I'm sitting in the Plaza del Estudiante in Santa Cruz by the second ring. Why am I here? Well, I thought I would be spending the day finally getting my paper from Interpol and going to immigration after being illegal in Bolivia for almost a month now. No such luck. They said our papers came in but upon arrival at the office, nope. We need to come back the next day. While leaving we got pulled into a side office and interviewed for 'biometrics'. Apparently all foreigners need to do this (but I'm pretty sure our friends at the hogat didn't... Just another example of how wacky the system is) so they have more info on who's in Bolivia. In the end I got a little slip of paper to show anyone who asks for my papers that I don't have yet. Kind of like a "get-out-of-jail-free" card. I'm told too that I'll be more likely to be questioned because I look, well, not Bolivian (apparently I'm blonde here?). Mariela has less of a chance but will still probably be asked, especially if she's with me. That makes me feel like I put her at risk; that I'm a liability. Also, the fine is 20Bs for each day past our visa expiration date. Thank God for Mariela because she let them knkw. It's is not our fault; Interpol is the place who put us down and sent our papers to China. Hopefully we don't have to pay because we've racked up 600Bs, if not more, in fines. We started the process theee days after arrival. We were on top of our stuff.
The risk of deportation seems more real today. Maybe I had a prophetic dream a couple weeks ago when I dreamt we were deported to San
Diego. And if I do get deported, that fills me with questions and fear. It's not scary in that I'm afraid of my well-being, but what are the implications for my future? Technically this is a felony, right? (Pleading innocence here). Will the plane ticket be covered by the government or do I pay? What happens at the convent and institute? Will they get new volunteers soon or have to wait for the next round of SLMs? Mission reimburtments? Should I apply for school now?
And then I really think about how God fits into this situation. What's His hand in all this? Is two months all He really wanted from me in Bolivia? What have I learned in this short time? How have I made an impression here (if any)? I'm not going to pretend I have any answers or write down my own conjectures. Hindsight is always 20/20 anyway. I'll just stick my mantra through this legal mess, "Your will be done."
So many questions, both secular and spiritual. I think of when Fr. Antony compared us to little pebbles. We're small, can be kicked around, become annoying when stuck in a shoe, just kind of there. But the Holy Spirit is a hurricane. And when that hurricane picks us up and increases our velocity, oh what an impact we can have! Here in Bolivia, I'm the pebble in the hurricane. Not really knowing where the Holy Spirit is taking me in this crazy storm, but submitting to the fact that I'm not in charge. He's the one who steers the storm. I do what I can, but the rest (and majority) is all Him. Trust in the Lord. A cliché maybe, but a hard and necessary lesson. Whether I stay or go, my hope is that it is as God sees fit.
P.S: If I'm in a hurricane with my VISA ish, BARISTA coffee is the eye of the storm. A little place of calm, smiles and serene caffeine.
No comments:
Post a Comment