What an ordeal…
Crocs donated 120 shoes for us to bring to South Africa and give out to the kids. Orginally it was 250 but the gal we first spoke with got laid-off. I delegated it to Jeanine who was able to get someone else to help us but the most they could get was 120.
(This 2nd lady was only a receptionist but when she heard how the promise was made and the order lost and who they were for she took it upon herself to find some. We could have gotten more but this was all that was in the wharehouse in Colorado.)
So the week before we left, I went to Niwot to get them. They were nice and even let me join the compnay picnic with free burgers and cake. Our bags were full so we divvied them out. Most went in a bag that Cassie brought and the rest went in one of Jeanine’s bags. Well as I have written earlier all of our groups bags were delayed in London.
Tracking down the bag we learned this last one that was cassie’s was held in customs. The only time we had to go get it was the day she, Jeanine and 4 others left on the 8th.
So before Cassie checked-in, she and I went to British Air claims department and an Afrikaneer named Steven took us the back way through security to customs. But Carlos (a Cuban ctizen of RSA) the customs agent, would not give us the bag because I didn’t have BEAM Africa’s tax empt status. I called Erika who could give it over the phone but Carlos wanted to see it. Okay he was just doing his job, I thought. Cassie needed to leave so we couldn’t waited to see if the fax went through. Steven said he would secure the bag and BA would make sure it was delivered to Erika’s house. Case solved. Or so we thought.
The weekend passed as I went to the STINT midyear and no bag was sent. After about 4 calls to BA, I finally got ahold of Steven. He said the fax never came through. I asked Steven, who had my number and Erika’s, why he just didn’t call us with this information and he said he went on holiday.
So I had to go back to the airport and could only go today. I went back to BA claims department and they couldn’t find the decalration dentation form. But another guy an African named Miles helped me and he just brought the form he had went had the detention number.. For 2nd time I went the back way through passport control and to the customs office. This tiem the agent said we didn’t that proper form and very surly asked why i didn’t have it. I explained the scenrio of last week and said perhaps Carlos had it. That led no one as he said there was no way Carlos had it and I don’t know he had it since I left. Miles went to find Steven while I sat and waited. He came back. Steven was at work but no where to be found and no one knew what he did with the form. Perhaps it was on holiday.
Miles and I then did what only we could do. We went to the airport police station to fill a report that the detention slip was missing. The police never asked why I wasn’t Cassie and were very helpful. Slip from the principal… uh police in hand, I went a 3rd time through back way through passport control. They know me now by name.
Miles said, “since you are giving this to help our country, they should just have given you the bag.” I told him it was spiritual warfare and he agreed. He is a believer and we had a good talk about the ministry we have been doing both with kids and Sekepe.
The slip from the police plus the tax empt forms from BEam did the trick. The bag is locked in Erika’s truck I am borrowing (if not stolen as I stopped to do internet). I think we are gonna wait and give them all out on the 29th. That’s Jack & Drew’s 4th birthday and the day before we leave. We are gonna celebrate all the kid’s birthdays and give them presents of Crocs.