Brady Raanes, American

(Brady) We officially have Manny’s Visa in hand! Our flight is booked! We will be back home Monday afternoon!

This trip has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. The passing weeks have been an increasingly stressful series of starts and stops, flips and flops. We remained hopeful throughout the trip that this process would move at a reasonable pace, and we would be home before the end of July. As our internal deadlines passed, and the Embassy continued to give us grim news, it became more difficult to remain optimistic. We have had emotional highs and lows, and through it all our peace was found in the knowledge that God is in complete control. We have prayed, and prayed, and thankfully God has given us a pleasing answer to our prayers. Our God is faithful, and his love is steadfast; I know this truth now more than ever having been through this experience.

I have also been reminded how much I truly love America. In honor of my love for America, I have made the decision to begin signing my name: “Brady Raanes, American”.

Sidenote: I keep having strange fantasies about American food... I find myself daydreaming about steak, and chocolate chip cookies, and hotdogs. The fantasies usually end with BarBQ sauce all over my face and me waking up in a cold sweat. I have even "Googled" the term "hot dog" just to look at pictures. I think I have a problem.