“The godly may trip and fall seven times but they will get up again.” Prov. 24:16
The saying, With great advancement comes great opposition has been a very real experience this first month on the field.
Between health issues, Cuttle being moved for the month due to high altitude sickness, and CK falling on the stairs and now having a cast on her leg, I thought we were doing pretty good in getting through the month still doing ministry. We made it to the last week still unified, and without further complications…
….or so I thought.
Last Wednesday Lizzie and I wanted to take our host sister out for an evening in La Paz.
Long story short, when we made it to our destination to sit down and eat, I realized somewhere along the way amidst the hustle and bustle of people, I had been robbed.
Unfazed by the key ring and carabiners which where holding my zippers together, someone very stealthily cut into my backpack and stole my valuables – passport, visa, emergency cash, bolivianos, I.D., insurance card, credit cards – yep, the whole kit and caboodle.
Now my first thought when I found out was honestly, “Crap, I just got robbed.”
My second thought was, “Seriously…I just got robbed and didn’t even know it or feel anything. How does that HAPPEN?!?”
Third thought was, “Yeah that was stupid on my part. There are so many things I should’ve done to help prevent that.”
Hard lesson learned.
No use beating myself up now. The past is in the past.
Besides the point that some lucky person just had their Christmas in July, the hardest thing for me last week was missing out on the last two days of ministry. I was not mentally prepared to have such an abrupt goodbye to the staff and women at Word Made Flesh.
Because the entire day Thursday and Friday were spent running around La Paz to the embassy, immigration office, tourist police office, photo places, banks, internet, etc etc, I missed the last day working in the Sutisana shop, dressing up and taking pictures with the team in local attire, the farewell lunch the staff did for us, and not being able to say goodbye to the women I have built relationships with this month.
On top of that, Lizzie and I had to leave our wonderful family a day early because we had to spend Sunday night in La Paz in order to be at the immigration office early Monday morning. Yet another abrupt goodbye I was not ready for.
I was able to acquire an emergency passport, but the visa has been a different story.
After a police report and documents to be stamped, among other requirements, we were finally told the visa would be ready by 2:30 p.m. Monday and our bus left at 3.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, slow processing and who knows what else, we arrived back at the office at 2:15 and were told it was impossible to get until another 24 hours.
Rushing back to the bus terminal, the bus was already loaded in the back of the terminal with our entire squad. Not being to able to say goodbye once again, Wes (my squad leader) and Mary Chandler (another squad mate whose whole backpack including passport etc was stolen on Sunday) and I, were left in the terminal as our whole squad left for Peru.
Sitting in a cafe in La Paz right now, Wes, Mary Chandler and I are still working through the processes needed to get us on our way to Peru…much of it at this point is waiting.
The past week has been a roller coaster of unexpected circumstances and obstacles, yet God has been working powerfully through them, even when I don’t understand sometimes.
He has been teaching me humility and dependence on Him.
My brother sent me this yesterday and it couldn’t be more perfect. It is the prayer of my squad mate Anastasia who went to be with the Lord a week before training camp. Her words ring true to my heart this past week.
Thank you Abba for taking me to the valleys where I can grow!!
“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart.” Ps 28:7
