Shana Edmond and Marie Andy, Marshallese outgoing missionaries

I just sent Shana Edmond a couple of weeks ago to the Provo MTC. She is a Marshallese sisters going to Temple Square for her mission.  If you get a change to visit Temple Square, tell her hello for Elder and Sister Badger.  This is a picture at the airport just before she left.  It might be fun for grandkids to go see her and talk with her.  I love it when these missionaries get sent to the U.S. because they don't need visas! 

I am really happy because I just got a visa for Marie Andy, another marshallese missionary candidate.  She has been waiting for more than a year to go on her mission.  The process for getting visas for the Marshallese people was "broken"; she was  called to Australia, but nothing was done to help her with a visa.  After she had already waited months, I became aware of her situation and decided to step in and learn how the visas were done.  It is supposed to be handled by a travel agent hundreds of miles from here in Tarawa, but nothing was happening.  I suffered and sweat bullets many days trying to get through the requirements and paperwork for her.  Because  it had taken so long, she had to have a second physical and chest x-ray.  The travel coordinator in New Zealand decided to help us get her to the MTC in New Zealand while she waited for the visa.  Because she was from New Zealand herself, she said she would go to the MTC and get the papers from Marie and lodge them herself.  Then, when the visa came in a couple of weeks, Marie could go on to Australia.  We got a flight for her and a letter of sponsorship to attend the NZ MTC that flew out that very night.  Then Elder Badger and I had to go find Marie!  She doesn't have a phone and she is always on the move.  Who knew where she was.  We got in the car and drove to Rita where we got out and walked around puddles and through paths from one little hut to another (in the rain).  Everywhere we went, they told us that she had just been there a little while ago. Finally, Perkins found her and took her home to hurry and pack.  She got to the office just as the Pacific Travel office was closing, but they booked the flight and told us to get her to the airport. Honestly, it was just like somthing you would read in a book or see in a movie; there was such a flurry.  She made the flight and got to Hawaii, but the story doesn't end there.  The people in the airport at Hawaii wouldn't let her get on the flight because the letter of sponsorship was not enough for them to let her go to New Zealand MTC.  They sent her home!!! 

So we lodged her visa and waited and waited and waited.    We were told it would take two weeks, but four months later, we still didn't have a visa.  I called the case worker several times and emailed many times, but the process was extremely slow.  Finally, it was decided to forget Australia and reassign her.  As soon as they reassigned her, I contacted the embassy and asked for her documents back-with or without the visa.  They told me it was almost done, but we needed her passport and I told her we couldn't wait for the visa any longer. 

It was fast Sunday, and I was fasting for Marie to be able to go on her mission.  She showed up at the Laura Ward and bore her testimony about her long trial of waiting so long.  She said that she had talked in Stake Conference 5 months ago because she was leaving, and now it was almost time for Stake Conference again.  I talked to her and told her that we were fasting for her.

 The passport didn't come for several days and I was informed that it was on the way with the visa in it!  I went to President Shaw and he called the area to request that her assignment be allowed to go back to the call to Australia.  Then he jokingly said that the visa had better get here now or else.  Well, it did arrive and we are celebrating, but they made a mistake and assigned her to go to the New Zealand MTC instead of Provo.  We already knew that didn't work!!!!!  I called the area travel and they went to work on fixing the mistake.  Now Marie has the right visa and the right MTC- more that a year after her mission application was approved.  I am surprised that she has been so patient through all of this mess.  She is to be in the Provo MTC on March 20th and I will give a huge sigh of relief when we get her there.  She is a remarkable young women with a powerful testimony.  I am going to count this as one of my biggest successes when she is on her way next week.    Ij luukun monono (I am very happy)