...to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..." Eph 3:20 (NKJV)
In March of 2009, after almost 6 months of gathering documents, paying money and waiting, waiting, waiting...my work permit was approved. However, I was a bit disappointed because I was approved for a Class A permit, not a Class E - missionary permit - (MUCH less expensive) as I had anticipated.
The Kenya government decides which class to issue based on the organization which requests the permit and I am sure countless other mysterious and random considerations (like who you know and how much you are willing to pay...) I was advised at the time to re-apply for a class E using a church rather than an NGO. Missions of Hope (MoHI), an NGO, had applied for the permit. There is a church, Hope Outreach Church, affiliated with MoHI so I left Kenya for the US in April of 2009 believing that the pastor of the church would be able to make that happen in my absence.
What I found out, instead, was that I would have to pay for one year on the more expensive Class A permit (about USD $1,300) and then try for the Class E (less than $30 per year) upon renewal. So - new plan...return to Kenya in June, just in time to complete the permit process (I was given 90 days) and pay my 100,000 shillings. But, God had other plans...
Because of the breast cancer diagnosis, my return to Kenya was delayed by a excruciating three months! When I (finally) returned to Kenya I thought I would be able to start over since my application had expired. But - after meeting with the lady who heads that department I was told in no uncertain terms that; Immigration NEVER approves a Class E for an NGO and that if I try now to apply for a Class E through the church, it would surely be denied and "appeals are a low priority" (in other words if I was denied it could take forever to get the permit)
So - once again I was advised to pay for one year at the higher rate and try for the Class E upon renewal of the permit. We re-opened the original application and then waited. I fully expected the approval to take very little time so I became very busy saving up the money to pay for the Class A permit.
Imagine my surprise when I received a call that I had been approved for a Class E permit! I must confess that I did not believe it at first - I just HAD to see the document for myself...but if you can see the photo below, you can clearly see that the acknowledgment letter on the right (this year's) clearly states that I was approved for a Class E and that I am to pay 4,000 shillings for two years.
The only explanation I have is that GOD PERFORMED A MIRACLE! He is certainly more powerful than the lady at immigration and even more powerful than the Kenya government!
Yesterday (Wed the 3rd of Feb) I completed the process by purchasing a monetary bond and then paying for my CLASS E! permit! Below is a photo of the permit and the stamp in my passport which enables me to come back to Kenya without paying for a new visa...for two years.
Clearly, in this case, an NGO
did receive approval for a missionary permit, and I saved a ton of money! The final element is an alien registration card. Every citizen of Kenya must carry a national ID. As an alien resident, I must carry an ID as well. So - now I am legal! And soon I will be a card-carrying resident of Kenya.
Praise be to God to whom all praise and glory belong!
"...to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" Eph 3:21
...then I noticed a spectator...do you see him...standing just outside the circle?
Okay - here is a closer look. He is a boy...perhaps 12, and a common sight in this area...
Do you see the white object in front of his face? That is a plastic bottle containing glue...he is holding it in his teeth, up to his nose so that he can sniff 'hands free'...I began to wonder what he was thinking as he stood there, seemingly fascinated by the game being played in front of him - at times even swaying a bit to the singing of the children...
Then another thought hit me...if not for our school, providing a solid Christian education to the children of this community, many of these same children - singing and dancing in glee - might have become a 12-year old glue sniffer standing on the outside looking in...
