mirielle's being detained!!!

And momma can't bear it! She is being held in a detention centre (notice the English spelling?) in England! Apparently, she was not allowed to enter the country. She went there on a one-way ticket, since her next destination was Norway, and they did not like that one little bit, those English gentlemen who questioned her at customs. That, and the small amount of money she had were proof to them that she was entering England to work. Not true, she was helping a family in our church, she would get some spending money, but not a wage. But they did not want to hear it, no work permit, no entrance. They put her in a cell, where she is right now, and would not even let the daddy of the family she was going to help out go in and see her. Sorry, they said. Are they REALLY SORRY? When she called, she was understandably upset, and I was understandably freaking out.....I thought something terrible had happened to her when she said she was coming home....anyway, she gave me the number of the place she was, and I called there a bit later to try to find out some details....and the nice English gentleman who answered the phone said, "You cannot speak to the detainees, they are locked down." Then I freaked. LOCKED DOWN???? I said, "What?? That is my daughter, she has done nothing wrong. Are you treating her well and feeding her?" He assured me that she was in an area with only females, and that she was being treated well. He said I could call tomorrow to talk with an immigration officer. The daddy of the family said he talked and talked to the officials and they will NOT budge on letting her into the country. I hope that means they are letting her OUT of the country. And, I am wondering if they are PAYING for the return plane ticket....anyway....I suppose that is one of my soft spots, hearing that my sweet little daughter is being locked in a cell....ooh, it makes my blood boil, truth be told...and there is NOTHING I can do about it.....

I know, of course, that all things happen for a reason, and that God is there with her. He just has other plans for her right now, frustrating as that may be.

So, answer to the question, what program do our kids go through.... Our church has lots of churches in lots of countries, and though we don't personally know this particular family, we know people who know them. They needed some help, Mirielle wanted to help them,(but not without Paul checking it out first) and be in England for a while, so she contacted them. If you look on the www.brunstad.org page, it may mention the A-team, or A-lag. My daughter Emily is there for that for a year, and Joseph only for a few months because he didn't get his work visa. Brunstad is a huge conference center for our church, and it is rented out for other events during the year. Kids from all over the world go there and join the A-team,for one year increments, and help keep the place going. They also get to know each other, have fellowship, meetings, and gatherings. They really work hard but also have a great time. I imagine Mirielle will save up for airfare to Norway and try to go still. But she probably will be banned from England for life...nah, I don't know.

If you read this and you are from England, tell the government they are making a big mistake, not letting sweet little Mirielle in. She only adds goodness and fun where ever she goes, and now the whole country is missing out. She would have gone into that home, done things like the mama wanted, even if they were allowed to slam doors or waste food.....and she would have won those children's hearts. Oh well, it was not meant to be. But the poor mama, expecting her fourth child and having much pain from a hip injury, and now no helper.

Oh, the fun just goes on and on....we let our 12 year old daughter go on a trip to Detroit Michigan to visit one of her close friends from church. She went with his older brother, who is 24, and has been here many times, he is a very very good kid. (he is the one who got burned badly in the fire)....He happens to be black, which doesn't matter to us in the least of course. So, he lives here in the area, and his parents still live in Michigan. He went home to visit for the weekend, and took Margaret to see his sister. He took the short-cut through Canada. I made sure Margaret had her photo I.D. and her birth certificate, along with a nicely detailed permission slip with both Paul's (eh-hem, thank you Aaron) and my signatures. And phone numbers. So tonight, amidst the noise and mayhem, the phone rings...U.S. customs. "Is your daughter traveling with someone?" I thought the call was referring to Mirielle at first....I took a guess and asked, "You mean Margaret?" (the guy thought I was a real idiot, I'm sure)......He then asked me all about Delandie, how to spell his name, how long have we known him, blah blah blah....he then asked, "Are you sure you want your daughter traveling with him?" Yes, I said, it is fine, he has our blessing, he is a very good friend........anyway, I cannot help but think that they gave him such a hard time because of race...which is very sad indeed. Because I look at him and see a very kind and hilarious and fun-loving, hardworking, honest sincere young man. I do not see his color. Not at all. I don't know, maybe they would have questioned him anyway at the border, but I don't think so...Margaret called after and said they got them out of the car and really questioned them over and over again.

Now, isn't it strange that I am talking to immigration officials on two different sides of the world for two different daughters in one night?