As much as I sympathize with the incident, I believe that we should not be stuck in the past but move on. Remembering the victims on this day is the humane thing to do, but to snatch away any joy by titling 9/11 as a "unfortunate day" is selfish. People has special occasions such as weddings and birthdays on the date, don't cloud their happy times with terror that have already passed.
May the souls of the victims be resting in heaven,
May God always watch over, strengthen, and comfort the families and friends of the victims.
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Now let's brighten up the mood. This is a testimony after all!
It all started on a starry, San Francisco-an night.
(actually I'm not sure if it was starry, it just add to the storytelling atmosphere)
In 2011:
Sometime between October, Melody, James, and I were chilling in our Avalon apartment. They suddenly got reminded to apply for the annual greencard lottery. Back then I did not even know what it was, moreover be interested by it. But God had His plans, eh?
I filled out the form and prayed, "God, if I get accepted, but if there is anyone else who need it more, go ahead and give my spot to them."
In 2012:
Early in the year, Melody and I checked our lottery results.
I checked mine and read, "You are among those randomly selected for further processing in the Diversity Immigration Visa Program for fiscal year 2013 (Oct 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)"
(the actual welcoming letter)
At first I thought these letters were send automatically and that the government was just congratulating everyone for participating. But after comparing my results with Melody and James, I noticed that this was the real deal. I have been accepted!
I found a forum for people who got accepted just like I was. If it weren't for them, I will have gotten nowhere in this process. For those interested, this is the link
(My first post was on 29 July, 2012)
It was around this time where I kept on seeing "9:11" on the clock. And I mean every time, twice a day. I don't usually look at the clock but when I do, it happened to be 9:11. Not a single minute early or late. This went on so often, I thought I was cursed. I was even able to take out my cellphone and snap a picture of the weirdness to make a collage. I promise I did not sit in front of the clock waiting for it to hit the number like someone with no life.
I became overwhelmed with the many instructions and procedures requested to continue the greencard process. One of such was to have your "medicals" done. There were only a couple of certified doctors working with the greencard in my country.
The nearest one near my house in Jakarta was 2 hours away. The fee was around $300-$500.
My results came out a week later in a sealed envelope which I was not allowed to open. Great, they tested me for HIV and other life-threatening diseases but I'm not even allowed to know whether I'm dying or not?
The nurse who knew the results told me, "Everything was negative."
Are you kidding me!!!!!??? I have ALL those diseases!?
Little did my incapable mind know that negative meant 'you do not have it'.
I had a mini heart attack there.
Anyways, I got the sealed medical documents which will expire in 1 year.
In 2013:
Back in America with my medical records, it became a waiting game. I even had time to move to a new place. The greencard process isn't as quick as many think it is. Every lottery winner is given a code based on their region. You can only proceed when your number is called out. Kinda like waiting in a fastfood restaurant waiting for your #.
My number happened to be in the 23,000 meaning that many people are having their turn before mine. I waited from mid 2012 to mid 2013 until I got a call at the end of March.
Remember that my medical (that I took in June 2012) expires in a year?
If my number was called another 1-2 months later, I would be forced to redo the exams.
My prayers were answered!
My prayers were answered!
I went ahead and send the government people my sealed medical records. A couple of weeks later I got a package in this...what seems to be a... giant toilet paper holder cardboard thing.
Apparently it's from the government! Inside I found an ex-ray from the sealed medical records I send them. This was the first time I saw my...skeleton.
(note: this picture is from google)
My first reaction was...eew, I don't want to see how the insides of my body look like...
Then I was WOW WHAT!? Why do I have a lump there!? Why do I not have it on the other side!? I know the body is supposed to be somewhat symmetrical!
Me, being a medical geek watching hospital things and stuff, thought I had tumor. That must explain the lump right? Or maybe it's cancer. Maybe that's why they send me the x-ray, they wanted me to know I'm sick!
Until today I'm still not sure what's up with that. But google images showed the same thing so I guess I'm fine. I also ended up using the huge toilet rollers as a kitchen roller, they were quite useful. Thank you government for my new kitchen tool. :)
Lottery winners had to pay a fee of $1070 for filling and service purposes. I have been waiting forever to do this so I can finally get somewhere! But little did I know about postal services.
