alhamdulillah!

Assalam `alaykum everyone!!
Jazakum Allahu khayran ["May Allah reward you with goodness" basically another way of saying thank you] to those who prayed for me that I am able to get my visa!!! Alhamdulillah the organizers said that our visas have been issued and they should be awaiting us in New York on Sunday! As I've stated in a previous blog, we all know that the road to Mecca is not easy! It's like we have to take these little tests of patience in stride and think "subhanAllah Allah is testing me just so I can keep on renewing my intention" and the greater the struggle, the greater the reward!!! =)
Subhan'Allah just to think that our struggle is nothing compared to how people have struggled throughout history and even now... those people coming from third world countries or just developing nations. I mean alhamdulillah we get to travel in air conditioned planes, stay at luxury hotels, and not have to ride some camel or horse! Think about how people used to traverse across the desert for days on end (maybe even months on end!) just so they can perform their pilgrimages!! SubhanAllah! However, this is also a great test! We have to be sure we perform it correctly so it is accepted!
Thank you all once again, and inshaAllah please continue to pray that I handle the rest of the journey well!