Relocating

WHY THE MOVE?

In early 2023, we started hearing of other expats in the country having their visas denied. The tides were changing – and the process for the type of visa many of us live in this country on became increasing unstable over the last year.

This increased uncertainty has weighed heavy. We’ve watched as our teammates, friends, and fellow workers were denied visa renewals (seemingly at random), and in some cases had to leave suddenly FOREVER in very scary circumstances. It’s unsettling to say the least. And from the news we’re seeing, this trend is only growing here. (We are so very grateful that all three of us received a 1 year visa renewal which is valid until September 2024.) Unfortunately, our own director’s visa was also denied in the Fall of 2023, and that has launched us into a new set of conversations.

Because of these growing visa issues for our staff, it’s become clear that it is not sustainable to run a counseling center from this location. We need more stable staff, and right now, new visas of this type are just not being approved almost across the board. We do hope to grow to include more counselors (there’s a huge need!) but can’t get them here long-term, which is obviously difficult for a growing need for more staff!

So, the conversation shifted…

We had anticipated living in this Middle Eastern country for a long time to continue the work with the counseling center. In fact, the Center was in conversations about buying a building and expanding. Those dreams are still out there, but as it became clear that it would not be in this city and country, the board of directors began looking for another location where we could establish a counseling center, get good visas for staff, and provide a safe, stable place for workers from this part of the world to come for care.

Budapest, Hungary rose to the top of the list for a few basic reasons:

• There are other ministries in the city that are able to help us get established and have been so welcoming! The prospect of help in navigating setting up a business, working with new government systems, etc. is a huge plus!
• There’s a clear path forward for long-term visas and that makes it a more stable location for us.
• It’s still close to this part of the world and allows most all the same clients to come for counseling.
• It’s one of the cheaper cities in the EU to live in, but also has access to a lot more English (which is helpful for both clients and staff in navigating a new place), has good public transportation, and provides many of the same practical help for workers that our current location does (including access to medical care, shopping, restful locations, restaurants, etc.)

The decision to move the counseling center to Hungary was made in December 2023. We (Nick & Amber) made the decision to follow the counseling center and continue our work with them in this next season. And we’re grateful for the chance to continue this amazing work alongside a tremendous organization! It truly has been life-changing for both us and many, many workers who have done hard work in these spaces.

What will it take to make the move?

FOR THE COUNSELING CENTER:

• Shutting down services in our current country of service
• Relocating and setting up a business in a new country
• Stopping counseling services for a few months in the midst of our transition
• Saying goodbye to some staff and hello to new staff during the transition
• Providing space for our team to re-establish in a new context

FOR OUR FAMILY:

• Moving our household internationally
• Saying goodbye to a community and country we love
• Saying hello to a new country, new culture, and new language
• Re-establishing our home and family life in a new place

FOR OUR MINISTRY:

• Our roles in the ministry will remain the same. Once we get settled in our new place, do some (minor) studying and navigating, Nick will go back to full time counseling. Amber will continue doing communications and design work, and helping with intake coordinating (emailing and scheduling clients, etc.) with the counseling center. And Caris will continue her delightful job of “welcomer” in the mornings for clients (She’s seriously really good at this and lightens everyone’s countenance as they come in!)

• This includes an increase in our budget as Budapest is a more expensive location. Also, inflation and our growing family has made it necessary for additional ongoing support in this next season. Therefore, we are in need of new or growing ongoing supporters. If you’d like to hear more or talk to us about this increase, email safehaventravelers@gmail.com