First the good news: Our golden retriever Zuzu had a litter of eight puppies! (born on 17 February). They sure did grow fast and became a handful to look after. This week the last of them left us for new loving homes. We are keeping one (Bailey), and he is now getting used to being without his brothers and sisters. It does look like we might have kept the naughtiest, but I’m sure he’ll calm down and stop eating everything he can find as he grows up! (hope hope hope!). We already need to buy a new front door as he’s eaten a chunk from the bottom!
Pratiksha has been awarded a scholarship to attend a conference in Sydney, Australia and to present a paper on the findings of research on ‘Exploring the linkage between child and youth participation and development effectiveness’. The research was completed in partnership with Transform Aid International, other Australian NGOs and their country partners in Loa and Fiji and the University of Sustainable Technology. The conference starts on 13 June and lasts for three days. We have not heard anything back from the Australian Embassy about the visa. Please pray that there is no problem and that it will come soon.
A few weeks ago, a Government of Nepal committee called an emergency meeting to look at making a change to the visa rules for UMN. Despite our best lobbying efforts in the days leading up to the meeting, we were informed that the decision went against us. For the past 63 years, UMN and INF had been given a gratis visa privilege. This was usually confirmed every five years with a written agreement, and we still have just under 3 years to run on our current agreement.
Please pray that this decision could be reversed, or at least implemented in a way that is less disruptive to UMN. Please pray for the families most immediately affected by the delays and uncertainties after this decision. And please pray for a strong, positive relationship between UMN and the Government of Nepal.
We are currently looking at how much a spouse visa will be for Phil and the options that this will allow. Phil’s current visa runs until February 2018.
Finally, this weekend we have the UMN Expatriate Retreat, to be held in Pokhara (the last time it was held in Pokhara was in 2015 and the earthquake struck shortly after one of our prayer meetings). Please pray for safe travels for everyone and a fun time of learning and reflection. We return to Kathmandu on Monday 29 May and then prepare to fly to the UK for our home assignment on 31 May. We look forward to seeing some of you when we speak at Newbury and Broadstone (please see your notice sheets for details).
Love and blessings,
Phil and Pratiksha