SCHEDULE!
As of the last newsletter, I had done all the paperwork for the Ministry I was going to work with in India. They were later approved. I then applied for the India visa because it is needed before I can enter the country, unlike the Philippines where you can enter the country and have 30 days before a visa is needed.
Well, I knew India was getting more closed to Christians but I had not realized they had change there immigration policies to reject Christians from visiting and doing ministry. In the past we could get a one month up to one year then up to five and ten years without any issues. Now, they have changed the rules to only 2 options. One is a two month visa and the other is a ten year visa.
Since I am hoping to do my Director's internship in India and that is one year, I applied for a ten year visa instead of the two month visa, really for convenience and to save money. These visas are expensive and I didn't want to have to go thru the trouble every for every visit.
The application process was very involved but I finished it and was ready to print them, but to my dismay I saw a letter that was a religious letter as one of the forms to be signed. The letter was a declaration that I would not take part in any religious activities and no preaching. I was totally surprised because the only question I had to fill in on the application was that I am a Christian, can't lie about that. SEE COPY of LETTER BELOW!
In discussing with the ministry in India about my dilemma, I was told that they recently had their compound searched by immigration officials and that a short term medical mission team was deported.
In short, they suggest that I cancel the application and wait for another appropriate time to visit the Ministry.
I knew the Lord had something else in store for me, I just didn't know what it could be.Two days later, I got an email from an organization about going to Egypt to train-the trainer of two microenterprise and microfinance ministries in Egypt. The interesting thing is that when I had asked Him about where to go to be obedient to His call for 2017, Egypt was on the list but I pushed it aside for a later date because I had no contacts at all for that country. I burst out laughing as the spirit quickened me about the trip and told me specific question to ask about their program, which I did. Meanwhile the Lord gave me a picture of HIS Plan in my heart, and of the answers to expect and the response I would get from my questions/enquiries.. Sure enough everything went just as He told me and I knew this is what He wants for me to do. I'm informing you my partners so you can pray for my safe travel and any contribution you can make to this venture.
