So thankful for a helping hand!!!

One thing that every ex-patriot in Uganda complains about is the difficulty in trying to obtain a work permit in order to remain in the country legally. The promise can be long and tedious and full of corruption. Apparently it is common for your file to be “lost” but to suddenly turn up when a decent amount of money is provided. Also, you can be sent from office to office for all sorts of random things.

We haven’t had to experience this yet, because we’re still waiting on an NGO certificate (Non-Governemnt Organization, think non-profit in the US). While waiting for this certificate, our Visas have expired twice. The first time we were able to get an extension processed without much hassle and for a reasonable fee. However, a second extension can cause problems later.

Fortunately, we were given a referral to another ministry. Mission Aviation Fellowship has one of their offices and flight fields in Uganda (they fly small charter planes for missionaries that go to remote places). They have a Logistics office that processes all of their paperwork and handles legal matters. Come to find out, they will also help other missionaries with their government paperwork for an small fee.

It was a little nerve racking to drop off'
our only legal documentation and drive away.

We contacted them in June before our Visas were set to expire again. Fortunately, they have years of experience and a wealth of knowledge. Bernard (their logistics man) was able to tell us exactly what to do. We simply had a letter written from Pastor Johnson to the proper department explaining why we’re here. We took that letter along with our passports, 2 passport photos each, and the required fees to the MAF office in Kampala. Less than 2 weeks later, we went back to the MAF office and picked up our passports with the Special Pass approved. The special pass will allow us to stay in the country up to 8 more months while they process our work permits. Fortunately, Bernard says that we should have our work permits by early September.

Working with MAF removed the headache and chaos of trying to deal with the foreign residence issues ourselves. Not to mention, we were able to be at home doing what we came here to do instead of driving from office to office trying to get a Visa extension processed. I love when God’s people can work together to help each other out!