12/06/2026
Could use some prayer...
We went to Merida last week with the plans of getting Zoey's U.S. citizenship taken care of. Well, there was a snag in that happening. One of the requirements was that Sarah needed to actually be physically in the U.s. for 2 years (730 days) since she was 14 and before Zoey was born. Well, because we only make a couple trips back a year (about 8 weeks in total each year), Sarah fell short about 7 months. So Zoey will not get her U.S. citizenship and will have to apply for a U.S. tourist visa for her to come and visit family and friends in the States. Sarah of course can come and go as she pleases, but she would not come and leave Zoey here. Anyways, the fee of $100 that we paid was not refundable. It is paid whether you get your documents or not. And we also had to travel to a city 3 1/2 hours away, which meant staying at an Airbnb for a couple of nights. So, that was a bit of a hit to the finances with no real reward.
Nancy and I will be coming back to WI and IL in August/September, but we have been holding off on buying our airfare in hopes they will go down (which they have not yet). Right now they are about $600 for each round trip ticket.
We also need to really buy at least two new tires for our vehicle. I had to put the spare tire on tonight because the front passenger tire had a gash in the side wall near the tread, but could not be patched (it is a full-size spare and matching rim at least). We are hoping to buy two tires for around $225.
We know that in a month our vehicle will need it's regular maintenance (which we have in our budget) and at the last maintenance appointment they said we would need to change the serpentine belt which would be about an additional $100.
All this adds up real quick and is hitting at the same time. We know that God has promised to meet all of our needs and we trust Him to do that. But if I am honest, when it all comes at once it can be a bit much. So, please keep us in your prayers and all these pressing needs we have right now. We appreciate it so much.