Today, I realized that we had sent out a newsletter on January 11th, but anyone who doesn't get our newsletter (or doesn't open that email), would not have any idea why we're still in the US. Below is the explanation of our current situation:
We were so blessed to spend the holiday season of 2016 in Texas visiting family and friends. We were also able to do some things in preparation for the new school year in Uganda that starts in February. The first week of 2017, we began saying our goodbyes and preparing to leave the US on January 8th. However, as the day drew near, it became apparent that we'd have to change our plans.
In order to live and work in Uganda, even as volunteers, you have to go through the process of getting a work permit. Our current work permits expire in just a couple of weeks and there are a few steps in the process to renew them. Unfortunately, the first step has been delayed. If we returned to Uganda at this time, we most likely would be in the country illegally in just a couple weeks. As you can imagine, there are penalties for being in a country illegally, including fines and legal repercussions. Of course, it's also possible that we'd be deported, which would have more costs and long term ramifications.
We reviewed all options and sought advice from many other people in Uganda, as well as our leadership here in McKinney. The unanimous response from others was that we needed to wait in the US until the work permit process is complete. This will allow us to return to Uganda without any potential legal issues.
The first question that comes to mind is, "how long will this take?" Unfortunately, we don't really know. It is entirely dependent on the time it takes for them to process each portion of the paperwork.
The second question is, "what will we do in the meantime?" Fortunately, we have some home school materials here because we were taking stuff back to Uganda, so we have gotten the kids back into their school work. Floyd and I will be working on various aspects of ministry that can be done via computer.
In addition, Floyd will be traveling to Uganda from January 19th to 29th. He'll be able to check up on current projects and put things in motion to continue work in the coming weeks. Hopefully, he'll also return with updated info on the work permit process and have everything in place for the next steps.
We really want to encourage you not to worry at this time or assume the worst. We do believe this is just a temporary situation and we'll be returning to Uganda soon. We know that our Ugandan partners will move forward with the new school year opening on February 6th. In the meantime, you can be praying for all involved and for God's timing.
If you'd like to receive our newsletter in the future, sign up below. It comes as an email no more than once a month.
http://eepurl.com/6cBiv
We were so blessed to spend the holiday season of 2016 in Texas visiting family and friends. We were also able to do some things in preparation for the new school year in Uganda that starts in February. The first week of 2017, we began saying our goodbyes and preparing to leave the US on January 8th. However, as the day drew near, it became apparent that we'd have to change our plans.
In order to live and work in Uganda, even as volunteers, you have to go through the process of getting a work permit. Our current work permits expire in just a couple of weeks and there are a few steps in the process to renew them. Unfortunately, the first step has been delayed. If we returned to Uganda at this time, we most likely would be in the country illegally in just a couple weeks. As you can imagine, there are penalties for being in a country illegally, including fines and legal repercussions. Of course, it's also possible that we'd be deported, which would have more costs and long term ramifications.
We reviewed all options and sought advice from many other people in Uganda, as well as our leadership here in McKinney. The unanimous response from others was that we needed to wait in the US until the work permit process is complete. This will allow us to return to Uganda without any potential legal issues.
The first question that comes to mind is, "how long will this take?" Unfortunately, we don't really know. It is entirely dependent on the time it takes for them to process each portion of the paperwork.
The second question is, "what will we do in the meantime?" Fortunately, we have some home school materials here because we were taking stuff back to Uganda, so we have gotten the kids back into their school work. Floyd and I will be working on various aspects of ministry that can be done via computer.
In addition, Floyd will be traveling to Uganda from January 19th to 29th. He'll be able to check up on current projects and put things in motion to continue work in the coming weeks. Hopefully, he'll also return with updated info on the work permit process and have everything in place for the next steps.
We really want to encourage you not to worry at this time or assume the worst. We do believe this is just a temporary situation and we'll be returning to Uganda soon. We know that our Ugandan partners will move forward with the new school year opening on February 6th. In the meantime, you can be praying for all involved and for God's timing.
If you'd like to receive our newsletter in the future, sign up below. It comes as an email no more than once a month.
http://eepurl.com/6cBiv
Comments
Post a Comment