We have had some pretty big things come our way in the week since I last wrote to you all.  We asked our visa agent some pretty direct questions and was finally told that it is extremely unlikely that our 3 plans will yield us a new visa or permanent residency before our current visa expires.  We asked her what our options are she said it would be the best to wait for an answer in the States rather than overstay here in SA and the possible consequences of that.  While we are in the States, our visa agent and her team of lawyers will continue to represent us and keep our papers moving forward.  We hope to receive an answer within a couple of months.

Since we have no idea when we will receive an answer, or what that answer may be, we will need to pack up our life and house here in Bethlehem, put things into storage, transition all the different ministries we lead to other people, and to be stateside for a season.  Leaving in the middle of a ministry year is hard, but we are so incredibly thankful for the Africans we do life with here and we will choose to trust the Lord in this.   

We have bought one-way tickets and plan on joining you all in the Northern Hemisphere in late August.  

My sister Joy phoned shortly after we told our families and she passed along something that she had read recently: “During transitions, Peace and Grief are often dance partners.”  It feels exactly like that.  Somedays it feels like Peace is leading and somedays it feels like Grief is.  I love also that the message was delivered by Joy – seems fitting to include Joy into the Grief and Peace dance also.  We are thrilled with all the things the Lord is doing in and through and around us here in Bethlehem and we celebrate that.  It has been a wonderful season and we pray that after a pause to reconnect with you all in the states, we will be able to return and continue!

Not going to lie, it is challenging to gear up for another international transition for an unknown amount of time where we don’t have a visa or return ticket.  Packing up the house…transitioning our animals…. I have had a bit of trouble sleeping since we received the news.  I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of more things to add to our To Do List.  Prayers for deep rest and for storage solutions to come through would be so appreciated.

We had already planned on going on vacation this coming week with the Canadians and we still will.  A time of rest and adventure as a family to conclude this season will be perfect.  Then, we will be sorting, selling, packing and planning during July and a bit of August.  

The Lord ministered to my heart this morning while reading in Isaiah 33:6 “He will be your constant source of stability in changing times, and out of His abundant love He gives you the riches of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.  Yes, the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” 

Thank you for loving and praying us through this plot twist!  We will be doing the usual furlough connections while we are back and we are very excited to see you all!   

With joy, grief, and peace, 

Janell for our family