God’s Plan Materialising

South Africa has had a very dry few years with some places suffering from drought.  One day having borrowed Yvonne’s car I was coming back from Nelspruit when I noticed the skies were rather dark but not with rain clouds, it was smoke.  Coming from Australia where bushfires are common I recognised the plume of brown smoke but thought it might be back burning or burning off.  I drove through White River and seemed to be traveling towards the smoke.  It wasn’t long before I saw where the fires originated.  They were some way off to the right of the road I was traveling on but even still I had to drive through the smoke.  That afternoon I heard helicopters bussing back and forward overhead.  They were filling up with water from the dam on the side of ASM compound.  They must have been going back and forward for over 2 hrs before there was not enough sun to continue.

That evening Yvonne and I attended her home group and passed the fire in both directions.   It covered many acres and looked as though it was still roaring red amongst the trees!  In this area there are many eucalyptus plantations and pine trees both of which are very flammable.   It was so impressive that on our return we stopped on the side of the road to take a picture.   We also prayed that no one was hurt and that it would soon be contained and would not cross the road.  By the next morning it was under control.

Before my trip to Uganda and Nigeria I must have a Yellow Fever vaccination.  Yvonne made inquiries as to where it could be obtained.  I borrowed her car and drove into Nelspruit which is a very straight forward route from White River so I wouldn’t get lost.  Well, not completely as at first I went too far but finally found where I was to go which was a small clinic within a pharmacy.  The clinic nurse asked my details as it must all be documented and an official health card stamped and is to be presented at immigration when I travel.  When the nurse saw I was over 60 she hesitated.  She told me that it was not recommended for people over 60 as the side effects could be quite dangerous.  I told her I needed the vaccination and even if I had a card of exemption, which she had offered due to my age, I would still be unable to re-enter Aust without the vaccination.  Anyway I was only five months over 60 and I’m fit and healthy, and what’s more the Lord was watching over me, so it would be ok.  She warned me of the side effects which may occur within the first week before I was inoculated.

Meanwhile the visa ordeal continued.  After several emails back and forwards to Uganda, Australia and a travel agent here in White River and even one in Melbourne the combined results were, no one else can pay on my behalf.  It must be my card (which has been denied by the Nigerian e-visa support team).  I will not be able to apply in Uganda unless I have a work permit or am a resident there.  My only thread of hope is in my Nigerian friend Grace who is trying all her Nigerian contacts in Perth.   If we had thought of it sooner I could have express posted my passport to Canberra to be done at the Nigerian Embassy there.   I even rang DHL to see how long it would take but I had run out of time as it would have taken more than a week both directions not including the time for it to be approved by the Commissioner.  It is all in the Lord’s hands now.

Not only was I facing the visa challenge but my travel insurance was about to expire.  I tried contacting the travel agent through whom I had booked but because the agent I had dealt with had left, I had to email the head office directly.  They then forward my email to the travel agent in Perth.   Time was ticking by and I hadn’t heard from them.  I tried contacting them through the website but there was no email address for their branch in Karrinyup and I had misplaced or deleted the emails I had received from his colleagues back in March when I was extending my ticket out of Cambodia.  Then on the 31st of October I finally received an email but it was too late as my travel insurance expired on 1 November which was a Sunday.  If the agent had read the email I sent to the head office he would have seen I had included all the information he needed to extend it as I had attached the old form but now he asked for information he already had and by the time he got back to me it was already too late to reply.  His next email informed me that they were unable to extend it as my policy had now expired and Australian insurance companies will not issue policies to people whom have already departed on their trip. The policy needs to be issued before departure from Australia.

Now I was in a bit of a predicament so I called the travel agent here, who had been helping me make inquiries re Nigerian visa, but they were unable to help with a full cover.  In the meantime I had also contacted my friend in Word Share and received an email with the contact details of a Travel Agent in Melbourne, Mission Travel Group.  She was very helpful and sent me a policy which I was able to pay on line and was delivered that day.  So now I’m covered again as of 11 November.

