Moving Forward
After Prang not being granted a visa into the United States “moving forward” has become the attitude we are being forced to maintain. Though she took it rather hard at first, she snapped back into her usual happy, peaceful self in no time. We are both convinced that Thailand is our home and we are happy to be here. Though it would have been good to visit everyone and have everyone meet Prang and Abigail, we still haven’t given up hope. Though trying to get Prang to go back into the US Consulate is going to be really hard. She never wants to even look at it again. But I haven’t given up and I am researching a little bit more and will try and apply for a green card for her. It’s a long and expensive process with a few initial set backs. One is I don’t have a real official job or a set income so proving that I can support her in America is close to impossible. Hopefully I can pull some strings or someone can step in for me and we will be able to get things moving. I’m still not sure if we have to live in the U.S. and wait for the green card or not. Again I’ll keep everyone up to date on what happens. For now I’ve been catching up on some of my work at Im Jai and started “raising” (I don’t know if that’s the right word to use or not) mushrooms at home. It only took 18 dollars to build the mushroom hut and another 11 dollars to buy the bags the mushrooms grow in. We’ve got a total of 100 bags that will apparently grow mushrooms for three or four months. This should be enough for not just our house but Adam and Cindy’s as well as another friend’s house just down the street who are fostering orphans. I’ve also been planting various vegetables and just trying to become more and more self sufficient. I am still looking around for a rice field to rent and am still trying to get a rice mill started soon in the village. You can read more about that by clicking on the rice mill link and you can see plenty of pictures by clicking on the recent pictures link.
This family is very disappointed and baffled that Prang was not granted a visa. Surely it will happen.
Tell Prang to email Bui (my wife): buipierce@gmail.com
Bui has her green card and she might be able to help Prang with some of her questions.
สวัสดีค่ะน้องปรางที่คิดถึง
เมื่อคืนนี้พี่ฝันถึงน้อง แล้วมาเปิดเมล์ดู พี่ได้รู้เรื่องการขอวีซ่าของน้อง พี่อยากบอกว่าพระเจ้าควบคุมทุกสิ่งอยู่ พระเจ้าทรงช่วยน้องปรางและชอนที่รักพระองค์ให้เกิดผลอันดีในทุกสิ่ง น้องต้องได้ไปอเมริกาแน่นอน จากเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นก็ได้เห็นความรักของชอนและเพื่อนๆ
ในเยเรมีย์29ข้อ11 พระเจ้าบอกว่า เพราะเรารู้แผนงานที่เรามีไว้สำหรับเจ้า เป็นแผนงานเพื่อสันติภาพไม่ใช่เพื่อความทุกข์ยาก เพื่อจะให้อนาคตตามที่คาดหมายไว้แก่เจ้า
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I am sorry that it didn’twork out with the visa. I don’t understand that this should bbe so difficult whhen you are married to the person. To not be able to proof of support is strange for a country who has probably more homeless people than any other place.
I’m sorry. Not surprised, but sorry. Aaron and I ran into this a lot, just coming from Canada before I got my green card. You have to be able to prove, to their satisfaction that she doesn’t plan to stay in the US. I think the deed with her name on it would work once you get it, bills in her name, etc.
You can get Prang a green card, all it takes is time and money. Money for the application, It’s actually only about $600 if you aren’t getting the extras, like permission to work and travel. and proof of income or ability to support her. If you go online to USCIS.gov they will have all of the forms that you will need, and all of the several page long directions for filling them out. If you can’t prove income, you can have another family member pledge support and fill out a supplementary form to that effect. It will have to include proof of income, lists of assets, tax returns for the past several years, etc. You won’t have to live in the US to apply, you won’t be able to enter the US while the application is in process without paying for and applying for another form, which is a permission to travel form.
It takes a lot of time, and work, and it’s not easy to figure it all out. But you can do it if you want to. But you have to know, going into it, that there will be a ton of red tape, and you will have to jump through their hoops. there is a medical exam, etc. And have you filed Abigail’s birth abroad with the consulate yet? Be sure and do that as soon as you can. It’s way easier when she’s young, and cheaper than if you try to do it in the US, take it from the people who learned that the hard way.
I hope we get to see you in JAn or Feb.
LOve Carrien
Sorry to hear about that Sean.