PERSISTENCE AND RESURRECTION POWER
(During a Visa Application Ordeal)
Dear colleagues,
A pastor friend of mine sent the quote below to me at a time when I was terribly exhausted and stressed because of all the things that I had to do before leaving Sri Lanka on the 13th. I have been having 13 to 14 hour work days these days. I just came to office from the Netherlands embassy where Subendran and I went to get our visas just to pass through the Amsterdam airport. We were told we need to make an appointment, to hand over our applications!! Now I am nervous because I have a totally full programme before going on the 13th. I have one more Keswick talk to prepare.
But I have always known that if I persevere it will work out OK in the end.
Pray for me and I hope you will find this quote a challenge.
Love,
Ajith
Here’s the quote:
“Persistence is the essential ingredient for success. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent cannot: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius cannot: Unrewarded genius is almost a cliche. Education cannot: The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are invincible. The phrase ‘press on’ has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race.”
5th July
Dear Colleagues,
Just after sending you the e-mail about perseverance we found out that it will take two weeks to get my Dutch visa just to transit through the Amsterdam airport. There were no free interview slots for almost a week. And then they needed four working days to process the application. I am scheduled to leave for Calgary, Canada and St Louis USA in a week’s time. I called the embassy, my secretary called and we tried hard to explain the situation; but they said, there is no hope.
I had a few free minutes and I took Nelun shopping to buy a birthday gift for a little boy in our church. I took my Ephesians studies along to study in the van while Nelun shopped. She took a very long time which gave me very little time before my next meeting. The reason for the delay was that she was looking for a book for the boy. But all the books available talked about fathers–and this boy’s father had left them for another woman. Finally she bought a painting book.
But I got an extra time to study Ephesians in the van–more specifically Eph. 1:19 and 20. It talks about the immeasurably great power of the resurrection toward us who believe. Not to Sri Lankans who believe, I thought! What power do we have? Guilty until proven innocent–with such a hassle to go through to prove our innocence. I’ve had enough of foreign travel–I cant handle this humiliation and stress (with so many obstacles along the way) any more. Then suddenly I realised, Paul is talking about resurrection power. For there to be resurrection there had to be death–humiliating death with false accusations and unbelievable pain. The final chapter has not been written for me.
Comforted by the thought I went home to learn that the KLM office had intervened on my behalf. They wanted me to fax an appeal–which I immediately wrote up, Sent out and went for my next meeting 20 minutes late. There I got a phone call to say that Subendran and I were to be interviewed at 9.00 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday)!
I praise God! It’s Friday but Sunday’s coming!
Please pray for our interview tomorrow.
Your brother in Christ,
Ajith