Dita: Where the miracle meets reality!

Would it be possible to come and study in Canada?

It all started in 2021 with a simple question asked by a young girl during a humanitarian trip that we take every year on behalf of Talitha Koumi.

At first glance, Mona and I responded evasively that it was perhaps possible but quite frankly, at the time, we had no idea! But meh, to what extent was a young girl from a village located on the island of Java going to follow up on such a request? However, after a few days, Mona and I asked ourselves the same question: If she is serious, how far are we ready to go in this adventure?

Back in Canada, I checked on the Immigration Canada website if it was possible for Dita to come live with us and study in Canada and the answer is yes. On the site, everything seemed very easy (first illusion, or disillusionment!). We therefore contacted Dita again to validate the seriousness of her request and to our great surprise, she responded positively. So we started the procedures and that’s when the nightmare began!

For those who read me and are familiar with Immigration Canada, you will undoubtedly agree with me if I tell you that the 12 labors of Asterix are absolutely nothing compared to immigration procedures.

First of all, it is absolutely impossible to speak with an immigration agent to get help navigating the maze of procedures. For a year and a half, during 2 requests which ended in refusal without any further explanation, we were left to our own devices. Well, not exactly because God himself was comforting us. My wife and I have felt many times that God was encouraging us to persevere, but after two rejections, hope quickly faded.

It is therefore with heavy hearts that we left for Indonesia in August 2023 for our humanitarian trip. We had hoped until the last moment to bring Dita back with us but despite this, we still had to go and supervise the work done by our colleagues on site and visit our 30 protégés. After the 4 days spent in the village, we returned to Jakarta and spent some time with John, the pastor of a church in the megacity.

That Sunday, we went to the international church frequented by expatriates living in Jakarta. To put you in context, Jakarta is a megacity of 33 million inhabitants and it is a very large city. As I was giving a conference on sex trafficking of minors in Indonesia, my photo was circulating on the church screen. A man sitting in front of me then turned and told me very insistently that I should meet him after the celebration.

It’s extremely important to you, he insisted!

Statistically, the rest of the story is humanly impossible!

I then thought I was dealing with a potential donor (we depend, in fact, on donations) but when we started talking after the celebration, I was quickly surprised by the content of the questions. The man was very intrusive and asked questions which, in my opinion, seemed to go beyond what a simple donor would ask but good prince, I answered all his questions until he mentioned Said…

Very surprised, I asked him how he knew Dita. He then revealed to me that in reality, he was an immigration officer at the Canadian embassy and that it was none other than him who had refused the visa application twice rather than once. Words fail me to express the degree of amazement that Mona and I felt. Such an encounter was undoubtedly a miracle and we were able to see God act in such a powerful way!

This man was able to explain to us in detail the reasons for the refusals and was able to give us valuable advice in the event that we wanted to make a third request, which of course we did. In addition, this meeting also reconciled us with the immigration service because we were able to see the great professionalism and the sincere desire to protect visa applicants or asylum seekers.

Armed with all this information, we applied for a visa and… WE’RE GOING TO BRING BACK  DITA NEXT SUMMER!

In conclusion, do not doubt the existence of God and his love for you. He still acts with great power now but to see the supernatural, one must engage in the advancement of the kingdom of God!