When I applied for Naturalization in 1984, I had to fill up and submit a form together with a declaration stating why I wanted to become a citizen of the United States. I also had to present letters of recommendations from my past and current employers. To become a U.S. citizen through naturalization, you must be at least 18 years old, be a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) for at least five years (or three years if married to a U.S. citizen), demonstrate good moral character, and pass an English and civics test. Also, you must have continuous residence in the U.S. and be physically present for at least half of the required residency period.

I had taken the test that covers United States history, government, and civics. It included questions about the principles of American democracy, the system of government, rights and responsibilities of citizens, American history (colonial period, independence, civil war, and other) and geography and symbols of the United States. I passed all with flying colors! We learn about USA history, justice system and its constitution in Chile!

Also instead of taking a course on American Government at the Dallas College Richland Campus in 1979 I asked to take just the final exam. I obtained 12 grade points, equivalent to a GPA of 4.0 points. The examiner said I got better points that any American that have taken the test before!

I honestly believe that the Lord helped me to become an American citizen because I honored Him in front of non-believers.

The following is close to the declaration I wrote and presented when I had my interview with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Officer:

• “Needless to say, like the majority of Chileans I was born Catholic, but when I was 9 years old and attending a parochial school, my parents were asked to register me in another school. I asked too many questions, they said. I kept attending church but mainly as a ‘social habit’.
• After completing my M.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia in Athens, I went back to Chile. In 1972, after working at another university, I decided to apply for an associate professor position at the University of the North in Antofagasta. I taught several courses in several schools, and I became a temporary Associate Dean of Education in charge of five university schools. I was 30 years old.
• The injustices I saw at the social level in that geographical area of the country caused me to become a member of the Communist party in 1972. That same year the military coup that ended the elected President Salvador Allende’s government took place. I was arrested and tortured several times. I was finally absolved from preposterous charges and continued teaching at the University until the end of 1973.
• Then I resigned and went to work at the capital, Santiago, near my parents who were in favor of the military coup. Knowing that I had been arrested because other professors and members of the party acted as ‘informants’ and made some false accusations about me, I decided that I could not trust human beings anymore. People lied to save themselves from their own charges. As an idealist, I was extremely disappointed.
• However, something inside me kept fighting and I continued searching. I concentrated on acquiring more academic knowledge. I applied to several universities in the United States and was accepted. I decided to come to study at the Communication School at the University of Texas in Austin. There I met a professor from Egypt who introduced me to computers and linguistics, and I feel in love with that field. I then transferred to the School of Education where they allowed me to take courses in all subjects to pursue an Interdisciplinary Doctorate. I obtained a Ph.D. in Education and Computer Sciences and a minor in Communications in 1978.
• The very day that I was waiting for the results of the oral examination for my doctorate, I looked through a window and down into an interior patio of the building that was under construction. I saw a black pit in the very bottom. I heard the words, ‘Now what?’
• Then I accepted a position at the Dallas Independent School District and major things happened in my life. First, I got married with an exiled political prisoner from Chile. Second, during this time with DISD as coordinator of a project, I hired a teacher whose behavior was ‘different’. We became friends, and she started lending me books by C. S. Lewis, John Stott, Calvin Miller, J.I. Packer, and others. The book of C.S Lewis, The Great Divorce, led me to read the Bible, and one afternoon in 1982, I found myself reading Psalm 139 and asking the Lord to
• ‘Search me, O God and know my heart,
  test me and know my anxious thoughts.
  See if there is any offensive way in me,
  and lead me in the way everlasting.’
• I read the Bible up and down looking for ‘clues’ to what the Lord wanted me to do, and I found myself praying in the spirit without knowing what was happening. Since then, it has been engraved in me that I can go to Him, almost without words, to obtain His guidance at any moment, without a schedule.
• The next day after surrendering my life to Christ, I realized that I did not need cigarettes anymore. Shortly after, I also found myself forgiving the officers who organized the military coup and the people who caused me harm in Chile. Suddenly the question that I heard when I was obtaining my Ph.D., ‘Now what?’ was answered. I knew that at that moment the question had come from the Lord. I trusted God. Through Him, I also started trusting people. Now my goal was to serve God and Jesus as my Savior.
• Shortly after that, I started going to a Methodist church in Dallas. Unexpectedly, my husband’s mother called from Chile and informed me that he had two other wives and that he was not really a political exile.
• After many sessions of counseling with my pastor (my husband also attended some sessions), we obtained a divorce.
• Due to the health of my father, I had to bring my parents from Chile to Miami, Florida; and I moved there where I found a job with Knight Ridder Corporation at a new innovative project similar to today’s Internet. In 1982, I did some computer-related work for United Bible Societies; and in 1985, I was hired full time to train native speakers of different languages how to use computer programs to translate the Bible. I also trained SIL and other missions translation project coordinators. This was an answer to my prayers since I had been asking the Lord to give me something to do closer to His Word. When I met the Lord, I realized that I felt guilty for having been separated from His Word for so many years. It was a starving sensation, and I needed to read the Bible and felt an irrepressible desire to make the Bible available as soon as possible to other people in their own language.”

