Dear friends and family,
This is an update we have not been looking forward to writing! But, nevertheless, here it is:
The big news, for those of you who don’t know yet, is that we are leaving Amsterdam.
In September we were informed that Becka and Aidan’s visa applications were rejected. We filed an appeal, and up until just a few weeks ago, it seemed as if our appeal would be successful. However, on November 13 we were informed that the decision regarding Aidan was final, and that we needed to leave the country as soon as possible. (Obviously a “no” for Aidan is a “no” for the whole family). Our case is very unusual; despite the very strict immigration laws in the Netherlands, this type of thing rarely happens to American citizens working as volunteers. It was quite a surprise. We will be leaving November 25 for the U.S.A.
We are very disappointed about the decision. It feels like an interruption to all that we have invested in the past eight months-our ministry, relationships, language learning, and studies. After all our travelling in the past four years, we were looking forward to establishing ourselves in Amsterdam and committing ourselves for a longer season in one place. That is on hold, at least for now.
So what next? To be honest, we really haven’t had much time to process everything-the last week has been very busy with packing, saying our goodbyes, and trying to prepare for returning home. We are not really sure what to expect in the coming months. Our immediate plan at this point is to briefly return to Illinois, before heading on to California. Becka’s family has been going through a very difficult season, and we feel that it is important for us to spend some time there with them.
We are tentatively planning to return to Amsterdam sometime next year, but we need some time to process everything and pray through what God is saying to us in all of this. Would you pray for us during this time? In terms of our visas, we need to be out of the country for at least three months before we can re-apply. However, we also have to assess our chances of this being successful, and when the right time to return is. We are considering a few different options, including:
1.) Finishing our degrees, we have a few courses left in YWAM’s university system. We could potentially finish these in Switzerland next year, and then return to Amsterdam in the fall.
2.) Spending some extended time in the U.S., working/raising more support before returning to Amsterdam later next year. Maybe applying from the States, so we don’t have to move until we know we are accepted.
3.) Something we don’t yet see will come up and it will be obvious it’s the right decision.
Mostly we are trying to think through, “What is the best for Aidan?” He’s already seen a lot of changes in his short life; so far he’s taken it all in stride, but we want to do what is best for him.
To all of you who have supported with your prayers and money: THANK YOU! Saying those words never seems like enough to express our gratitude for all that you’ve done for us. For us to have a community of people standing with us, believing that we can make a difference-it means everything to us. We’ve said this so many times before, and we hope you understand how true it is: we couldn’t do it without you. Thanks for partnering with us to serve Jesus. Practically speaking, we will try and send out a newsletter shortly after the holidays to communicate our plans for the next year. Depending on our decision, it may be necessary that one or both of us will work in a salaried position for a while, and if this is the case we will let you know. As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
We would appreciate your prayers in the coming weeks/months as we make decisions and consider our future. We are looking forward to seeing many of you in the coming months; it’s not the best circumstances to be coming home for the holidays, but it will be nice to be home nonetheless…
Love,
Chris, Becka, and Aidan
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