Burden to Burundi, Zealous for Zambia

[gustava]

How's John coming along with those visas? At work my boss who has over 30 years experience as a travel agent is working on visas for a nun who is going to Zambia and Nigeria and it is a challenge for her. Imagine how it will be for John.

Pray for glitches.

[Justme]

Pray for glitches.

It's not just him. He's a pregnant wife and 7 or 8 little kids who also need visa's....

[SPHASH]

It's not just him. He's a pregnant wife and 7 or 8 little kids who also need visa's....

I know. My boss only has to get visas for one person and its taking her a long time. John has to do it x10.

[Coconut Flan]

May he not succeed with the visas.

[Justme]

I hope he GETS ONE! Just one, for himself. He can go and leave Esther and the kids here.

[Coconut Flan]

I need the like button back. :cry: Barring getting no visas, only John getting one is the next best option.

[Curious]

Pray for glitches.

You were supposed to be praying for glitches for the visas not for FJ :mouse-shock:

(I kid)

[Curious]

I need the like button back. :cry: Barring getting no visas, only John getting one is the next best option.

We are working on it, trust me.

[countressrascal]

I know someone that was going to Zambia as a medical missionary and it took them over a year to get a visa. So I am not holding out any hope for John will have one this year.

[scc12]

I thought someone said they were set to leave next month? So they would likely already have them? Idk,maybe I read that wrong.I haven't had a chance to go back and look.

[Trynn]

Oh johns planning to leave... He's planning on god to work a miracle and get the visas in by the n.

He's also not the only missionary I've seen to have done this...

[formergothardite]

He bought tickets for the whole family to on leave June 6th. Time is running out on those visas.

[Justme]

What happens if 6/6 comes and he still has no visa's? What are his options?

[slickcat79]

What happens if 6/6 comes and he still has no visa's? What are his options?

1. He may not have been entirely truthful about buying tickets, in which case he could delay leaving as he's done several times in the past. He may also be closer to getting visas than he previously indicated...his page hasn't been public for a few months now.

2.Assuming he's been truthful about the visas and the tickets, he could change the leave date with the airlines. This would probably cost him a significant amount of money, but might still be the smarter choice in the long run since he intends to go to Zambia indefinitely and needs to maintain a good relationship with the government.

3. The family could leave for Zambia anyway and enter as a tourists/travelers like John has done in the past - Americans don't need visas to enter. If they did that with the intention of staying in-country, they risk various consequences from the government (including arrest and deportation) if they conduct business without the proper authorization. It does sound like missionaries may have the option to apply for work visas while already in Zambia, but that would certainly take a few weeks at least.

4. Bribery?

[Justme]

He's just dumb enough to hop on the plane with his family on 6/6 full of confidence the visa's will be "hot off the press" when they arrive.

Shouldn't he be shipping his container now? Don't they generally take a few weeks to arrive?

[SPHASH]

1. He may not have been entirely truthful about buying tickets, in which case he could delay leaving as he's done several times in the past. He may also be closer to getting visas than he previously indicated...his page hasn't been public for a few months now.

2.Assuming he's been truthful about the visas and the tickets, he could change the leave date with the airlines. This would probably cost him a significant amount of money, but might still be the smarter choice in the long run since he intends to go to Zambia indefinitely and needs to maintain a good relationship with the government.

He can change the dates on the airline tickets, but most airlines charge $200 per ticket plus any difference in airfare and times 10 that is going to be a small fortune. Hopefully he bought travel insurance and then claim Esther can't go due to her being pregnant.

[ViolaSebastian]

I used to work in immigration (although I worked with obtaining student visas, which is different in a number of ways from work visas) and having some first hand knowledge of the lovely, time-consuming bureaucracy with which John is dealing. I'm fairly confident that Johnny boy here is well and truly screwed in the visa department--these things take a metric buttload of time to process and things have been extremely convoluted and protracted since 9/11 (with good reason, obviously) and this is magnified by the fact that he's asking for multiple visas for his family members. I've worked with governments much more organized and technologically proficient than Zambia's (with all due respect to Zambia) and it's taken an exorbitant amount of effort and time to push it through. He's dreaming if he thinks he's going to leave on 6/6. What flavor of moron buys the plane tickets BEFORE obtaining the visas??

[Trynn]

I hate to be fair to John, but from what I've heard, it's not uncommon for missionary testimonies to include getting the visas they needed lightening quick.

John is probably expecting a similar story, and I've heard enough of them that I'm afraid if could actually happen.

Those poor poor children.

[Justme]

I can't help wondering if John Boy applied for these visa's a year ago and just started talking about them recently to add more drama! "Look at MMEEE....I'm so special!!" His "supporters" will think he's the "chosen one" and keep sending him money?...

[Justme]

tick...tock....tick....tock.... We're about 2 weeks away from "D" day..... I wonder if sweet Esther has to wash some "racing strips" out of someone's undies.... :wink-kitty: :popcorn2:

[formergothardite]

I wonder if they ever got the brand new Troupie he wanted. They had to buy it before he left, didn't they?

I think if things were going well John would be bragging about it publically. He loves attention and he has known for awhile know that there have been various places snarking on his "mission trips"and he never made anything private. Keeping things private makes me think that he doesn't want the internet to watch as he fails.

[slickcat79]

They're supposed to be shipping their container today, but as of yesterday the ONE THOUSAND BIBLES John had ordered hadn't arrived yet :roll: I would guess maybe god was saying to pack 1000 pkgs of food or anti-malarials instead, but he is asking for your prayers. Again.

[Ellimenopy]

When is Esther due? I feel like once they actually get to Zambia, we should have some kind of pool about how long they stay, like they do in offices for baby due dates. I predict that even if they make it to Zambia on June 6, that at least one of them will be back in the states before the end of September. :whistle:

[anjulibai]

Esther is due in August or September. I just can't see her going all the way there this late in her pregnancy.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Im an atheist, but I am praying they never get to Zambia. Or that John goes without them and Esther goes to live with family who support her and help her get a real house, and then she moves on and meets a nice guy who isn't selfish and actually has a job.

Dear God, I will devote my uterus to you and let you give me as many babies as you give me, if you can ensure that Esther and the kids don't go to Zambia.*

*If God can get a virgin pregnant, he can probably get a lesbian pregnant, right? Im guessing that the number of kids he gives me naturally would be 0 though.......