During this time, Vivian from Wakisa Ministries, said I was welcome to stay with them till the end of February if I was unable to get a visa to Nigeria.  An English woman who had been with them for two years was leaving mid-November and therefor the self-contained unit she was renting would be vacant.  I would be welcome to rent it out while I was there.   Wow!  I had been a bit concerned about accommodation and my living expenses while I visited so this truly was an answer to prayer.    In our correspondence I had also mentioned I was willing to help out where I could.  Vivian suggested I work alongside their midwife at the Health/Infant Care Class twice a week as well as conduct daily exercises for pregnant woman to help the expectant girls keep fit.

Now with a plan in place I contacted the Singapore travel agent at Changi Airport who had issued me an emergency ticket, so I could board my flight to South Africa.  We had booked the ticket for a return to Perth on the 3^rd of January which would have been 3 months here.  Now with my pending departure to Uganda and a possibility of staying 3 months there, I contacted the agent and change the dates to the end of February 2016.

Only thing left to do is to book the African flights. I first needed to book a return flight from Johannesburg to Entebbe, Uganda. Then if the Lord opens the door for me to go to Nigeria while I’m in Kampala I can book a return flight back to Uganda. The only decision to make was the date of my return to SA. Should I book a connection flight with the long 24hrs flight back to Perth via Dubai or have a week in Joburg? This decision depended on whether or not I was able to get another 3 month visa on re-entry.

Back at ASM, work continues and Yvonne knuckled down to study.  With three more exams to go before the 17 November, she was head down in her books.  I continued to help around the house experimenting on recipes and helping to update her gadgets to the 21 century.  Two years ago, when she visited me in Sydney, I had given her my old GPS.  It was only now that I (and with help from their IT guru Shawn) we were able to help her finally connect to her computer and the internet to download maps of South Africa.  The disappointing thing was that after paying we realised that in White River and the Nelspruit areas there were hardly any marked/named roads.  Yvonne said it was probably due to the renaming of many of the roads.

Just before putting this blog up I contacted the SA Home Land Security – Immigration Department to see it I would be able to re-enter for a week before flying out to Perth. The good news is that I am not going to a bordering country which would mean I can’t come back as it would be seen as boarder-hopping (which is permitted and very popular between Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore). Because I am going to Uganda and, God willing, Nigeria I will be issued another 3 months visa of which I only need a week. Hallelujah! Another answer to prayer. Thank you Lord.  When I had inquired about doing exactly this before leaving Aust I was told a definite no. If the 3 month visa had expired I would not be able to re-enter SA under 12 months! It’s amazing how much confliction information you receive along the way!

How exciting my return ticket from Johannesburg to Uganda is booked!

Getting closer and closer to my departure I can see the Hand of the Lord preparing the way for me. Things have begun to fall into place as His plan materialises and a new and exciting adventure awaits.

Pictures:   1. Royal Poinciana or Flame Tree   2. Smoke from bushfire    3. Helicopter collection water   4. Helicopter over the dam    5. Bushfire by night    6. Hills at sunset   7. Flame trees Peebles Rd    8. Yvonne’s bird feeder   9. Video of hellicopter (video and helicopter photo’s thanks to Anne I just missed the last flight).

Prayer & Praise Points:
I shelter under the wings of the Almighty resting in His protection and provision. Praise Him for His Faithfulness.

Praise the Lord for answered prayer regarding the bushfire, my tickets, and arrangements in Uganda.

Praise Him for His faithful workers who have given their lives to serve others with their talents and their dedication.

Please continue to pray for Yvonne as she studies and sits exams this week. The last being on the 17 November.

Praise Him for His provision while I’m in Uganda, for ministry opportunities and for the answer of prayer concerning accommodation. Please pray for my safety while in South Africa both physically, online and for my few possessions.

Please continue to pray for me to know the Lord’s will regarding visiting Nigeria. That any obstacles be removed as I apply for the visas.  May my applications be accepted and the visas go through smoothly.

Please pray for my health as I am fighting off a cold. Praise the Lord I have not had any side effects from the Yellow Fever vaccination.

Pray also for my mother’s health as she has been feeling very fuzzy headed lately.