Missionary and 'criminal'

The one building in Kamakwie I was pretty sure I'd never see the

inside of... and don't ask why the police have a tractor... I have no idea!

On Sept 9, the immigration officials came to Kamakwie. No worries, right? I had a Visa, I'd heard that they visited on occasion, and this was just 'routine'. Apparently, even though I had a 30-day stamp in my passport (and had been in country less than 2 weeks), that my 'tourist' visa wasn't sufficient... I should have had a resident Visa. The immigration officer was a very angry, impatient, loud man who refused to listen to anything we tried to say. Dr. Tom called the Minister of Health for the Wesleyan church in Sierra Leone (basically my bosses boss and the person who sent me the letter of invitation to visit), and he said that this was absurd, not to pay them any money, and above all not to let them leave with my passport. So, me and Patience (a midwife from Nigeria who they also had a beef with about her paperwork...in the end there was nothing wrong with it) were taken to the police station to sort this out. By this time it was pitch black outside, and the only light in the police station were 2 candles. It was so surreal! They threatened to keep us overnight and fine us for not having the proper paperwork. I wasn't afraid of being locked up for the night, but the immigration officer's assistant was being very inappropriate and I was not wanting to be anywhere within 100 kilometers of him. By this time a small crowd had gathered, and there was so much yelling and arguing going on. The magistrate or chief or someone important came zooming in on his motorbike, and the whole storie was re-told to him. Eventually it was decided that we could go home for the night (without my passport), if we would return in the morning.

The next morning it was decided that I pay the fine (Le 205,000 - about $50), surrender my passport (not like I had a choice in that), and the immigration officer would take my passport to the proper office and get my resident visa for me. Long story short, after lots of other shenanigans, my passport was returned to me a month later, and the immigration officer was demoted to a desk job for the way he handled the situation. It all turned out fine, except I am a little bummed I didn't get a horrid mug-shot out of the deal. It's never boring or predictable in Kamakwie!