Kazakhstan 2
Johnny Jones, 7 June 2002
I'm a planner. I like planning, especially for trips. I read books about places we will go, and think about what it would be like to be hiking on a glacier, or walking on a beach in the Caribbean at sunset, or overlooking the rocky crags above the Pacific.
So I began weeks in advance peppering Mark and Melissa with questions about Kazakhstan: What would the weather be like? What should I know to be culturally sensitive? How could I help them?
Replying to the last question, they asked, "What can you do?"
Well ummm I told them I like to speak and I like to write, and that I teach sociology.
They replied, "Great! Then you can speak at a group lots of our girls have problems with alcoholic dads or husbands. They don't know what to do. That's sociology, isn't it? Can you do that?"
I started sweating a little. But they said if I could get something together, that was OK if not, that was OK, too.
Hmmmm it was hard to find the time! But I said, "Lord, if you want me to give this talk, you'll need to provide the time." I did some web research and got notes together from my classes. I wrote some from memories growing up in my home. Then I finally got a day and wrote a talk. That was on Friday, less than a week before we were to leave. But I was ready. It was all in the plan.
That Sunday, before I was to leave for Kazakhstan on Thursday, I got this note from Mark: "We had a shocking realization. We have never talked about visas. Normally, you get visas to enter KZ before arriving. Normally it is many weeks in advance. Did Peggy at the travel agency ever mention visas?"
No, she didn't. That last-minute visa problem was not planned not at all! I was thinking, "Oh dear if you don't have a visa, don't they send you back home?" I had visions of being in a tiny room with grim people trying to look up words in our Russian/English dictionary that would prevent my being sent to a dark, damp jail while I waited for the next flight back, which would not be for days.
Mark and Melissa got their travel agent working, and he sent applications for visa forms over e-mail. I filled out the forms for Bryan and for me (Bryan was at a robotics conference in DC, but I have a copy of his passport), and sent them back.
When I didn't hear from Dimi after a couple days, I asked about what was going on. Dimi sent me this e-mail: "We have received the information for two people: - Jones, Johnny Carole - Jones, Bryan Allen. But it's impossible to get the LOI (letter of invitation, necessary for a visa) as fast as you requested. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not work tomorrow and the Embassy of Kazakhstan too. We can start the process on Thursday only. After that we need to have 4-5 more work days for getting of your LOI from Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
This was on Tuesday. I sent a "Help!" e-mail to Mark and Melissa, who said they would work on it. Wednesday, while Chip worked and Amy subbed, I went around, alternately packing and sighing. Every now and then, I would kind of squeak at the end of a sigh. I kept thinking, "Do I really want to do this???" and I wasn't even sure! But I thought it might be important for me to give that talk. And I wanted to be with Bryan.
Wednesday night Mark called and said I would have the LOI at 7 the next morning. We were leaving for the airport before 9.
When the LOI wasn't there after 8 am, I called Mark again. We got the information, but with this caveat: "Excuse us - we had not enough time and we tried to do it so fast as possible. But these mistakes will not make a problems with the getting of the KZ visas by you at the Airport of Almaty. Please, contact us ANYTIME OF DAY AND NIGHT if you will have questions about it. You can explain it to the officer of Border Police (only if he will ask you)."
The mistakes were that they had my sex down as male rather than , and my place of work at Southwest Budapest University (rather than SW Baptist).
I could have pictured myself in the little, smoky room again with the Kazkh Police, but I didn't have time. I had a plane to catch.
But the rain delayed many of the flights from Lambert, and I had only an hour or so to catch the one in Chicago that would take me to London. Our flight, fortunately, got off on time. In the airport in Chicago, they asked for my visa. Then I remembered I had both of them for Bryan and for me. I asked British Air to FAX a copy of my LOI to Charlotte so Bryan could have it, too. Otherwise, they might not let him on the plane.
We met as planned at Heathrow in London. But the air traffic control system was down for all of Europe. Every flight was delayed or canceled. We watched anxiously for our flight, knowing that if I couldn't get there I couldn't give my talk; I was speaking on Sunday after we arrived on Saturday.
We were delayed for an hour. People were running to get to the plane, since the departure time was posted so late.
Once we got to Almaty, I knew I had to be in good shape. The talk was an hour with an interpreter, two. I slept eleven hours Saturday night. Mark and Melissa couldn't believe how well we did! I had less jet lag than when we had gone to Europe.
I gave my talk Sunday night as planned. But getting to it was not at all as planned. It became obvious the plans were not just mine, but the Lord's. And those plans are to prosper us, not to harm us but they are also more of an adventure than I would ever have planned!
