The Rest of the Story

"Where is your friend, the one that was sitting with you?  He needs to come here."

Sophie, Mica and I looked back at our friend as he made his way to the desk at the Ministry of Interior.  My heart sunk within me as he was asked to show his ID.  Something told me we weren't getting our visas approved that day.

I watched as the woman checked the computer and scribbled something on my forms.  She handed me my form back and informed us three girls that she could not issue another 3 month visa and didn't bother explaining why.  We walked out of there discussing our options.

After trying the Ministry of Interior, leaving the country and coming back, and the Ministry of Interior two more times, it was clear that I was supposed to leave the country.  But why?  Why would the government employees not even give my renewal form a second glance?

It's because my passport number is now forever linked to the ID of a "dangerous missionary."

You see, my friend and his wife, who have lived in Israel for a number of years, were marked as missionaries a while back and have had trouble gaining their residency because of it.  However, they took this matter into court, won the court case, and were supposed to rest easy as the Ministry of Interior deleted any "black mark" off their record.  When my friend's information came up on the computer, though, it was found that the Interior did NOT do as the court instructed.

And now, every time they enter in my passport number into their system, my friend's identity also shows up.  As long as I'm associated with him I can never get back into the country.  The funny thing is they have no proof whatsoever that I myself am a missionary.  I'm just linked to one.  As far as they know, all I did was tour the country for 3 months and ask for a visa renewal.

But you know what?  If I'm asked to leave a country because of a missionary status, what better reason is there to be asked to leave?

Here's the thing, though.  The Ministry of Interior is a poor representation of the Israeli population.  Every single Israeli I came into contact with outside of that office proved to be the friendliest, kindest, and most helpful individual I'd ever met.  I'm talking from the bus drivers, the people working at the grocery stores, down to my fellow believers.

The injustice of the Ministry of Interior is merely a side aspect to the society, yet one that affects many believers trying to make aliyah and live in the land.  Without having residency, many believers won't be accepted into nursing programs, or be allowed into the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), or be able to work.  However, these believers have worked with the Interior and have done everything they know to do in order to gain their residency and are forced to wait off to the side for the government to do its part.

My part in the story was small, but it opened my eyes to the things that many people have had to deal with on a regular basis.  I myself can do very little to change the system.  The most I can do is let my story and the stories of those I know be told and hope that they open the eyes of others who might be able to work towards real change.

That is my hope and my prayer.

Be Silent

It was halfway through the questioning when I realized that things weren't going so well.  I offered up a quick prayer that God's will would be done, and braced myself for whatever was going to happen next.  Things weren't looking good.

About 2.5 weeks ago, I stood at the border control between Jordan and Israel in the hopes that my visa would be renewed for another 3 months.  My friends and I had left Israel that day to visit Petra, in the hopes that upon reentry we would be able to prolong out stay until our flight home in April.  My friends were asked just a few questions before obtaining their visas.  I, on the other hand, was questioned for some time before being told to wait off to the side as my "right" to be in the country was brought under discussion.

Finally, a lady came out and told me gruffly that I had 1 week to leave the country... or else...  She begrudgingly stamped my passport, crossed out the "3 months" and penned in "1 week" directly underneath.  At that point, all I wanted was to get as far away from her as possible and go back to the safety of my friends.

That night I couldn't shut my brain off.  I kept considering my options and reliving the past 3 months that I was able to spend in Israel.  I thought of how my plans were being cut short and how I still had no idea what I was going to do when I got home, but I also thought of everything that I had wanted to do in the country since arriving there and realized I'd done it all.  I wasn't upset, just confused as to what to do.

The next day we decided to have our Bible time on the shores of the Red Sea.  I immediately flipped to the story of Moses parting that very body of water and tried to imagine such an event happening.  It was then I got to Exodus 14:14, "The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

I had only to be silent

I was truly alright at the time with whatever outcome, be it going home or staying.  Yes, I did have a few days where all I wanted to do was go home, but God always brought me back to the place where being okay with either outcome was not just an option, it was a necessity.  And so, God worked with me until I relearned that bane-of-my-existence-lesson: contentment.  The day that I woke up and was truly 100% A-OK with either outcome again was the same day that He saw fit to send me home.

But that's only one part of the story.  Why did Israel want me out of there?  You'll just have to tune in later...

A Year of Joy

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  Serve the LORD with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!  Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

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Consider this my year end review, but the summarized version.  Oh how much happened in 2013 that I was not expecting at the start of the year, but am eternally grateful for!  Shall I name just a few?

1.  On New Years Day, I had no idea that I would have a baby brother by the end of the year

2.  On New Years Day, I had no idea that my grandparents, who have talked about moving close to my family for the past 18 years, would actually move to Texas and within a mile from us
3.  On New Years Day, I had no idea that I'd be working for two solid weeks in Austin to try to get HB2 passed (a bill that would close down most abortion facilities in the state of Texas)

4.  On New Years Day, I had no idea that I would be going to Israel within the year and for a bit longer than just a normal 10 day tour

And that's just to name a few!  God blessed me in more ways than I could imagine throughout the year 2013.  Each of the things named above are things that I am deeply grateful for, and are also things that I had not planned on.  As I told a friend of mine, 2013 was filled with unexpected things, and because of that, I'm super excited to just go along for the ride in 2014 to see what else God has in store!

And now, may this year be filled to the brim with God's glory, and may He continue to be faithful in molding us into vessels that look more like Him at the end of it.

Happy New Year!

Soli Deo Gloria!