Wednesday, December 30, 2015
I woke at 8:00 o’clock and said my morning prayer. I thank God for another day he is giving me. Life is the biggest gift he gives us every day. I end by asking him to take care of my mother and sister, who are still in El Salvador.
As always, I watch Brooklyn wake up through the windows of my bedroom. I like to see the city, to hear the noise, but especially to witness the beauty and the power of God’s creation.
Then, I go downstairs to eat.
I sit at the table, thinking about all the things I’ve been through this year and wondering what it would take for the judge to approve my visa. During this thought, my phone rang with an email notification.
I look at the email. It is from Rebecca, my lawyer! I am very nervous to receive an email from her, after all this time without hearing from her.
But I open it.
Oh wow, ohhhh my God, I can’t believe it!
The email said the following:
Hola Javi! Disculpa por no haber respondido antes pero estaba esperando alguna noticia de tu caso y por fin lo tengo! Por fin migracion aprobo la visa juvenil! Eso quiere decir que ahora podemos pedir la residencia!! Cuando regresas a la universidad? Me gustaria hacer una cita contigo para llenar todos los documentos, pero antes de las clases, si sea posible.
Hello, Javi! Sorry for not responding sooner but I was waiting for some news of your case, and finally got it! The immigration court has approved the Juvenile Visa! That means we can now ask for residency!! When are you going back to college? I would like to make an appointment with you to fill out all of the documents before you start school, if possible.
Oh, the power and love of God! When I finish reading, tears ran down my cheeks, and I am in shock.
This visa eliminates any possibility of my immediate deportation and also is the key to opening the door for my permanent residency. A juvenile visa is one given to youth who have lost one or both parents and who shows an interest in staying in the United States.
First, I tell the news to my teacher Jan, who has been so supportive of me since I began in her class two years ago—not speaking any English!—and her husband Jim. They have also been waiting for this moment.
Then I call my uncle Marino, and he is happy too. All of our happiness can’t fit in us at that moment! It just pours out.
I wait until night to speak with the most special person, who is far, far away from me, who I haven’t seen for three years, the person who carried me nine long months in her womb and then raised me to be the strong man I am today. Yes! My mom! She has been waiting for this day too.
I call her, “Hola, Mamy, how are you?
She replied, “I am good, thank God!”
“Mom, please close the store and have a seat. I need to tell you something that will change our lives.”
Her voice sounds nervous when she asks, “What? What is it?”
“I got an email from my lawyer…” I can’t resist and I start to cry, “…saying that the judge APPROVED MY VISA!!!”
My mom is silent.
“Are you there, Mom?”
She barely can speak because she starts crying. She says, “After waiting for such a long time, we need to recognize that for a moment we lost our faith because it was taking too long. But now, finally, we have an answer—not from the lawyer or judge, but from God! He was waiting for the end of this year. While many things happened to us, some bad and other good, God wants to give us our Christmas and New Year’s gift. He knows when to give us what we really need.”
I have never heard my mom speak with such emotions.
“What would be of us without God?”
“Yes, Mom, everything you have said is so true. We have been through a lot. Now God is blessing us.”
“I love you, Mom, and I know Dad is really happy from heaven.” I hung up hoping to sleep tonight, although with such as big news, who could be able to sleep?
Today I learn is that having faith and being patient can move mountains. Jesus said in Mark 11:13, “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
And in Mathew 7:7, he says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
My dream is to work in the biggest and famous restaurant of Manhattan. I have graduated from the program on culinary art from Monroe University. But my dream also is to go back to El Salvador and see my sister and mother again. I need to keep praying and let everything rest in the hands of God. He has the final decision.
I am here, use me for anything you want. Amen.
Chef Javi Reyes
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Project “Javi’s Story” managed by Pauline Dolle.
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