HOW GOD HELPED US MOVE TO THE US DURING THE PANDEMIC

When I finished working in Berlin last February, I had about 7 weeks left before our big move to the US. Or so I thought… Before we knew it, countries all around us started to close their borders, and flights were getting canceled. Our flights to the US got canceled as well. But we could not stay in Germany.

My spousal visa only allowed me to enter the US until May 2020. And our German residence permits were going to expire in April 2020. I already left my job, and James had already told his manager that he was moving. And we had already found new renters for our place in Germany. 

So with no jobs lined up in the US or a place to live, we knew we had to move. And do so quickly, while there were still flights to the US. And since our cat was also coming with us, it was important to get a direct flight. The only airlines that did direct flights to the East Coast from Berlin said they would be changing their flight schedule in a week due to COVID. So we quickly booked me and the cat on a flight to the US that was leaving in FIVE DAYS!! James stayed behind to take care of the last-minute errands in Germany. 

So I packed my luggage with clothes, notebooks, and Bibles. James was going to ship my paintings, and we also shipped 2 boxes. But everything else like furniture and kitchen items had to be left behind. 

The day of the flight came. James and I said our goodbyes at the airport. We didn’t know when James would be able to get out at that point, as he didn’t have his flight ticket yet. It was the first time in our marriage that we had to say goodbye at the airport. 

Thankfully, no one cared to look at the size of our 15-pound cat traveling in-cabin in a tiny carrier for his size. Who cares about the cat during the pandemic? So Ritter was able to travel with me & I was able to pet and calm him down during the flight.

While the cat was doing well during the flight, I, on the other hand, was worried for almost the entire flight, trying to distract myself with movies. I couldn’t even down lunch, even though the food itself was actually pretty good on the flight. 

There was a lot of uncertainty. Will I get admitted at the US border, since I’m not a citizen and the borders are closed? Will the cat be admitted? Will I have to be quarantined at some facility? Will the cat have to be quarantined at a pet facility? 

Finally,  the plane landed on the East Coast, USA. They took our temperature upon arrival and they had us fill out a health form stating that we didn’t have any symptoms & would quarantine for 2 weeks. 

I then went to passport control and gave them my immigrant package. Without any clear explanations, I was then led into a side room and asked to wait. I didn’t even know if they were admitting me or deporting me. I patiently waited…

As it turns out, I was admitted! And they had me wait in the room because of the cat. The cat was admitted too & we were free to go. My sister-in-law picked me up from the airport and kindly hosted me and the cat at her home in Philadelphia, where we going to quarantine for 2 weeks. 

Thankfully, James was able to get a flight ticket only 2 days after my flight and was in the US only after a couple of days of separation! 

That was probably the most stressful week of my life! But it’s a miracle that we were able to move during the pandemic & that God worked things out! A lot of people were praying for us and for the cat during the move. And we certainly felt those prayers.