EMI LEAVE AND FURLOUGH POLICY
WHAT IS LEAVE AND FURLOUGH?
We define leave and Furlough time as time that is set aside for you to return to the US for the following reasons.
Leave and Furlough time is to be used for reporting on what the Lord is doing through your supporting
churches, raising any additional support, special projects, obtaining medical examinations and medical
treatment, securing needed supplies and equipment for your field of service, visiting family members, working
on Visa’s and special meeting that you may have been invited to attend. In other words it covers ANY
TIME that your leave your field of service and come to the US for ANY REASON.
LEAVE AND FURLOUGH TIME ALLOTMENTS
TWO YEARS ON FIELD 6 MONTHS LEAVE AND FURLOUGH (for
second term or longer missionaries. This does
not apply to first term missionaries).
THREE YEARS ON FIELD 9 MONTHS LEAVE AND FURLOUGH
FOUR YEARS ON FIELD 12 MONTHS LEAVE AND FURLOUGH
All missionaries must request a Leave and Furlough Request Form from their director; it must be filled out
and approved by the Field Director prior to scheduling a leave or Furlough. A copy of your request for
leave or furlough will be sent to your pastor also for his approval.
National missionaries with EMI who need a letter to the US Embassy in order to obtain an entry visa to the
US must make the request in writing either by letter, fax, or e-mail to your Field Director. No request will
be sent out per phone conversation. You must also provide the address where you want the letter sent and
how you want it sent and how you want it sent, by Express Mail, UPS, or DHL. The cost will be taken from
your support account. Remember DHL and UPS require a physical address with directions on how to get to
your house for delivery.
Once the leave or furlough time you requested is approved and you arrive in the US you must notify your
director within three days of your arrival and as soon as you are located at an address you must submit to
the EMI office and your Director your address and phone number. Should you change addresses or phone
numbers while on furlough please inform the office so that our records can be updated. This is to insure
that if any church calls requesting to get in touch with you we will be able to help them contact you. We
suggest that you submit to the office your schedule so that if a pastor calls wanting to contact you we can
direct him on how to get in touch with you.
Before going on leave or furlough, if there are any changes in your ministry for the next term you must contact
your Director so that this can be discussed with your pastor, the Director and if necessary with the
Board of Directors. If you are changing Fields you must go before the Board of Directors for approval. If
you request a leave or furlough to visit your supporting churches and you come and enroll in a school for
additional education or take a job while here then this will be contrary to what your leave or furlough is
intended for. This will also apply for your wife also. You will be asked to meet with your Director to explain
why.
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Please schedule your physical exams and dentist appointments early to insure proper time for follow-up appointments.
All missionaries must make their own appointments. Be sure if you have Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Alabama through the mission that you check with BCBSA to make sure they are PPO approved.
Remember if you see a doctor who is not a PPO of BCBSA you will not be covered by your insurance. If
you have any questions about who is approved PPO you can call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama for
information.
Please note that Husband and wife should be together on leave or furlough. We don not recommend or give
approval for the husband and wife to be separated for six months or more. If it is necessary for the missionary
to come to the U.S. without his wife he must submit the request in writing. Also if you have children in
the U.S. and your wife needs to come to visit then a request form must also be filled out and approved. If
your wife must remain in the states for more than a month then a request must be submitted to your Director
for a longer stay. Again we must have this information to answer any inquires by your supporting
churches.
MISSIONARIES SHOULD NOT SCHEDULE MEETINGS WITH CHURCHES TO COME TO THE US
FOR SHORT VISITS WHILE THEY ARE ON THE FIELD. ALL MEETINGS SHOULD BE WHILE
YOU ARE ON LEAVE OR FURLOUGH.
In case there is a death, medical emergency, emergency with one of your children, Terrorism, Civil unrest in
you country then we will make every effort to get you here as quickly as possible. Other than the above
emergencies the furlough policy must be followed.
SHOUD MISSIONARIES COME TO THE U.S. WITHOUT FURLOUGH APPROVAL, THEY WILL
HAVE TO MEET WITH THEIR FIELD DIRECTOR, AND THEIR PASTOR.
Upon request from you, EMI will assist you in getting tickets for your Leave or Furlough. That is, we can
make reservations, pay for the tickets from your furlough fund or funds you provide, and have the travel
agency send your tickets by DHL to the address you provide. Please try to do as much of this yourself as
possible due to the heavy work load of the finance department of EMI.
Each missionary is responsible to acquire his or her own accommodations and transportation while on leave
or furlough. We will assist wherever it is possible but the responsibility rest with the missionary. If you need
assistance with accommodations or transportation please submit a request for help to your Director several
months before you take a furlough. We will do all we can to help you in these areas. We cannot guarantee
any missionary that we will find accommodations for them but we will do the best we can to assist.
We suggest that you notify your churches several months ahead of your arrival time so that they can make
time for you to visit them and share what God is doing through your ministry.
Please note: We suggest that you take several weeks for rest and relaxation when you arrive. Once you begin
meetings things will be very busy and before you know it your time will be gone. Additional time cannot
be added to your furlough for rest so make sure you schedule it in the time you requested for furlough.
If you think that you are not going to be able to return to the field by the end date of your leave or furlough
you must get approval for any additional time over the furlough approved time. All missionaries must make
sure that all bills are settled or arrangements made for their payment before leaving.
IN HIS SERVICE:
Brother Jim Ammons / Foreign Field Director