Visa Update.
It has been a few days and I have been negligent to update on this very important matter. This was brought to my attention when my sister called for the scoop on Monday’s meeting.
For those who like the bottom line up front here it is. On Monday January 4th 2010 Christy and I will be applying for our (first time) visa. This means we are starting all over and need to receive a different type of visa for which there are only 60 places each year.
For those who are interested in the visit and a few clarifications continue reading.
Our good friends, the Perrys, had Kati and Elena sleep over so Christy and I could go to the visa office alone to talk with the government worker which was a big help.
Fortunately, we were one of the first ones in that day and the official was in a good mood, he actually smiled a few times. He informed us that there was nothing to do but reapply for a first time visa on January 4th.
Our current visa runs out on January 5th and told him we don’t want to be left out in the cold with no visa. He said that the best thing to do was talk with the first time visa office on Monday the 4th. We reiterated that we want to do the right things and are already settled here with an apartment, work and Kati in school and wanted to find a good solution to this predicament. He smiled and said there is always a solution.
So the adventure continues on Monday morning. Christy and I will be standing in line long before the visa office opens to, hopefully, ensure an early place in line for the few visa places for our particualr visa status we need.
Communication is always tricky in that the communicator thinks they are communicating clearly until someone gives feedback on what they understand. My sister asked a very good question about what does this mean for us…what if we don’t have all the documents by Monday….will we be kicked out of the country……
No we will not be kicked out of the country but it does put some added stress to our lives and jumping through hoops to provide all the necessary documentation, time in gathering the documents, waiting for appointments etc… It has been our experience that since there are only 60 spots each year we need to apply on the very first day the visa office is open so our application is one of the first to be processed in order to “secure” a position before the spots get filled up. On previous years we have had people apply on the 15th of January and all the spots have already been filled. This would mean that we would have tourist visas that would last only 3 months and would need to leave the EU in order to “renew” our status.
So we will keep you in the loop as things progress. Your continued prayers are appreciated, that we would be in the 60 that would receive visas this years, that they would process our applications quickly and that we (and the Austrian government) would find a good solution for our status in the country after Jan. 5th. Pray that they would provide something that we would not be on a tourist visa but a special visa that would cover us until we receive our perminant visa.
Visa Fiasco
I am glad things are going so well with the accreditation visit in January because it looks like I am having visa problems (no not the credit card).
Christy and I need to go in on Dec. 29th to talk it over but right now it looks as if we have lost our visa status and need to reapply on January 4th 2010.
Apparently some law changed in 2007 and the worker who processed our application said I had the wrong form (which I guess I did) and processed it with the correct form but checked the wrong choice for which type of visa we were to receive. Ignorantly we have been under this title since then.
This year I find the correct form and asked for a renewal but with the correct status. This is where it goes south. They have informed me that it is not a renewal but a reapplication. I will go in on the 29th with Christy and see if we can find a good solution to this. Our visa expires on January 5th 2010 and we don’t want to be without a visa. That would just cause a lot of problems.
If we have to reapply we will be waiting outside the Government office before 6am so we are one of the first to apply for the new year. There are only 60 spots open each year under the type of visa that we need! I had better start ordering all the paperwork from the states just in case it comes to that. Apostilleized Birth certificate, Police Record to show we have not committed any crimes, bank records, medical insurance……and the list goes on. It is thinks like this, and our former land lord, that make living overseas stressful.
If you remember to pray that this would be resolved so we can have a visa we would appreciate it!
Ready for the EEAA Visit
Well I think we are pretty much ready for our accreditation visit in January. I told my team that I didn’t want to have anything hanging over us over Christmas time so we could enjoy our families. I think we have pretty much done it.
Now all we have to do make sure our facilities are clean and orderly which isn’t too much work since we do a good job of that already.
This is a great relief and I am so glad to work with the team I have. They are really good people to work with and all very competent.
I am very curious to see the strengths and weaknesses the Academy has after the visit. It is nice to have an outside source come in to look at things from an objective perspective. They will be able to help us see things we don’t and provide suggestions that will actually help us do a better job of equipping men and women for ministry here in Austria.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
Encouraged and Energized
Last week I spent 3 days with other Greater Europe Mission field and ministry leaders. It was a time to meet as leaders with the GEM president and talk about issues and direction of our ministries.
Being rather new in the position of co-field leader it was a first for me to be at one of these meetings. Honestly I was not looking forward to leaving the family for a few days and interrupt my rhythm of life and ministry but I am very glad I went.
It was good to hear that other people are running into similar issues in ministry as I am and I think we got a clearer picture of where the mission is going. Henry has been the president for two years and there have been a lot of changes with the way things are done. As most people would testify change in any organization is not easy.
I walked away with the meeting with many questions answered and with a feeling of freedom to do ministry the way the GEM Austria team needs to.
We were encouraged that each field or country knows the unique cultural/spiritual needs better than anyone at the home office and that how ministry gets done is largely up to the team in that location.
Each country and ministry are to focus on three areas, goals or objectives if you will, and how these are fleshed out are country specific.
The three areas are:
- To be concerned with each others personal and spiritual health and growth
- To cultivate a culture of prayer
- To be reproducing disciples and rapidly reproducing churches
Personal holiness, a habit of prayer and reproducing disciples and churches are things that we here in Austria are currently doing. I feel validated and encouraged as we think about the new year and what the Lord has for us to do.
Thanks for everyone who is partnering with us in the things we are doing.
