After ordeal, leaving again

The entire town of Orofino rejoiced the day Paul Cross came home.

Balloons and “welcome back” signs decked many of the homes in this tiny north central Idaho town. Cars lined the streets for miles outside Orofino Tabernacle Church as its members awaited the coming of their pastor.

It had been nearly three months since they saw Cross. Some feared they would never see him again.

Cross had been caught in an immigration maze when The Spokesman-Review first wrote about his dilemma in early May.

The pastor left for Kenya on March 7 to check on a church-supported orphanage there. But he made a huge mistake that day: A native of Wales who doesn’t have U.S. citizenship, Cross left the country without receiving permission from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

He had traveled out of the country before and never encountered problems, so he boarded the plane without a second thought. It wasn’t until a week later that he learned of his mistake. His wife, Leah, who had stayed in Orofino with their three children, received a letter from USCIS informing her that Cross’ application for travel had been rejected. Apparently, he had failed to provide evidence that he had filed an I-485 Application, the form to register permanent residence. Paul and Leah Cross said they sent the requested documents to USCIS in February, but the March 9 letter indicated those forms had not been received.

Since Cross was already out of the country, the letter meant he wasn’t allowed to come back.

The news devastated Orofino Tabernacle, a congregation that grew from 30 to more than 700 since Cross became pastor more than five years ago. It also saddened the residents of Orofino, a town of 3,247 people nestled between a hillside and the Clearwater River. They all knew Cross and his family. And many – from the mayor and the county sheriff to the people who met for coffee every day at the Ponderosa Restaurant – wanted him back.

So the entire community rallied to bring him home.

They raised $3,500 to hire an immigration attorney to take his case to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They wrote letters to President Bush, Sens. Larry Craig and Mike Crapo and other people in office, extolling Cross’ work in Orofino and asking for their help. Orofino’s mayor, Joe Pippenger, also sent an appeal to Homeland Security officials.

In late May, the USCIS approved a waiver for Cross to return to Orofino. At the time, however, things were still up in the air. Cross wasn’t sure how long he could stay. His biggest fear was that he would return to Orofino, then have to pack his bags, sell his house and return to Wales.

“I was excited to come home, but in the back of my mind, I worried that I would be forced to leave them (his congregation) again,” Cross said earlier this month. “At the same time, I felt so lucky to have a community that cared so much.”

On May 29, the first Sunday since his return, Cross preached of the importance of putting one’s confidence in God. “I’ve learned to trust God in a deeper way,” he said.

Since then, the Cross family has continued to work closely with their attorney and representatives from Crapo’s office to attain permanent residency in the United States.

This month, he was forced to say goodbye once again to his congregation. On Dec. 6, he and his family flew back to the United Kingdom to complete more paperwork, provide fingerprints and obtain medical clearance so they can get permanent residency. The process is expected to take six to eight weeks. Because of what he went through earlier this year, Cross said he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, but all he can do now is trust in God.

As his family waited in the car on the morning they left Orofino, Cross stood in his living room, gazing outside the window at the town he now considers home.

With outstretched arms and tears running down his cheeks, he said a prayer: “Lord, I place all these things into your hands.”