in the area. My time here is short and will be leaving tomorrow. Thank you to all who have been praying for my trip, my parents and family, and Joy and the kids (who remained in Guatemala.)

When I landed in Houston I was notified by the Customs Border Protection (CBP) Agents that I needed to take care of some immigration paperwork before I could return to Guatemala. This process will begin tomorrow when I cross the border back into the US. Please be in prayer for my parents and I and Joy's parents as we travel to meet up near the Canada/US border.

Please continue to pray for Joy and the kids as they remain in Guatemala.

I'd also like to ask that you pray for my parents, brother, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins as they move forward after my grandfather's passing.

Many thanks, once again, who are praying and supporting us.

In Christ,

-knme

Russian Roulette Leap Frog

What an apt description for traffic on CA2 here in Guatemala.  The highway is 2 lanes most of the way, with a solid yellow line that means, well, not much.  If there is even a remote chance that you might be able to get around the large truck in front of you slowing you down, you take it.  It really looks like leap frog, or maybe frogger.  The roulette part, well, you can only imagine.  Half the time we watched as cars got just to the front of the big truck and then had to zoom into the lane as an 18 wheeler came barreling around the bend in the other lane.  We, of course :-), were much more cautious (though I'm not sure that's saying much...)

We had a long ride home, being stuck behind numerous trucks.  The trucks made me think of our friends back home.  I thought "Gee, there goes a truck carrying bananas (literally tons of them) that our friends are going to pay too much money for."  I also thought of all our North American friends and family when we finally reached the safe road - safe for us, but would still be considered psycho by northern standards.

All in all it wasn't a bad drive.  The last hour we had to do after dark (thanks to the bananas and sugar cane) but we arrived safely.  Anyone who has driven our roads after dark understands the miraculousness of that.  The highway has no street lights.  Lights on cars are also relatively optional.  In that one hour we passed 16 cars that had either no tail lights or no head lights.  Then there are the random drunk people staggering around in the road, thankfully this trip we didn't see any of those (of course that doesn't mean they weren't there.)

We arrived home to a meal made for us by Maribel, our house helper.  She is the best, she even made a cake for Ken's birthday.  I wish I could clone her and give a copy to everyone I know.

On a sad note...we learned while we were gone that Ken's grandfather passed away.  Please pray for the Eisner family during this time of grieving.  Kenneth will be leaving Thursday to return to Canada for a week to be with his family.  Pray for safety for him, and also for the girls and I as we stay behind here.

Hug the Kids a Little Tighter

We have been blessed as a family with the gift of a weekend away, just the 5 of us.  We actually can't remember a time when that has ever happened, and we know it hasn't happened since me moved to Guatemala.  In the midst of our demanding ministry we have started to lose sight of our family and having fun together.  Prayerfully this weekend will be a time when we can really reconnect together and recharge ourselves.
As we prepare for this weekend we are extra blessed and happy to have this time, because we know that it can all too quickly be taken away from us.  We ask you to please join us in prayer for the Dave and Melinda Evans family.  Two of their children were in Abigail's Kindergarten class, but they have since move to the Dominican Republic.  Melinda, the mother of seven children (four of whom are adopted and with special needs) passed on earlier this week.  It was completely unexpected to us, but certainly not to the great I AM.  But please, be praying for comfort for this family and for people to come around them and help take care of those children.
Please, hug your kids (or grandkids) a little tighter tonight, remember to cherish the time you have with them, pray for those who aren't with you, and pray for the Evans family.