Day 25 - More Work Visa!

Work Visa, Part 2 and Meeting New People

Tuesday, July 19, 2016, I stayed home waiting for a little more information about my visa.  I was expecting a call from the director of the school sometime this morning to discuss payment options.  So I didn’t go anywhere.

At 11:00 I got a message that the school is closed, even though I needed to return to the immigration attorney early Wednesday morning.  Some different plans were made.  The director of the school has been very sick all summer, even in the hospital.  Y’all pray for Jeff.  He made the right step and delegated it to another young man that understands the steps to finish the visa.  Later in the day, I met him and his wife and went bowling with them and some kids at the school.

Wednesday, July 20.  I spent six hours running all over Santa Cruz, but it was a day of getting to know new people.  I can’t tell you how blessed I feel, though my feet are kinda tired.

First Chris and Melissa picked me up so we could go to the school together.  They said they loved my reminiscing about old Santa Cruz and they I love the new Santa Cruz.  Some people get a little bit freaked when they first arrive.  There are some who have difficulty adjusting to the differences, so they complain, and some who love the differences.  They could tell I love being here.

At the school, we worked out money issues, plus I needed an invitation letter from the school.  I also had a few minutes to talk to the high school principal and meet some new people. Johnny, a Bolivian man, who I was told is the blood of the school, went with us to the bank.  I discovered he is going to the same church as me and he remembers seeing me there.  He lost his baby daughter in the spring.  A few of you prayed for her because she had a hole in her heart.  He and his wife are happy, while seeking to understand why God only gave her to them for a short time.

At the lawyer’s office, I met a young lady named Tabitha, who serving as a missionary in Bolivia.  Like me, she is getting a three-year visa.  Chris and Melissa left us to take care of a few other papers I need for my visa, while Tabitha, the lawyer’s wife, and I went to Interpol.  We seemed to wait a long time, but I doubt we were there more than 45 minutes, filling out papers, getting height measured, inking our fingers for finger prints, and signing papers.  From there we got some papers notarized across town.

I recognized where we were at the notary office and realized I could walk home from there.  Tabitha lives in the opposite direction, but is a bit newer to the city, so I was going to help her get oriented.  I love the fact that my internal map is working so well now.  We decided to have lunch together.  While eating a good soup and milanesa (almost, but not quite, a chicken-fried steak), we talked about buses and micros, learning new words, eating guinea pig in Peru, and so many more things.  She is about a year and a half in South America, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.  Her Spanish is very good too.  I love to see young people like her, Chris, and Melissa taking on the mantle of missions.  There are great young people out there.

After lunch, she went north and I went south.  I wasn’t too far into my journey before I found the beautiful bougainvillea you see here.  A man passed by me and said, “Its name is Trinitaria.”  He commented that few people take the time to notice things like that.  I responded that there is so much beauty here and I want to remember it.  He was walking my direction, so we chatted.  It didn’t take me long to figure out he is a Christian.  Actually he plays guitar for his church.  He has also recently escaped from Venezuela, whose current hardship is unimaginable.  His name is Jersey (like the state, but pronounced yer-zee). 

So while this was initially about my visa, today turned out to be a widened family of believers that I now know in Bolivia.  I was glad to meet Chris, Melissa, Johnny, Tabitha, and Jersey.  Thank you, God.

There is still a lot more to do.  I have no idea how long it will take, but I am so glad the school is helping me get this accomplished.