My husband said he wanted to print this picture and put it in a frame. I made sure I did just that. I am not sure of the emotions and feelings that he experiences when looking at this picture, but here goes mine.
I consider myself blessed to be a part of the family that I married into and Nigeria has my whole heart. Nigeria is where I healed and received unconditional love so there is a deep connection for anything Nigerian. Not to mention where I learned gratitude and contentment.
When my husband was deported and my mother died shortly afterward, it was "one" of the most traumatic moments in my life. I was distraught and all alone. As a family, it was a terrible experience to be separated, and to be in a situation of not knowing when or how we would be reunited was extremely painful. But the man to the far left wearing white flew down as soon as he heard about what had happened. This is what family does. To this day, words cannot express how that simple act of kindness and love has affected us.
I was told that the same man wearing white, was afraid of the situation at hand because he was not sure if I could handle living in Nigeria and that was the only way that Albert and I would be able to be reunited and be together. Well, it was indeed a risky situation because there were definitely times when I absolutely could not take it anymore and I wanted to return to my country. The culture shock was indeed a struggle for me. But I love my husband and knew that the pain and discomfort of being away from him would have been much worse. Plus, I did not want Whitney to grow up without her dad.
The beautiful woman standing next to me just happens to be an Immigration lawyer and she was the one who helped us figure out the process of obtaining a green card for Albert.
So fast forward to this picture, God made a way where there seemed to be no way. He sent people in our lives to mentor us, to lead, and spur us to live a life for Christ, to strengthen and guide us.
He also instilled wisdom into my husband to know how to be a loving husband through my discomfort.
And as most of you know, my husband is now an American citizen.
If not for God, this picture would not have even been possible. None of us would have been able to stand in one place together and reunite. And Micah would not have even been born, since he was born in Nigeria.
And the beautiful woman standing next to me recently shared with me that she hands out copies of my book to her clients who are facing the same situation of family separation.
So yeah, this picture means a lot to us in this home!
Don't praise me, Praise God! None of this would have been possible without Him!
And to think that we have now reached the moment in our lives where our oldest daughter, who was just 4 when her dad was deported, is graduating from college next week. My heart is literally bursting with joy because of where we are today and to think of how this whole story could have been totally different if not for God!
If. Not. For. HIM.
(80th birthday celebration of Chief Ehindero in Atlanta, Georgia)
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