Well, this has taken me a while to write this post - but Sylvia's spousal visa has been approved! It only took 3 weeks to process! I honestly put this down to a miracle as we were told on submitting the application to expect wait of 1 - 2 years... which was waaaaay too long to be apart. After a lot of praying and submitting the best application I possibly could, the Lord has definitely blessed us with a granted migration visa!

Well I am back in Australia and trying to reintegrate into society by finding work, looking for accommodation and buying a car. I'll continue this blog for a little bit - not because I love the sound of my own voice, or think that my life is so amazing that others have to know what I am doing. I'm actually getting a few hits on this site from people searching for immigration information, so basically I'll continue documenting the Australian spousal visa application process so that others going through the same thing know what to expect. Friends and family - thanks for reading and joining me in my travels, please be praying that Sylvia's visa is processed quickly and she can join me here in Australia soon!

Well, I have one week remaining in Zambia before heading back to Australia :( In preparation for my leaving, I spoke to Leonard, the Director of MMM Zambia, to see if Sylvia could rent my old unit while her Aussie visa is processed, and he agreed, so yesterday, we moved back to MMM.

My official role at Luyando has finished, which sucks as there are a few major things on the horizon. The school is making the move from Cool Bananas sponsored community school, to registering all the teachers with the Government. This means that the farm, Cool Bananas, won't have to pay teacher salaries, and Luyando Community Services (LCS) can retain the overall direction and constitution of the school - which is exactly what we want as it relieves the burden on Cool Bananas (CB). In addition to this we are trying to separate 100 hectares from CB for LCS, so that the school, church, shop and hammer mill are all on LCS land. Both of these initiatives are important as they ensure LCS's smooth running should something happen to the farm.

Well, we have finally heard from the Ministry of Home Affairs here in Zambia, and it looks as though I have to return to Australia by the 10th of February. Our appeal for a temporary permit has been unsuccessful, however, we were informed that I should try applying for a work permit. Unfortunately I cannot be within Zambia when an application is made for this visa, and as the initial Temporary Permit was rejected, I see little hope for success in lodging another application. We serve a gracious God though, and to ensure all bases are covered, I am going to lodge a fresh application for a work visa while I am in Australia in February.