Prayer and help required! Lebanese VISA.

I am scheduled to depart for Beirut on Friday morning to participate in the Lausanne Theology Working Group meetings at the Arab Baptist Seminary.

My VISA application was made in December last year, but to date I have had no confirmation of the VISA.  I googled the Lebanese consulate in South Africa and found telephone, fax and email contact details - so I sent an email, sent a fax, and tried to call them.  The phone just rings without any answer, and I have had no response to my email or fax.

I know that there is sensitivity about who they let into Lebanon (see the image in this post which is a screen shot from the Lebanon Travel Guide).  Without mentioning the name of the 'other' country (just in case they google me!), I have been to there twice.  Perhaps that is the problem?

So, please do spare a prayer for me in this regard!  Also, if you have any contacts that I could follow up in order to get this matter sorted out please leave me a comment below, or send me an email via the contact section of my web page.

An appeal for help - Life in Zimbabwe is murder these days

The poster above, which is in South Africa, reads "Life in Zimbabwe is Murder these days. Just remember your country still needs you - come home at election time and vote for FREEDOM"

I was born in Zimbabwe. It is a beautiful land.

It is so sad to see what has happened there. It is time to start helping out!

I have a colleague who drives up to Zimbabwe from South Africa with a trailer full of basic food stuffs and stationery for ministers and their families about once every two months. He smuggles in things like pencils, powdered milk, nappies for babies, a few sweets and treats, hand cream, rusks, coffee and many other things that I take for granted. Of course it is not that these things cannot be bought in Zimbabwe, they can be bought, but usually one needs to barter on the 'black market', and payment can only be made in South African Rand, or US dollars.

Well, I want to help him as much as I can. Naturally it would not be a good idea to share who this person is on the internet. However, if you're eager to help then please make contact with me off the blog and I'll be sure to put you in touch.

I shall be donating the proceeds of the sale of my little book "A guide to prayer for use during examinations" to this cause - so, if you want to buy a few copies to give out as gifts, the proceeds go to a worthy cause! Just search for 'pre-order', or drop me an email, and I'll send you as many as you need.