Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Dear Praying Friends,
I wanted to update you on our immigration physicals and our visa situation.  We did have our physicals last Monday in Cincinnati, and everything went well.  There is a bit of a wrinkle that needs to be ironed out with the whole process.  The clinic in Cincinnati said that we were not entered into the system in Australia, so they were unable to e-file our physical results.  Instead they sent paper copies to Australia.  I have communicated with our lawyer in Australia to let him know of this information, and he responded with a sarcastic statement about the immigration office thinking that the online application process would run without any problems.  Our lawyer then said that he would be looking into it.
Please continue to pray for this visa application that the Lord would iron out all the wrinkles, and that it would go through without any more problems.  The Lord knows what He is doing and His way is perfect.  We will be in Australia in His timing.  I am so thankful that He is in control.
Thank you for your prayers and for checking this blog for updates on the ministry God has called us to in Australia.

In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family

Friday, July 6, 2012

Today I read in my devotions from Romans 12.  As I read vs. 12 the Lord spoke to my heart about what He expects of me.  It says: "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;".  The situation that we are currently in has been a tribulation, but we are so thankful for your prayers.  Our hope is in the Lord, and He is able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or think.  In Him we rejoice.
Last night our lawyer in Australia applied for our visas.  He filed online which in his estimation will move through the immigration process quicker.  Now we are waiting to hear from the Australian immigration office.
On Monday we will be traveling to Cincinnati for our immigration physicals.  This will be the second time we have had these done.  The first time we went to Chicago, but we were misinformed on the timing of the physicals.  Those physicals unfortunately were of no use in the application of our visas because the application had not yet been lodged to the immigration office.  We had those physicals done almost a year and a half ago.  Immigration physicals will only last one year before they expire.  Our prayer now is that the Australian government will approve our visas soon, so that we will not have to do these physicals again.  They are costly.
Once the physicals are complete and into the immigration system, then our application will be considered "decision ready".  This is supposedly the fast track for visas.  We have been told that we will receive an answer on our visa application much sooner because we have done it this way.
Please pray that the physicals will go well, and that the immigration office would respond before we go the Clinic with the number for online filing (the number will make the process even faster for approval), and that the Lord would allow us to have our visas quickly.  Thank you again for all your prayers.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Praying Friends,
Thank you so much for your prayers for us.  We have received communication recently with our lawyer and he is now applying for us.  By morning it should, Lord willing, be accomplished.  Please pray that the application will go through on the computer system and that the information will be correctly entered.  If there is even a tiny mistake we could be denied the visa.  May God bless you all for your faithfulness to this blog to find more information about this ministry.
In Christ,
Mark Pitts and Family