July 2024
We didn't expect to be in England just now but we're not really surprised.
Two years ago we applied for our visas to be renewed but have been caught in the great South African visa backlog ever since. We've been able to stay in country as the Department of Home Affairs regularly granted blanket extensions to everyone who'd applied but not received a decision. The last extension expired on June 30th.
We waited until June 28th, regularly checking the government website for announcements, expecting something to come at the last moment, but by the close of office hours on Friday we knew we had to make a decision.
Some people couldn't see why we were thinking about leaving. "The waiver will be extended. No one will chase you or even know you're here with expired visas. Just stay."
We couldn't reconcile that attitude with following Jesus in truth, honesty and integrity. Staying illegally when we had a choice didn't seem right.
The run up to the end of this extension period had felt different from previous ones, as if God was preparing us. The way that plane tickets, organisation and provision for animal care fell into place within twenty-four hours was a reassurance that we weren't doing this alone. We got through passport control at Cape Town airport a couple of hours before the deadline and arrived in Amsterdam the next morning.
It had seemed unfortunate that Fraser hadn't been able to fly on to Manchester from Amsterdam on the same plane as Dawn. When Dawn's phone went missing at Stockport railway station on the train leg of our journey (car-plane-bus-train-car) we were very glad he'd had to wait. Whilst Dawn filled in online police reports, thinking her pocket had been picked, Fraser was able to check at the station lost property office on his way through several hours later. He arrived at Doncaster station carrying the recovered phone. "In all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).
Whatever the reason, we know that the Lord has guided our steps and wants us to spend some time in the UK just now.
We do have return tickets for the end of August which we'll keep to, despite the new South African Minister for Home Affairs making his first announcement on Thursday an extension of the visa waiver until December 31st. In some ways it's as if God is telling us again that he has his plans for us. If the extension had been announced on Monday or even Tuesday our feelings about our hurried departure would have been far more conflicted.
