You probably don’t have any idea what it takes to get someone from Latin America to Africa so I’ll let you know about what we are doing currently. There are two families and one single who we are trying to bring to North Africa from South America in 2009. Here are the issues:
1. Money. This is the biggest issue. It will cost $1,300/month for one family with three kids, $1,000/month for the other family, and maybe $200/month for the single guy. The family without kids is going to Burkina Faso, Vicente and Gabriella Garcia, from Mexico currently serving under Chris Gardner in Peru. So we need to raise a total of $2,500/month. We probably won’t end up raising most of it. We’ll just take most of it out of our own funds. That is the monthly cost. Not to mention plane tickets equalling about $2,000 per person. The single guy is coming over in January or February and the family with kids in the summer (Lord willing). It is a lot of money but the benefits are incredible. We desperately need laborers so we are willing to do whatever it takes.
2. Training. The single guy is going to be working exclusively in TV production. he was trained for years by Chris Gardner in their TV station. One of the couples was a pastor for ten years. The other couple graduated Bible College last year and have proven to be effective in the ministry. So they have been in training for the last year or two years to be ready to learn a different culture, language, family adjustments, Islamic studies, etc.
3. Visas. The guy going to Burkina will be easy. All they need is $40 and they’ll give you a five year visa. In North Africa, however, it is much more difficult. The single guy and the couple will need the following to obtain a visa:
1. A job contract with a business (we are going to extend them one through our business)
2. A contract on a rented house (minimum $300/month for two bedroom and $150 for one bedroom)
3. Investigation. The police will review it. Come to your house. Your office. Etc.
4. Time through beaurocracy. It is amazing how many papers you have to have from how many different numbers of ministries (Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of the Exterior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Etc)
4. Preparation on paper. In order to bring a pastor we have to “reinvent his past”. Since passports in Latin America say their job we have to get them a new passport that says a new job. It’s hard to pass yourself off as a businessman in a Muslim country when your pastor says “PASTOR”. We have to also come up with different papers about their job experience and education. Again, Bible College diplomas don’t go over well.
5. Stamps. Once we have these new passports we have to make them look well travelled. It’s not good to show up from one third world country into another third world country with NO stamps in your new passport. So right now we are paying the trips of one family and the single guy to travel in and out of borders in South America until they have a few pages full of stamps. Cost: around $1,000.
Initial cost is great to get a missionary to the field. If you read this blog and have a heart for reaching Muslims in North Africa with the gospel, maybe you could brainstorm about how to help us with these costs. I’d love to hear your ideas or receive your checks!
Project North Africa PO Box 519 Braselton, GA 30517
