To Laos and Back Again

Riding a sawng teaow taxi in Vientiane, Laos

Last Sunday evening our family set out on a trip to Vientiane, Laos in order to obtain our Religions Affairs (R.A.) visa from the Thai Embassy located there.  Before sharing about that trip, I’ll back up a bit to explain our visa situation.  Since shortly after our arrival in Thailand, we’ve been living here under a non-immigrant student visa.  However, that’s hardly a permanent method for staying in country.  So, along with our co-missionaries the Maraats, we began looking for other means to obtain a more permanent visa.  After a few dead ends, we made a contact with another mission organization that had some available visas they were willing to share with missionaries outside their group.  Then, sometime during the Spring of 2009, Genesis and I (Nathan) met with two pastors of a local Thai church belonging to this organization.  They interviewed us to determine 2 things: (1) Did God call us to serve Him in Thailand? (2) Did we want to plant churches among the Thai people?  Our answers to both of these questions were (and are) a resounding “Yes!”  And so, having met their criteria, we were granted two visa slots for our families.  At some point after our interview, I learned just how difficult it is to get a visa of this kind, namely one that comes through the Thailand Religious Affairs Department and allows us to do evangelism and church planting ministry.  In fact, some say that it’s nearly impossible to get these visas anymore.  However, nothing is impossible for our God and we are thankful for His perfect provision!

Do you think they’re excited to ride the bus?

Following our interview, Genesis and I mailed in our formal applications and other paperwork to the organization’s office which was then sent to the proper government department in Bangkok.  This took place in May and June of 2009 and was the beginning of the long wait to receive a letter of acceptance from the Thai government.  Finally, in April of this year, Genesis received his letter and began planning their trip to the Thai Embassy in Laos.  Knowing we had applied only a few weeks after the Maraats, we fully expected our paperwork to come in by the end of June or, at the very latest, by late July.  However, both June and July passed and we were still waiting.  We continued to trust the Lord for the paperwork to come through and were confident that it would eventually arrive.  However, I honestly began wondering if it would come in time.  You see, the student visa we were under at that time was due to expire on September 8.  This meant that we would be forced to renew our student visa if the paperwork for the R.A. visa didn’t come in within thenext few weeks.  But God (don’t you just love those two words), full of wisdom and perfect in timing, provided the completed paperwork on August 3!  And so, we began planning our own trip to Laos.

Chloe shows some fellow passengers her book

On Sunday evening, August 29, we left Chiang Mai by bus for Udon Thani, a city in northeastern Thailand.  The kids, who had been looking forward to riding and sleeping on the bus all summer were very excited as weclimbed on board and took our seats.  12 hours later at around 8:30am we arrived in Udon, got off the bus and quickly found a driver to take us to the Thai- Laos border crossing near the city of Nong Khai.  Knowing it would take two days to process our paperwork, our goal was to submit our application that morning which meant we had to hurry to Vientiane as the Thai Embassy closed at 12pm.  We arrived at the border in under an hour, went through Thai immigration and then boarded a bus that took us across the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge and into the country of Laos.  At this stop we applied for visas to enter Laos and, upon passing through immigration, hired another driver who, in about 30 minutes, delivered us to the Thai Embassy in Vientiane.  I retrieved a number at the queue and, seeing that we were still 45 places away, went across the street to check in at a hotel.  To my surprise, when I returned to the Embassy less than 1/2 hour later, our number was already being called!  We handed in our applications and passports and then proceeded to another building to wait for our number to be called again.  Only a short while later, we were called forward, I paid for our visas, and we were told to return on Tuesday at 1pm to pick them up.  Having been prepared for a long day of waiting and not even expecting to be seen on Monday, we are still quite amazed and thankful at how quick and easy the entire process was.  God is good!  Tuesday afternoon, I returned to the Thai Embassy, picked up our passports which were freshly stamped with our new visas, and praised God that this crucial step was complete.

The girls & our saam laaw driver in Udon Thani

Since we had already purchased return tickets to Chiang Mai for Wednesday evening, we spent the remainder of our time in Laos getting to know some new friends and looking around the capital.  Then, Wednesday afternoon we began our return trip, finally arriving at home around 8am Thursday morning.  One highlight of our journey home was crossing back over into Thailand.  This was the first time Jessica and the kids had left the country since our arrival almost 2 years ago (I went to the Philippines last April) and so it was a very significant trip.  As the bus drove over the bridge, we had a distinct sense of the familiarity of this country.  How good and gracious God is as He has enabled us to adjust to this foreign land in such a way that it indeed feels like coming home!

Over the next few months we will make two more trips to complete the visa process.  In a few weeks, I will travel to Bangkok in order to apply for my work permit.  Then, towards the end of November, our entire family will go to Bangkok so that Jessica and the kids can extend their 3 month visas to match the 1 year visa that I was granted.

Waiting at the bus station in Udon Thani

We are so thankful for the many people who have been praying for this visa to become a reality and who prayed for us during our trip.  Also, we are most grateful to God for what He has done.  By providing these necessary documents, He has confirmed His calling on our lives to serve Him here in Thailand.