On Tuesday, March 11th, we joined a crowd of possibly 400 people to accept one of the biggest gifts we’ve ever received. Myself, my husband, and 235 others were candidates for Canadian citizenship. From all around the world we came, bringing together a delightful blend of languages, cultures, and life journeys.

With our left hands on the Bible and with our right hands in the air, we made our solemn vows of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II, guided by a judge with broken English.

{At one point we humorously thought we were swearing allegiance to the Queen’s ears…but it was actually to her heirs.} 🙂 No matter the accent, we took our vows seriously, recognizing the great privilege of owning two countries.

There were so many special moments throughout the day. We all had assigned seating, and my seat put me beside a couple from South Africa {and their adorable baby}. After hearing Lisa-Jo Baker speak at Allume last fall, I recognized the accent of my new friend. The clerk {pictured below} who announced the ceremony also has a special place in our hearts. We first met her in Fredericton on the day of our citizenship test. In process of our interview, we found out that both she and us had found out that a relative has cancer just the night before. At our ceremony on Tuesday, even in a large crowd, we were recognized. She remembered us and we remembered her. She said, “I never forgot you.”

Another special thing was the honour of being sworn in along with our good friend from Cuba. We met in French class 4 years ago and have been friends ever since.

We found out that even in a crowd of nearly 400 people, you are not alone. God had certain people He wanted us to meet and cross paths with. From the South African couple to the couple from Columbia to a friend of a mutual friend, to the sweet couple from England that we met in the coffee shop afterwards…We realized that this journey is not over.

This journey has just begun…the one that began over 8 years ago when we set foot on Canadian soil and said to each other “Someday we will be dual citizens.” Our children were  born into that blessing with ease and minimal paperwork. For us it meant years of hard work- stacks of papers and large fees and medical exams …and time. It meant many months of silent waiting and times of discouragement in wondering if God was going to grant us this gift, or ask us to surrender it for good.

And now this gift is ours- born in solitude, but given in a crowd.

Our return? Fervent, grateful praise to our wonderfully kind Giver!

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Note: Some of you have been wondering if we had to give up our American citizenship in order to gain Canadian citizenship. The answer is NO. While the USA does not officially recognize dual citizenship, they also do not forbid it. So we are blessed to hold both. 🙂

**Linking up today with Lisa-Jo Baker and the Five Minute Friday crowd!