It’s been five months now since I arrived in beautiful America, five months being a stranger in this place so different from what I was used to.

I used to think we would enjoy a contented life in the Philippines, just being together as couple. But when Jon accepted the opportunity to return to the States for his Ph.D. program, I was left alone. But as a spouse to an international student, I looked forward to coming to America as a dependent visa holder. We thought the visa process would only take a month or two, but it was ten months until I got my F2 visa.

I am homesick for the Philippines each time I am alone at home and I miss terribly my ever-loved niece. In America, the struggles of being a wife sometimes put me into discouragement and hopelessness.

Because of my dependent status, I am unable to obtain a job and earn money. Not using my professional skills and abilities has made me weary. A job would permit me to help family who are in need back in the Philippines.

Keeping our faith in God alive and burning all the time is what Jon and I are trying to have in our lives. We were active churchgoers back in the Philippines and that is what we want to continue in our lives now.

But because of the demands of our time, I often find myself feeling I need a job to compete with others around me who are busy working. I don’t like to just stay at home 24 hours a day, doing routine household chores, because it makes me feel useless and paralyzed. I hate to see myself just facing books to read, TV to watch, or surfing the computer.

Sometimes I regret coming to America, but each time Jon asks me to remember the reasons why I am here. I realize I have many desires and many things I wanted to do—to continue making our faith in God stronger in these last days by being together, supporting each other, and letting things happen one at a time.

It is always worthy to wait for goals to be realized, especially when patience has been tested. When Jon finishes his Ph.D. program, maybe we will still have time to be here, find a job, and realize our other goals of sharing our blessings to those in need, paying back the goodness we once received from individuals around us, and above all, giving back the glory and honor to our God who always showers everyone with goodness and mercy. By seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, I know everything will just come into order. (See Matt. 6:33).

Recel Remorosa-Duarte is from Bloomington, Illinois. She is looking for ways to use her mass communication skills to help others in her community and at the All Nations Church, where she currently attends with her husband Jon.