The day I got 4 proposals

Yesterday (Monday) I trooped down to Immigrations inside the old walled city of Manila. Intramuros. I found a wonderful pastor's wife through a mutual friend who was able to help me navigate the confusing system. She confirmed that my returning resident, 1 year visa was a mistake and I do not qualify because I have no Filipino ancestry. She also helped me identify every piece of paper I needed to get my non-profit visa...and nothing has to come from the US! PRAISE GOD! Now I just pray that it all goes through smoothly.

She then led me to another office full of older men who could amend my passport to the correct visitor's visa until I can convert it to the non-profit visa. They all argued with her that because I have a Filipino birth certificate, I do qualify for the 1 year visa. After about 5 of the guys got together to discuss, and a gentle admonishment from my friend to uphold the law and that it was a matter of integrity, they agreed to amend my visa. Of course they asked me what I was doing here and I bemoaned the fact that I would have to go through the hassle and fuss of getting the right visa for missionary work. One of the guys grinned and said, "I have the perfect solution. Just apply for the 13-a visa!"
"What's that," I asked.
"All you need to do is marry a Filipino and you won't have to worry about visas." Then about 4 of the guys all offered to marry me. The only guy who didn't offer was lamenting that he was married. I laughed with them and again my friend said, "Yes, but her first priority and criteria is a man who loves God and is a follower of Christ."
What an awesome testimony! Yeah, these guys were half kidding with their proposals, but at the same time, it was a great opportunity for my friend and me to uphold the integrity of the law and the Word.

So I managed to keep my cool, meet some really neat people, and get my visa straightened out. Thanks for praying! It's not over yet, though. I still need to file all the paperwork within the next few days. It should go fairly quickly and smoothly, but I've learned that you can never count on that when the government is involved, no matter what country you're in!

If you think about it, please also pray those guys who watched integrity in action, not something that's so common in those offices. As a side note, while I was waiting to pick up my amended passport, I watched several bribes taking place and money was slyly slipped into palms. I'm glad I got to be different. Here's an interesting news article about one government official trying to clean it up.