Visas

Tom decorating for Christmas (landlord's stuff in cabinets)

Getting visas is usually more of a chore than a problem on the islands. Here’s how the process for the teachers has gone.  Tom went in last Monday to ask for a letter of recommendation to bring to immigration to get the service visa.  After some friendly conversation it was explained that it would be necessary for Tom to write a letter asking for a letter of recommendation that he could then bring to the immigration office.  So Tom went home and crafted a letter in his best French (thankfully you can find templates for formal letters on the internet).  He then went back on Tuesday and handed in the letter and was told to return in a few days to get the other letter.  So today Tom went back to the ministry of education.  After more friendly conversation, he was sent to the general secretary.  The general secretary wasn’t in his office, so Tom waited for half an hour.  The general secretary finally came and said the letter had not been written yet and sent Tom off with another person who would write the letter.  For the next hour, amid friendly conversation, Tom helped the office worker craft the letter, even helping with French spelling and word choice.  Finally after an hour the letter was completed, reread several times and printed off.  All it needed was to be signed!  But then,
“Oh, the minister already left (It’s 11:00am in the morning) you’ll have to come back on Monday, okay?”  So Tom said thank you and planned to come back on Monday.  All this just to get the letter so he can go through a similar process at Immigration.

Tom and kids with our little tree

So that is to say the process for getting visas is usually a long but friendly process. The process with the Minister of Health has proved to not be so friendly. Tom isn’t sure if he did or said something wrong in one of the early meetings, but the Minister is not his friend.

Tom went in this week to get the letter of recommendation for our teammate, “Ben”, who is a doctor. The Minister greeted him by saying, “I’m surprised to see you here after I already refused your doctor.” In disbelief, Tom asked for an explanation. Tom was under the impression that while things still needed to be discussed once Ben arrived that there was never any actual threat of him being “refused”. The Minister reiterated some of their previous conversation that included Tom not complying with the Minister’s requests for money and other types of aid (our NGO here provides volunteers, not money/supplies). It was clear that the Minister had selective memory of their previous dealings, but the issue remains that we need his signature. Tom returned the next day with a colleague from a different NGO who seems to have more of a rapport with the Minister. The Minister would smile congenially at our colleague, but had no smiles for Tom. Still with her help we were able to settle for more meetings scheduled to discuss what exactly Ben will do on the islands.

Our daughter reading to our youngest

Meanwhile Ben and his wife have already made a great relationship with a village outside the capital that greatly wants Ben to work at their understaffed clinic. In fact, a friend from that village says he knows the Minister and will be able to talk to him about it.  The question is will the Minister like any idea about Ben’s placement that doesn’t come from himself? Please pray.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that our team seems to be settling into routines. Most have found good language helpers to assist them in learning the local language. We are thankful for Advent and the chance to follow and remember the amazing story that started “In the beginning..” and led up to a birth in Bethlehem and continues now!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please pray for this visa situation. Pray that something would soften the Minister’s heart and that Ben would be able to work exactly where he is meant to. Pray that by next week’s post, our whole team would have longterm visas in their passports. Pray for health. The babies on the team have all struggled with diarrhea and now Tom and some of the other adults haven’t been feeling well either. Pray for us as we start a new round of English teaching this coming week. Pray that with these added responsibilities we would still be able to balance work, rest, family, outreach, team and personal growth. Pray for our team that they would continue to feel encouraged in the language learning process (this will be a recurring request).