Application for Visas

Drs. Nancy and Philip Wood, who we will be staying and working with whilst in Congo.

This morning I decided to take a trip across London to Kings Cross to the DR Congo Embassy to hand in our visa applications. When I arrived there the place was "locked up" with a number of people waiting outside not knowing what was going on. One young lady rang the bell and rattled the door to no effect. Then the metal shutters over the window started to go up and down and the door was rattled from the inside. Eventually the shutters over both window and door were completely lowered. A few minutes later two police cars and two police motorbikes arrived, eight policemen in all. They were eventually let in, preventing anyone from leaving as they went in. After a while a stream of people of all ages emerged, the police left and we went in. No idea what was going on as all seemed relatively calm as they left..

I went straight to the desk and handed over our papers - passports, vaccination certificates, flight booking papers, invitation etc. only to be told that the invitation needed to be "Legalised". Evidently the invitation has to be taken to the Town Hall in Bunia and stamped with a official stamp before the embassy will accept it.

We did request prayer re the visa because the process can be "bureaucratic".

Every blessing!

Preparations

We have been invited to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo by WEC Missionaries, Drs. Philip & Nancy Wood to “work alongside the staff” at the nursing college which they run in Bunia, in the north east of the country.
You may recall that we were forced to abandon a WEC Trek visit to DRC planned for December 2008 due to tribal warfare. The situation has now improved to the extent that the Foreign Office do not now discourage travel to the DRC so we are planning to spend 4 weeks in March 2010 with them.
Whilst this trip is not an official WEC visit, but a private one, we go with their blessing and encouragement.
It is not yet clear what we will actually be involved in, but we know that the staff at the college need help using computers and also need to improve their English language skills ( the official language is French). There are “Devotions” every morning at the college and we know that some of the staff and students are Christians so there will be opportunities for ministry. To quote Philip & Nancy, “- - you will be much appreciated. Even dispensing daily doses of love, interest and encouragement is a great ministry”
We are open to be used as God directs.