July 2019 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus! We give thanks to God for blessing us with such wonderful partners in ministry. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:17–18)

The Waiting Game

At long last we recently received the last remaining documents to complete our visa applications. We had to appear in person at the South African High Commission, so on Monday morning we left St. John’s for Ottawa. However, about ten minutes into the flight the pilot indicated that there was a mechanical problem and so we had to turn back. Our ticket was rescheduled for Tuesday morning, and this time we finally made it to Ottawa. We were the first visitors at the embassy on Wednesday morning, and the person who took our applications seemed impressed with how prepared we were.

We returned to St. John’s today. Now we must wait for our applications to be processed. While we were advised not to book travel for 30 days, it is possible that we will have to wait for up to eight weeks due to type of visa I have requested. It is a five year visa (our last visa was for three years) that will allow us to apply for permanent residence without having to leave South Africa. We are excited as we anticipate returning to South Africa soon to begin a new chapter of ministry.

Prayer Requests

  • Pray that our new South African visas will be granted
  • Pray that God will provide for the ongoing shortfall in our ministry account
  • Pray for Sarah and Katie as their studies will be affected in different ways the longer we wait
  • Pray for John and Rebecca in St. John’s and for Anna and Hannes in Cape Town

Blessings in Christ,

Tim & Kristina Churchill