Botswana Bulletin #41
“Not What You Were Expecting”
August 14, 2010
Greetings everyone from a very overcast
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! For those who
have been wondering how things have been going there has finally been some
forward progress. However, it may not be
what you were expecting. Let me explain.
It’s been almost 3 weeks now since I
returned from the border of North Dakota feeling somewhat shocked, disappointed
and humiliated. However, we (SIM and I) decided
that this was not a defeat but simply a setback of sorts. So off to work we went. The first obstacle in our way was to speak to
an immigration lawyer and get their opinion on how to proceed. After a lengthy game of phone tag followed by
a number of e-mails the lawyer came to this conclusion. I could either apply for something called a
J1 visa, which as I understand it is a non-immigrant visa for those entering
the country for training purposes. The other
option was to apply for an R1 visa which is reserved for religious workers,
including missionaries. After some
discussion it was decided that we would apply for the R1 visa. By this time 2 weeks had passed. During the 3rd week we’ve been
busy getting paperwork together so that we can submit the forms. This has been easier said than done. The visa application form is quite extensive
and there are a lot of bits and pieces that need to be obtained. Another issue that has caused some grief is
the fact that its summer so a number of key people from SIM have been away on
holiday which in essence has delayed the paperwork process.
As SIM continued to gather the necessary
paperwork to submit my visa application, I was beginning to wonder how much
longer I’d be able to wait before it would be too late. Bear in mind the fact that at the absolute
latest I need to start my internship on October 1st. So the question was, “How much time do I need
to prepare to go to Botswana if a US Visa doesn’t work out?” For some advice on that I decided to contact
the Botswana field. On Thursday night I
had a Skype conversation with Richard Wheatley, the Flying Mission IT Manager
in Botswana. After a lengthy discussion
it was decided that if by September 3rd I did not have a visa or at
the very least a meeting at the US consulate I would abandon the idea of going
to the US and instead head off to Botswana.
So the next day I contacted SIM and
explained the situation. Now, in my
conversation with Richard we both felt that getting a US visa in a matter of
weeks seemed very unlikely. In speaking
with SIM they agreed that this didn’t seem possible. So at that point the obvious question came,
“Is it worth waiting 3 weeks then?”
After a short discussion a plan was devised. Once again, it’s probably not what you’re
expecting.
At the moment this is the plan. I am officially now going to Botswana to do
my IT internship with Flying Mission!
Awesome! However, I’m not sure
for how long. So what does that
mean? Well, SIM is going to continue the
US Visa process while I’m in Botswana.
If a visa is available by December I’ll come home for Christmas and
travel to South Carolina in January. If
we are unable to get a visa by then, I’ll continue my internship in Botswana
and come home around the beginning of May 2011 for my NAIT graduation. One question you may be asking is why would
the deadline be December for the US visa?
Well, technically my internship is 2 classes each 4 months long. Each “class” has a separate research paper that
needs to be completed. The research
paper needs to be based on a project that you are completing at your place of
work. In order to do that, well, I need
to know where I’m working! So the only
real break in the internship is the Christmas break so that has become the
deadline.
So, clear as mud? What it boils down to is I’ll either be in
Botswana for 4 months and South Carolina for 4 months, or 8 months in
Botswana. One of the questions my
parents asked me which you may be thinking right now is, “So Graham, how do you
feel about that?” To tell you the honest
truth, I’m fine with it. Frankly, I have
no strong preference either way. It’s
like trying to decide whether to have hamburgers or pizza for dinner. Both sound great to me! My main desire is to serve God and whether I
do that in South Carolina, Botswana or Edmonton it really doesn’t matter. Being where God wants me to be is the
goal. That being said, I believe that,
for the moment anyway, that place is Botswana.
It’s not quite what I was expecting, but I’ll take it!
Alright, so now you may be wondering, “When
do you leave?” Good question. Considering I’ve been there before, planning
a trip to Botswana should be relatively straight forward but of course there
are a few tasks that need to be done. My
earliest estimate for a departure date would be August 30th (a
little over 2 weeks from now) but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being
early September. The main thing that
will determine this is flight availability.
I should have tickets booked next week so I’ll let you know my departure
date as soon as I find out.
I think that pretty much covers where I’m
at right now. Before I close with some
prayer requests I’d like to take a moment to explain something. I don’t want anyone to think of this as a
“Botswana vs. USA” grudge match. I don’t
want people to be praying “against” either side in this simply because you’d
rather have me in one of the locations.
Instead I’m asking for prayer that God would clearly guide my path. Not that one country would win and one would
lose because frankly I don’t see it that way.
Everything that happened at the border if anything, screamed
direction! In a way I wish every
decision in my life were as clear as that!
“Sorry, you can’t come this way.
You don’t have what you need.” I
just wanted to clarify that there are no winners or losers here, just
options. Ok, I think I’ve made my point.
So, as you may have noticed I have once
again titled my prayer letter with the familiar title of “Botswana Bulletin”. This title will continue unless of course
things work out with a visa.
With that said I think it’s time to wrap-up
with some prayer requests. Here they
are in no particular order:
1)
Botswana Bound! – Praise that a decision has
been made to send me back to Botswana.
Pray that everything would come together and that I’d be ready to leave
in a few weeks.
2)
US Visa – Pray that God would
clearly guide as SIM continues to seek a US visa for me.
3)
Farewells – Pray for me that I
would have time to say proper farewells to friends and family
4)
Patience – Praise that through
this entire adventure God has graciously kept me patient and calm. Pray that he continues to uphold me during
this time of uncertainty.
Thank you for your continued support during
my time in Canada. I look forward to
continuing this adventure with you as I head back to Botswana. God bless!
Peace and prayers,
Graham Crawford <><
For more info on SIM Canada visit: www.sim.ca.
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