The Foreigners

So I've spent the whole afternoon today becoming completely confused by government website information regarding all kinds of things from auto insurance to work permits and my conclusion is...? Canada is a foreign country. It might not sound profound (and to some, it is probably downright intellectually offensive), but it is an inescapable fact.

I would imagine that most of you reading this post are not Canadians and that the majority are American citizens. This is both a blessing, internationally/diplomatically speaking, and somewhat of a handicap. Why? Because we are neighbors along the largest undefended international border in the world, and yet, because we are so neighborly with Canada, we tend to blend the U.S. and Canada together in one general category. Yes, there are things that wiggle their way into our common-knowledge humor regarding the differences, but how different could they really be? Way different, that's how.

We used to joke about the bureaucracy in the Hungarian system when we lived in Hungary and were pursuing our permanent residence there. In fact, there was a staff member at the castle whose entire ministry to staff and students was to help them obtain their visas and navigate the issues, medical exams, consulate visits, etc. Boy, I sure wish we had her with us right now as we face our move!

Canadian immigration is no straight-forward walk in the park. Yes, we're going as missionaries, visitors (hopefully I will be able to get part-time work teaching Kindermusik), but that means we have a host of other sticky legal issues facing us. We are foreigners, and the Canadian government, as much as they are interested in populating their nation carefully and ensuring the best for all inhabitants, has put a proverbial wall around the nation to seemingly keep foreigners keenly aware of their outsider status.

To all of this, I would like to apply a truth that was shared with us by someone in our prayer team during our last monthly meeting, which puts it into perspective:

Understanding will not bring you peace.

God is able. Nothing is impossible with Him. Rahab, Ruth, Mary, Moses. Nehemiah, Daniel, Joseph. The LORD is on the side of the foreigner, the unlikely, the unresourced, the outsider. And He is our God. He is for us. Even though we don't understand all the technicalities so eloquently and verbosely layed out in the government immigration and legal websites, HE does, and He opens doors that no man can shut. He's got the inside on everything. He gives favor with rulers, and is the Lord of lords, all who are in authority.

I wish I could get my brain around all the information about what we need for our move, but the bottom line is that we need to trust the Lord. He will take care of that which concerns us. Praise Him for that!!