After I presented this testimony, I was called for an interview with a USCIS officer. It was a young man, blond and obviously, noticeably confident in himself. The first thing he said was, “During your meetings with the Communist party in Chile were you planning how to kill the President of the United States?”

I could not help but laugh. I said, “No sir, in our meetings we were discussing what was the most effective method to clean the rooms of the university I was working at.” He frowned and said, “So you became a Christian in this country and do not plan to go back to live in Chile?” I said, “Yes sir, that is right.” He then continued asking why I was applying for naturalization. I told him that as a missionary, I needed to go to different countries; and because of my current Chilean passport and the dictatorship existing there, I was not allowed to go to some countries. With a U.S. passport, I could go almost anywhere. He smiled.

I resigned my Chilean citizenship and became just an American girl!

In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a U.S. citizens could not be stripped of their citizenship without their consent, recognizing the possibility of dual citizenship. Later, after Chile voted against the Dictatorship of Pinochet, on October 5, 1988, Chile accepted the dual citizenship, and now I have both passports.

The letter welcoming me as a new USA citizen said that I was given preference because of merit. I had two graduate degrees in fields tied to my current endeavor, including a Ph.D. (“Chapter 5 – Advanced Degree or Exceptional Ability | USCIS Policy Manual” 2022)(see https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-6-part-f-chapter-5)

After I obtained my citizenship, I served in UBS for 19 years. During that time, I was a member of Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church, Riviera First Presbyterian Church, and I was attending Miami Vineyard Church before I moved to Dallas. In 2002, I was sent to Dallas to work with UBS Paratext, a Bible translation editor project. The team was located at the SIL International center.

In 1983, I went through the interdenominational Cursillo (Via del Cristo) weekend retreat and since then I was involved with Prison Ministry through Kairos. When I moved to Dallas, I was still in touch with this ministry. The involvement with Kairos represented a major step in my Christian life. I have learned humility in “listening” and not giving my opinion about what the prisoners share during the weekends or during our visits.

A course I took at the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church in I994 by Tim LaHaye on temperament analysis opened my eyes on how the Lord made us different and why and how seriously I needed to respect others in the way they were made by Him. Other studies in Adult Education have furthered my understanding of how God works in and through people.

Later courses with Dr. Evelyn Davis at SIL International, allowed me to learn about adult education and through Azusa University I became certified in the Myers Briggs Indicator. This is a personality assessment tool that categorizes individuals into 16 distinct personality types based on four dichotomies: introversion/extraversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. Many Christian organizations use this Inventory for training purposes. I was also able to give the questionary and provide results in Spanish and French.

During 2002 and 2003, I was involved at Crossroads Christian Church, as a Trainer Candidate. At that time, it took two years to become a Trainer. I had also taken Precept Courses on many books of the Bible, and I also went through a Beth Moore’s course: “Breaking Free”. I also took the course “A Woman’s Heart: God’s dwelling place” and I attended my other retreats and courses.

My walk with the Lord has been full of valleys and high places. I have gone through many tests, but of one thing I am absolutely sure: God spared my life during the military coup in Chile because he had quite different plans for me. I am still willing to serve Him and continue studying His Word, seeking to know Him better. I take comfort in knowing that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 God says: “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (“Bible Gateway Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – New King James Version” 2019)