July 29, 2020
I've been waiting to write this until I have something new to tell. Well, I definitely have an update now.
As you can probably guess, because of COVID-19, Japan has closed its borders to foreign entry. So even though I have a job in Japan, I cannot get there yet to live and teach in-person. This whole time has been a further lesson in patience as I wait for the Japanese government to issue the main document needed for a visa application: the Certificate of Eligibility.
Two weeks ago, my director told me that they received word from the Japanese government that they were planning of processing and issuing my certificate the following week. True to their word, it arrived on Wednesday. Due to Thursday and Friday being Japanese holidays, they were unable to mail it until Monday, so the expected arrival was Friday. Since it would then take another 5-7 days to process the visa, according to their website, I wanted to get it there quickly. So we prayed that God would show up in a mighty way and get my certificate to me miraculously quickly. He answered that prayer, because it came yesterday morning! He shows His power and faithfulness!
I then began filling out my Visa Application form. Only two pages, so nothing too scary. I was able to easily fill out most of it, then I got to the part that asked for Date of Arrival. Well, that is the part that they need to determine, so I needed to call to ask what to put there. By the time I knew I needed to call, it was after hours, so it would have to wait until the next morning. So this morning, I called, and after listening through all their prerecorded messages that say the same thing as their website, including that it would take 5-7 days to process a Visa, I was finally connected to an actual human. I explained that I am an American and I'm filling it out to go work as a teacher, and while she answered my question (it's fine to write TBD, so long as I don't leave anything blank), she said very clearly that they are not accepting Visa applications right now and there is no way to know when they would be. She did not offer any ideas as to what I could do, just said to hold onto my papers and don't send them because that would be useless.
Great. Now what? I have to have my visa to go, but I have to send these things to the consulate to get my visa, but they aren't accepting applications. Satan REALLY must not want me there to share the Gospel, if it is this hard to get there. "God, what am I supposed to do now? What do You want me to learn from this major roadblock? You've been with me every step of the way and led me to this point, showing Yourself faithful and good until now, and I know You will continue to be. Give me Your patience and trust and peace. If You have called me there, You can get me there, because NOTHING is impossible for You."
My wonderful prayer warriors, please join me in praying that God would show me the next step in how I can get them to accept my visa or whatever needs to happen for me to be allowed to go to Japan to share His love with those who feel no love, His hope for tomorrow with those who are hopeless, His peace to those who are in the midst of all the chaos of this world.
I thank God for my wonderful director and the other teachers who will be teaching my classes for me until I arrive. I thank God for the technology to be there virtually to get to know my students and the staff, even if it's the middle of the night for me. I thank God for you who I know are faithful to lift me up before the Throne of the Most High.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Him,
Amanda
