Prayers & Prepping

Back in Medan after nearly three weeks away. It’s good to be home, which is what Medan has become over the past 15 months. But it’s not a long time to rest and recover. Next week I’m back to Singapore to visit Lutheran friends there. And plans are finalized for a week-long trip to the Philippines at the end of the month to represent the LCMS at the Lutheran Church in the Philippines’ (LCP) graduation day for Luther Theological Seminary located in Baguio City, north of Manila about five hours by bus in the beautiful and cool mountains.

In the meantime, prayers are requested!

Since I do not yet have a work permit for Indonesia (maybe June!?!?), it isn’t possible to have a bank account here in country. For 15 months that has worked all right. We’ve figured out ways to use e-wallets and transfer funds to them from our US bank account. I’ve been able to get cash with my US debit card. And of course, we rely heavily on credit cards (with no international fees!).

However about seven months ago one of my credit cards was compromised somehow and cancelled by the bank. They thoughtfully mailed a new one – to our family in Arizona. Down to a single credit card, I ordered a new credit card from a different bank, which also was mailed to Arizona. The cost to have those FedExed out here is over $100 and there is uncertainty about delivery. So I delayed having them sent, relying on my one credit card and my wife’s credit card.

Unfortunately, as we completed our travels in Japan my credit card started getting flagged with suspicious activity. Sure enough, there were fraudulent charges on it. A discussion with the bank resulted in that card being cancelled as well.

So now I sit with no physical credit cards on hand other than my wife’s one – which doesn’t do me much good when I travel. I’m having the two cards in Arizona shipped to Singapore which seems like a more reliable delivery place than Medan, and I hope to pick them up next week when I’m there. The most recently cancelled card is allegedly being delivered by FedEx here to Medan – but my hopes are slim that the bank is actually doing that, or that I’ll actually receive it.

As long as I get at least one of the two deliveries I’ll be greatly relieved. Please pray that both of them would be delivered safe and sound and I can breathe easier.

The next challenge will be getting new debit cards when they expire next month. Oh, the exciting adventures nobody thinks to prepare you to deal with before moving overseas!