Maybe I should just walk there...
My life feels like it is quickly changing. Today is my 25th birthday and the last day of my orientation at SIM (the missions agency sending me to Ethiopia). As I reflect on my quarter-century long life, it is apparent all of the many ways God has been faithful to me. God has brought me through Wheaton to Princeton Seminary and now is leading me towards Ethiopia. God has shown faithfulness to me by providing over 100% of my funds necessary for Ethiopia. And as I look forward to the next chapter, I am incredible excited about what is in store.
At the training and orientation here at SIM USA’s campus in Charlotte I have been taught various topics that will be helpful when I reach the field such as evangelism, child safety, IT security, spiritual warfare, and others. I have heard stories of people whose grandparents were missionaries in Ethiopia. One of the most exciting pieces of information was learning that an Ethiopian Christian who was trained at the school I will be teaching at has been sent to a country that is hostile to Christianity and is their most effective evangelist there. May God use me to help train such people.
A major challenge that I am facing is the visa process. The way it has to work for me is that I have to first apply for a 30 day NGO visa that will get me into the country, and then I will get the year long “spiritual workers permit.” One of the requirements for the work permit is a degree in religion, which I have from Wheaton College. But my diploma only states that I have a Bachelor’s of Arts and it does not say what my major was. So, right now, the diploma may not fulfill the requirements for the visa. We are hoping that we can supplement the diploma with my transcript but normally the diploma is the official document and not the transcript. There is also a chance that the transcript may need to be authenticated by the US government which is another three week process. So please pray that the Ethiopia will accept my diploma and an unauthenticated transcript as the requirements for the work permit. In addition, Ethiopia has their national elections this weekend, so hopefully that will not interfere with this process.
Please pray for the following:
- That the Ethiopia will accept my diploma and an unauthenticated transcript as the requirements for my work permit.
- That the election will not hinder the visa process.
- That I will get the visa and be in Ethiopia by June 15th.
- That God will continue to prepare me and make me ready for this mission.
If you would like to be added to my email list then shoot me an email or post a comment.