The post-man asked me if I wanted priority, first-class, etc. Me, not knowing the difference, took the cheapest option of $0.70. He asked if I wanted tracking. Again, for some reason, my hollywood-affected-mind thought of "tracking" as some James Bond tracking bad guys with computer chips and stuff. "No thanks," I replied.
I was happy and impressed with the cheap $0.70 service fee. Who knew things can still be so affordable these days. Then I realized what I did.
I actually mailed a money order (like an official check) worth $1070 in a tiny, flimsy, envelope valued $0.70 without a tracking number!? Not smart...not smart..
This is how I imagined my poor and cheap envelope would look like if it made it alive to the government people. A little bit of rain would have ruined it.
That night during prayer meeting we prayed for travel mercy upon the little, flimsy, cheap envelope. May the $1070 arrive well.
AND IT DID!! Praise God!
Then the waiting game continued. I got reminded (by the Holy Spirit) that my address information in the government database is still the one from my previous house. What if the government send me envelopes to the wrong address? What if someone throws it away? What if they can't send me a replacement? I actually had to fill out a whole legal form to inform them on my current home address. I saw in the online government database that my home address has still not been updated even after filing the form 2 weeks before (it never changed until the end). I was afraid they never got it. It was even scarier because I was in the waiting period. I won't know the reason for me not getting an update. It could be that they just haven't send it yet, or they are wrongly delivered.
25 July, I woke up from a door knock. It was the person living a floor under me. He came to deliver me an envelope. It was from the government. I was very nervous but excited at the same time as I opened the envelope (so excited that I accidentally ripped a whole chunk of the letter inside).
"Happy Birthday," God said to me.
On my birthday, I received the greencard interview letter. What's so special about this is that I've been waiting for months on any update. But out of all those months, all those days, somehow I got the letter on my birthday. Is God sweet or what? Super sweet! Thank you God! Thinking about this still send chills down my everything!
It was hard to read the whole letter because..well I ripped it. Besides informing me on my appointed interview date (August 27) it also informed me on the procedure of Biometrics. This pretty much means having your finger print taken. Apparently I had to bring the ripped letter as proof of document..great.
A couple of days later, James, Melody, Jason, and I went to the biometric place. Sweet boyfriend Jason accompanied me inside where I (with humiliation) showed the guards the 2 pieces of ripped paper.
The process was fast but they failed to mention in the letter that they were gonna take a picture (I would have wore prettier clothes lah). I asked if I could smile cause usually we're told to just stare like some sort of awkward mugshot. Isn't that sad, "Can I smile?" what kind of sad creature need to ask permission to smile :(
The officer said with a friendly voice, "If you're happy."
Pssh, are you kidding me? I've send a $1070 within a $0.70 envelope, almost got my letter send to the wrong address, thought I had a lung tumor, waited ages for this moment, and finally got the green card.. .OFF COURSE I'M HAPPY!!!
You can't see it, but I am psyched on the inside!
August 27, 2013 - Day of Interview
A shout-out to lovely and dear Joan for sleepover-ing and accompanying me to the interview place super super early in the morning.
When we arrived, we were surprised by how many people were already waiting for their interview.
Sometimes the interviewers came outside of their rooms to call for the next person but all of them had frowns on their faces. They all looked irritated to me. Even the people completing their interview left with blank expressions.
My heartbeat was racing ever since I stepped into the building. All I could do was sit, wait, and pray. I had no idea when I would be called, or by whom. I didn't know what to expect or how long it'll take.
International students applying for a visa understands this feeling. You're wondering if you got the right documents or if you'll get a nice interviewer. I was praying for an interviewer that is:
1. Kind
2. No frown
3. No racism (let's face it, it affects their thoughts)
It was finally my turn and what do you know~ He called me out with a smile on his face and he was Chinese! He was the only Asian interviewer! I'm not trying to be stereotypical here but he's Chinese~, I'm Chinese~ We'll click!!! He was also soooo kind and easy to talk to.
Prayers do come true!
Our conversation went well, he was asking about where I school, my major, where I live, etc. Then suddenly...out of nowhere..I hear:
"Your medical records are wrong"
What? What does he mean they're wrong?
He pulled up my un-sealed medical records and told me "Your doctor didn't fill in the right forms."
Are you serious? My first reaction was to blame Indonesian doctors. They are certified, I paid them much money, how come they didn't fill in the right forms?
The interviewer told me he can't process me the greencard because I lack medical records.
I was crushed. It felt like the skies were falling down. Was my chance of getting a greencard..gone?
