Visa -- The Road Forward

Visa Drama; Return to USA Recap: If you've read any of my newsletters in the last few years, you know that there has been a lot of uncertainty regarding my visa to live and work in Australia. Soon after committing to serve in Sydney, our team's immigration lawyer told me that the best he could do, for someone my age, was a two year visa which could be renewed for an additional two years. Although he offered that if I were to marry an Australian, he could do better! Well, that hasn't panned out! When Australian borders were about to open up after the Covid lockdown, the immigration lawyer suggested that a tourist visa would expedite my entrance, as there would be a significant backlog of work visa applications after two years of border closures. I was able to use a tourist visa for two years, but a third year was not an option. In July 2024, the lawyer submitted my application for a two year visa, along with an application to renew the church's ability to sponsor visas. The sponsorship was rejected in November, and appealed, which will likely take several years to process. Then earlier this month, we were notified that my visa WOULD be rejected, if I did not take action, as it was based on a sponsorship that was not valid. In seeking a second professional opinion, it has become clear to us that our immigration lawyer, who has become quite elderly, has not been representing us well. We signed on with a new immigration lawyer yesterday, and have a plan forward; however it's not what we were hoping for. The Path Forward: Based on the advice of our new immigration lawyer, the church will be submitting a new application for sponsorship, once better documentation is able to be organized. This will likely take a couple of months to arrange, plus perhaps six months before a decision will be made. In the meantime, I need to leave Australia. My current visa application will be withdrawn so that I will not have a rejected application on my record. If/when the church has the ability to sponsor visas again, a new application will be submitted. Details are not yet fully developed, but I will likely return the the USA the first week of May. I anticipate spending a few weeks in Iowa, and then will return to Mississippi. I will be scheduling updates with my various supporting churches, recruiting missionaries and interns for our region at several events this summer, and looking for other ways to be active in ministry in the Jackson area. Had I known, back in 2019, how tenuous my visa situation would be, I'm not sure I would not have joined the Sydney team. However, God in his wisdom did not reveal that to me at that time. He had work for me here, and his grace is sufficient for each day. I believe God has more work for me in Sydney, and look forward to seeing how he works out all the details. Follow FB Group Prayer Points   Praise God for providing a new, highly capable immigration lawyer, and for answers to our questions, even if not all of those answers were our preferences. Pray for our church team as we implement plans for my departure and for ministry after my departure. Should City Sanctum continue in some capacity during my absence? What will that look like? Etc. Pray for "A" (as mentioned in the last newsletter), that he will be responsive to meeting up several more times before my departure, and that the Holy Spirit will open his heart to the hope of the gospel. Pray for discernment in determining whether to liquidate my apartment contents or place into storage -- what is the likelihood that I will be able to return to Australia? Pray for good wrap up of ministry in Sydney, relationships, etc. Pray for logistics for my return to the US: flight, car, accommodation in Inwood, IA for perhaps three weeks, turnover of my home on June 1 from current tenants. Calendar   Early May:  Return to USA, initially to Iowa June 1: Return to Mississippi June 23-26: PCA General Assembly; Chattanooga, TN July 11-12: East Coast Missions Conference; Centreville, VA July 14-19: MTW "Refresh" retreat for returning missionaries

