SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST MISSION International – Papua New Guinea / Malawi Africa
P.O. Box 60150 Ndirande Bt. 6 Blantyre Malawi /
P.O. Box 233 – Mt Hagen (WHP) Papua New Guinea
Missionary / Evangelist: Peter A. Halliman
Email: panagioite04@gmail.com / Website: sgbm-malawi-africa.com
Dear Pastor, Church, and All Supporters,
Ro 15:22 ¶ For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.
Ro 15:23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you;
Ro 15:24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.
As I write this report, I am in Mulanje District, Malawi where I had purchased some property and built a Bible school building some ten years ago, I last had been here in 2016 and since that time, I have made several attempts to return to visit the mission work, brethren, and churches that were established. Through the twenty years I laboured here.
I will begin this report as the journey began, for nearly four weeks I continuously worked on securing an air ticket for Malawi Africa, everything was out of reach for me and off the rails, from four to eight thousand USD, not sure how other missionaries travel or maybe they don’t’ (?).
I committed this to the LORD’S will and as I laboured to find a proper ticket, on the appointed time, a return ticket was available to me for just over two thousand USD. I secured this and at the same time began to file for my paperwork to enter the country again. For those of you who have not travelled Internationally, you MUST comply and satisfy those governments where you are in transit and final destination. Governments do not care what denomination, nor what you say you believe biblically, rather what they do care about is the revenue they will receive from you.
For most of my twenty years living in Malawi Africa, I had obtained a (Permanent Resident Visa) same as a Citizen status. Being out of country for now eight years, that has expired, therefore, I had to apply for a simple visitor’s visa (doesn’t’ seem fair) does it after one has poured twenty years of their life into a country and thousands of USD into developing people’s lives!
The safe way is usually via ‘official websites’ that will facilitate this procedure of visa application, processing and return documentation. I have used these services before so it’s not new to me. The application was filled, documents uploaded, fee paid (173.00 USD), that was on the 6th of Dec 2023. Being the timeline it was, I requested a visa to be expedited.
Remember in all this that GOD is Sovereign and yet allows the devil to work as he does, again all this is for HIS glory. All was in order, email confirmation etc… I was told a response would not be returned unto the 28th of Dec 2023. I wrote two letters to the contacts I had again explaining my past experience in Malawi, the delays of the holidays etc. and the urgency of this action. No reply, nothing, I called the website number no response, therefore I felt I was either being duped or would lose my ticket in as much as my ticket was non-refundable and if no visa for entry than how do you travel?
Daniel 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
I wrote another letter to the E-Visa website with attention to the management explaining that they were already late in assisting me, and that I needed my money refunded, if this was not corrected, I would open a case with the Int. Fraud-department in D.C.
I contacted the Malawi government Immigration, and they assured me that I would be granted a ‘visitor’s visa’ upon arrival as long as I was a US Citizen and had a passport valid for one year.
Because we are GOD’S servants and people does not mean we are to be the doormats of the world.
That answer came to me on the 29th of Dec 2023, I put my things in order, packed lightly and on the 1st of Jan 2024 departed out of Atlanta, GA for Malawi Africa. The flight pattern took me through Ethiopia, I was reminded of Acts 8 and that long journey the Ethiopian Eunuch would have taken to Jerusalem, how wonderful God’s grace is in finding HIS people and bringing them unto salvation!
Just over twenty-four hours (counting layby) in Ethiopia I arrived in Blantyre Malawi, the weather was quite warm from what I departed out of, I didn’t need my jacket anymore, the memories began to flood my mind, the noise, smell, landscape, heat, almost a careless way of approach to legal business, (TIA) this is Africa!
I cleared Immigration with no issues, it only cost me ($50.00) USD, not 173.00 there was an Immigration officer, Customs Officer, and Police Officer all who recognized me and addressed me by name, as though it had been yesterday that I had departed. As in PNG, Africa too, time means nothing, to them it really was only yesterday.
To be continued…
By His Grace,
Missionary Peter Halliman