He gave me a paper with an address on it and told me to send the new medical records to the address.
This means that Mr. Nice guy won't be there to help me anymore. I can't go to him and be "Hey, I'm back, interview me again~" I felt like I was on my own.
But I had God, and He will continue to prove himself more kind than any soul on earth.
I stepped out of the interview room, crushed. Thank God Joan was there. I was at the brick of crying and not thinking straight. If it wasn't for her comforting me I think I would have lost it.
I went home and so did Joan. I researched and easily found a certified greencard clinic in San Francisco. I called Joan and man..this girl has such a sweet heart, she decided to accompany me to the clinic even though she just reached home!
We reached the clinic but unfortunately I could only do a check-up after an appointment, which I did not know I had to make. Remember this was on Augustus 27. The cut-off date for the greencard lotteries is on September 30. That means "time's up". Whether you have your greencard or not, all services or process relating to it will stop. If you don't get it by then...then you just don't get it.
It's a race.
I had 1 month until deadline. 1 month to schedule an appointment, do the actual test, wait for medical result, send medical result, wait for government to accept it, read it, process it, and send me the actual greencard.
It took me months - even a year - to get to where I am. Now, because of this doctor's mistake, I have to re-do the process. It took at least 4 days to get the medical result back in Indonesia, and at least a week for the envelope to be delivered to the government headquarters.
But our God is a faithful God.
I went to the clinic a couple of days later for my scheduled procedure. The doctor tested me for TB (tuberculosis). He injected me with a needle and if the spot turned red over a matter of days it means I am TB positive. If I was TB positive, then I will need medication before they can give me an approved medical record. It will take longer and I had less than 25 days.
I prayed and prayed, prayed so hard, prayed so long, I want to be TB negative!
The next day I came into the clinic and recognized many patient from the day before.
They went up to the doctor to get their results and I kept on hearing, "You are TB positive."
It was to a point where Joan and I thought the clinic was a fake, too many people had TB, everyone had TB!
It was my turn, and I feared for the worse. I did my research beforehand and learned that TB is easily contagious through the breathing of air. This clinic was not big, and I've been waiting for a while yesterday and today. Chances are, I have TB just like everyone else. I did have a little red bump where the needle was injected.
"You don't have TB"
Hallelujah, how great is our God?
I was literally the only one who was TB free. But it was not by my own power, for I breath the same air as they did. Only God is able to set a barrier and protect me from the bacteria.
As soon as I got the sealed medical records, I went to the post office, payed the fastest, expensive service price, with tracking, and prayed for a speedy and save delivery.
Not more than 5 days later I received an envelope in the mail, it was my greencard.
Guess what day I got it on? 9/11/2013
So here I am posing with my greencard and my 9:11 collage
(quite freaky right?)
Until this day I continue to see many, many 9:11's. Every time I see the number it reminds me of the long greencard journey and how God has been with me in every single step.
Looking back, the 9:11 pattern has acted as some form of confirmation. God already knew that I will receive the card on 9/11.
Just like the passport, California ID, or school ID, each card has a random set of number.
Wanna know what else is cooler?
My "random" code just happened to it..you guessed it "911"
13911 which from right to left is 11/9/13, the exact day I received this greencard.
If you're skeptical, know that there are other numbers afterwards I blacked out for privacy purposes.
Oh! Just to let you know (not for bragging reasons, I only boast in the Lord! 1 corint 1:31)
There were 15,000,000 people applying for the batch I was on.
Only 50,000 get selected.
That means that I had a 0.3% of winning.
Some people call it luck, I call it God's plan.
(If I had luck, I would have won bingo every single time, but I never win..)
If God can do miracles for me, He can do miracles for you too.
If God has plans, nothing can stop Him.
There are so many places where things can go wrong (envelope not delivered, getting TB, racist interviewer, missing deadline) but they did not.
Nita, ko Jep, ci Angel, they all won the greencard too!
What are the odds? Our church is so blessed!
And that's it, I've been an American Residence ever since! 9/11 has been and always will be a special number to me. Yes, the Twin Tower tragedy did happened, but does that mean the day need to be dedicated to grief?
I for one, aside of remembering and the victims and respecting their family, will celebrate my own 9/11 miracle :)
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS SUPER-MEGA-LONG-TESTIMONY!
I hoped it blessed you.
ps. I also have a recurring number pattern of 3:14, I wonder what that means~