Visa Update & Ministry Recap

Ministry Recap of the New Year Aussies like to ease into their new years. Many offices close down for the holiday season, some not reopening until mid- or even late-January. Being the peak of summer, many are out enjoying the beaches or traveling, especially internationally. But this actually provides some unique opportunities for ministry, as those who stick around Sydney tend to have more free time. Meeting up with individuals and working on woodworking projects with of couple of the young men filled some of my time with productive ministry. UNIVERSITY MINISTRY At the end of January, SOW (Student Outreach to the World) university ministry held their annual summer camp with the theme "Holy, Holy, Holy." I was invited to give three talks (Apologetics; Sharing your Testimony; and Discerning Vocation & Calling), and was able to have many conversations with young men and women regarding their faith and their lives. With the new academic year for Australian universities starting in February, each SOW chapter participated in their university's orientation week in order to invite new students to their club. I was the guest speaker for the University of Sydney chapter on their first week and was amazed that God brought  70+ students, more than doubling their typical attendance last year. The SOW director decided to have a theme of "the gospel" for the first three weeks, so I taught on Galatians 1:1-9 and entitled the talk "The Gospel Needs no Gravy," demonstrating that when we add anything to what Jesus Christ has done for our salvation, we create a false gospel. My MTW colleague will be speaking at weeks two and three, finishing up the gospel series. CITY SANCTUM In our workers' ministry, we began the new year with a new quarterly them: "Leading Well." Many of our members are very young, and in entry-level positions in their work. But leadership also extends to personal leadership, and leading among our peers. And of course these young workers will gradually assume leadership over others as they progressing their careers. At our January meeting, I spoke on "What's Love Got to Do With It?" emphasizing the role of love as a crucial virtue in a leader. In February, a guest speaker spoke on the Trinity (one-off from the quarterly theme). Next week I will be speaking on "The Humility Paradox." PERSONAL EVANGELISM God has provided opportunities for me to share the gospel on a deep level in recent weeks with two young men. One of the young men (we'll call him "J") has been in the church for a number of years, previously at another church until recently when he began attending Harbour City Church. But, in his words, he has "turned his back on God" due to the hypocrisy he sees in the church. And yet he regularly attends worship services. The other young man ("A") attended a university ministry event where I was the speaker back in September. Afterwards, over dinner, I learned he was an atheist, but had been exploring Christianity and had visited a few churches. He had a pretty solid grasp of the gospel at that time, and he accepted my invitation to worship at Harbour City Church the following Sunday. However he left abruptly afterwards as he felt "out of place," and soon stopped responding to my messaging. In January, "A" texted me with questions about Jesus and the Trinity -- "I thought Christians claim to be monotheists." We've subsequently met on several occasions for lengthy conversations. He had started to also explore Islam, but later rejected that. I hope to meet with him again on Saturday, as he has shown interest in studying the book of Romans with me. Please pray that he will accept that a finite creature cannot possibly understand everything that God reveals to us about himself, but that he will trust the evidence of Christ's life, death, and resurrection and accept his atonement for all of his sins. Follow FB Group Visa Update   I received discouraging news yesterday that my application for a a two year visa has been rejected because it is based on a sponsorship that is not currently valid. You may recall that in November the church's application to sponsor visas was rejected. We have appealed that decision and are waiting a hearing, which may be two to three years away. My immigration lawyer offered several options forward. If I do nothing, I will need to leave Australia in about two months. However we are considering the various options and hope to establish a plan forward very soon. Please pray that God will give me great discernment. Is this an obstacle put up by the enemy that God will allow me to overcome? Or is this an indicator of God's calling for me to move on to another role in another place? I see many opportunities for continued ministry here in Sydney, and desire to stay if the Lord will allow.   Prayer Points   Praise God for the many opportunities he has provided to be involved in people's lives, teaching them, praying with them, encouraging them. Praise God for a successful university ministry summer camp where our Holy God was praised, and students were challenged in their faith. Praise God for amazingly high attendance at the first SOW "weeklies" at all four universities. Pray that God will open the hearts of many students, and prepare them all for effective ministry in the workplace, in the church, in the pulpit, and to the ends of the earth. Pray for City Sanctum to better equip its members to be effective in the workplace both in their labor and in their witness. Praise God for several recent newcomers, including one last month who simply saw the event on Facebook and walked over! Pray for "J" and "A" as I continue to meet with each of them to share the grace of the gospel. Pray that God will open their hearts so that their objections to the gospel would tumble. Pray for the visa situation and discernment that will be willing to follow wherever God may lead, be that to remain in Australia or somewhere else. Audio Links   City Sanctum talks are available online: January - What's Love got to do with it?