We were disappointed when the man at the consulate nicely declined our visa application.
He told us to come back when we have our business license for Venture’s non-profit in Thailand. We were confused because we brought everything we had to show Venture’s status as a non-profit. We had the business registration and the business constitution. Apparently there is a business license too.
We tried tracking this paper down by contacting the people who handle these papers in Thailand. When we got a hold of someone, we were told that we had the business license.
A few months prior we heard that the consulate stopped giving out the 1-year visa that we wanted. Maybe this was their way of declining our application.
We didn’t know what to do. We almost walked away.
God used Krista’s uncle Verlyn to encourage us. “You came all this way for a visa… let’s keep trying,” Verlyn said. He came with us to spend time with his family and see Washington DC. Thank God for Verlyn because we would’ve walked away.
After some time thinking and praying we contacted P. Doi, our friend in Thailand. He helped establish Venture as a non-profit in Thailand in 2010. As we explained the situation to P. Doi, he told us that there is a chance he had papers saved on his computer for the foundation. “Let me look, and I’ll call you back,” he said.
After 30-40 minutes, a Gmail notification popped up on my phone.
“How about this one,” the subject line said. We opened it and this was inside… the Employer License. We had a glimmer of hope. We wondered, could the Employer License be the Business License that was needed?
Thanks P. Doi! You saved the day.
Time was of the essence now.
We had a little over an hour to find a place to print this document and come back to the consulate before they closed. The race was on.
We found an Office Depot near us. There was a long line to print documents when we entered the store. We chose not to stress about it, God is in control.
We returned to the consulate with 25 minutes to spare.
It worked!!! They accepted our papers. Thank you Thailand!
We should receive our passports with the coveted visas enclosed sometime in the next few weeks.
We are thankful but still need your prayers.
We are a little concerned the consulate didn’t give us visas while we were there. For people who have received these visas in the past, the consulate would grant them on site… no mailing necessary. For some reason they needed to keep our paperwork. We hope this is just new protocol. We believe that we will receive visas, but your prayers are still appreciated in this time of waiting.
Thank you for partnering with us through prayer.
You play a big part in our success as missionaries in Thailand. We realize our need for your prayers. Without you petitioning God on our behalf, we will be limited in our ability to see God work in the lives of those in Southeast Asia that need Him most. Thank you for your involvement in this way.
