I just found out this afternoon that our company (a Chinese company that we founded and registered last spring) will not be allowed to hire any more foreign workers until further notice.This is a big problem for us, because our company was founded primarily as a business platform to provide legitimate work and residence permits for other Christians to come and settle down and share the Gospel in China.
Currently, there are 3 of us foreigners on our staff and we had planned to hire at least 2 more later this fall. However, when I went today to apply for a work permit for one of the guys scheduled to come this fall, and was told that for the time being, we were not allowed to apply to hire any more foreign workers.
This rule is not nation-wide, or even province-wide, but has been placed over two specific prefectures where our company (and 2 others) happen to be based. It seems to be aimed directly at us because we live in a sensitive area (think: Tib-tan). Hopefully, the rule will be lifted soon after the Olympics are over, however there are no guarantees in this nation.
I am currently brainstorming for new ideas in how we can still have the 2 guys come and work with us later this year. Even if they can’t work for our company as we had planned, they can study Chinese at a nearby university or possibly even teach English. But these opportunities are not as simple as they may seem. For instance, to study Chinese, you need to first get accepted to a university and then pay the required tuition.
So please pray for us to have wisdom as we make these decisions! Also, if you desire to do something more, at least one of the guys coming this fall is still in need of financial support for his journey and stay in China. Please write me if you are interested in helping him out.
