I have recently been reminded of just how incredibly valuable each of my ongoing supporters are to my life and mission. My sending agency, Shepherd's Staff, asked me to complete a course based on the book The God Ask. And it brought back so many lovely memories of how each of my current donors came to be a part of my team and how their continued generosity (especially since the opening of Abba's House) has impacted my life.
But in being reminded, I'll be honest with you all and admit that I was also admonished by our loving Father for not treating them all with the honor they deserve. And for that, I am so very sorry! If you are one of my twelve on-going, faithful, compassionate donors to my Shepherd's Staff missions account, please know that I do not think of your gift as a little thing. I do not take it for granted, even if I fail to communicate that as often as I should. And I do not think of your gift as only a monetary partnership. You ARE a part of the work God is doing. You ARE a member of the team God has brought together to do the work on His heart in South Africa. And you ARE changing lives! Even while I'm stuck in America.
All that being said, I have not done my part in keeping the lines of communication going while learning how to start a baby safe house, how to set up a staff, and how to create and establish an NPO (along with bank accounts and taxes) in two different countries at the same time. None of that is to be taken as an excuse, mind you! It's just some factors that played in to my decisions and failures with my amazing supporters. I'm working hard now to change that, if I can. That being said, one of my failures has been in explaining why I am still in America. And I definitely owe you all that clarification. So, here's what happened:
In 2023, before my 3 year visa expired, my visa agent helped me to submit an early request to renew the visa. Because of covid, most governmental offices are still playing catch up with various paperwork jobs. And with regards to Home Affairs, the office overseeing visas and so many other things, they were already behind before the very long lockdowns occured in South Africa.
My visa then expired in May of 2024, without a response to our renewal request. This did not make me illegal or anything of that nature. It just meant that I would need to prove my request was still pending if I chose to leave SA before I heard back from them. My dad was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer in 2021. So we knew the risk was there that I might need to return before I received a renewal or a rejection. Dad fought for 2 1/2 years and was beating cancer when he passed suddenly of a blood clot in October of 2024. As God would have it, one of my dearest American friends was in South Africa the day he passed. She and her son had spent a week in SA and he passed the day before they were scheduled to fly home. She helped me arrange to be able to fly back with her for the long journey back to America the following day. In the chaos, the papers I needed to prove my visa process was still pending were placed in the wrong bag. When we got off of the plane in Cape Town, they sent us all immediately through border patrol, and I was unable to get to the bag I needed with the paperwork. The agent at the border was very sympathetic and tried to help. But because they were short handed, she was not allowed to leave her post to help me get my papers. She had no choice but to put me on the overstays list, a blacklist banning me from returning to South Africa for 5 years.
Now, please don't read that and panic. I do not believe I will have to wait 5 years to return. I was given an email address for the overstays office and instructions on how to send the documents to them within 10 days of my landing. I, of course, sent the papers they needed and several others documents within 1 day of landing. Unfortunately, as you might guess, this office is also very far behind in their work. It has now been 10 months of waiting. We have had immigration lawyers, state senators, and even officials in DC and at the US embassy in Cape Town all try to get involved in helping me (because they were all friends of my dad). Nothing can be done until the Overstays office gets to my email (or emails as I continually keep checking for updates from them). It's a long game of waiting.
However, if you have been following me on social media, you can see why God has arranged for me to be in America for this period of time. My family has needed me. And I have been amazed at how He has orchestrated the reconnection of bonds I thought were lost years ago, a sacrifice of being in another country for over 7 years. And if you follow Abba's House on social media, you know that God has been so faithful to allow the ministry to continue as well. I speak with them 6-7 days a week and attend regular zoom meetings with my management staff. On top of that, the management team has stepped up in some HUGE ways to keep things going, knowing that we are all striving to serve God in what we do. Plus, God orchestrated a way for us to move from the rented farm home we were operating from to a farm of our own with several existing buildings to help the ministry grow in the future. That, quite literally, would not have happened without God! So while I am still very eager to return to South Africa (my suitcases are still packed and waiting). I know God is still using me to help the people of South Africa, both in physical ways and in spiritual ways. And I know that God has had a purpose for all of this delay, in so many ways. I am also so very grateful to be able to continue to work alongside my staff every day in South Africa, and to continue serving Him with my online work as well. Anyways, I think that's about all I wanted to say. If you have any questions, PLEASE just reach out and ask me. I am happy to explain things or learn from any advice you might want to offer. And if you are one of my blessed on-going supporters in my Shepherd's Staff account, please know that I have not stopped praying for each of you by name (and photo) regularly. And I am forever grateful for your kindness, faithfulness, and encouragement! I would not want to do this without each of you!! And please let me know if you have any prayer requests that I can add to my weekly lists. I'm happy to partner with you in asking our Provider for assistance in any way you need.
Thank you! I appreciate you all and I love you!
If you need it, here's my email address: kristin.freudenthal@gmail.com
My dad and I before he got sick
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