Oh, Bolivia...

Learning to live in a new culture is a bit of a hard task to accomplish. One that I don’t think we’ll ever fully overcome. I think you just become more and more tolerant of the differences that seek to make you crazy. I also think you have to become just a little crazy in order to deal with the frustration those differences bring about. From learning to greet with a kiss, accepting that everything will start late, cars and technology is crazy expensive, and developing a habit of washing everything with bleach to accepting corruption and glorified bureaucracy as an aspect of the culture, life in Bolivia is beginning to seem less of a vacation and more like work. And.. that is a great thing. 

When we were planning our move, we didn’t budget for a car. “Public transportation is so cheap and you can walk practically everywhere.” This statement is a great example of a paradoxical truth. Yes, is it cheap to take a trufi or a taxi. And you can walk most places. But is isn’t fun carting groceries 12 blocks to your 6th floor apartment or trying to get 7 people into a taxi when you have two friends visiting from the states. So, here we are. Wishing we had budgeted for a car. Especially since they are so expensive here - like crazy expensive. An old dependable car (that is mostly ugly and screams “practicality”) costs a good 14-18 grand here. That is a lot of change… Pray. Pray now..ha  God is sufficient though and will meet our needs. Our lack has been a blessing in many ways, though, as we enjoy learning the streets and meeting people. 

One thing we did budget for was a projector. We didn’t really care about having a television, but a projector would be great. It could be used for ministry and outreach campaigns, as well as an occasional family movie night. Like I said, technology in Bolivia is really expensive. Most people who live here purchase tech stuff in the states and bring it down or have a visitor bring it. Great idea, right? Most of the time. I ordered a projector about a month and a half ago and had it sent to a friend who was coming to visit. While watching Facebook for updates on her travel, I encountered some of the frustration I mentioned in the first paragraph. I got a message from our friend; our projector was confiscated. 

“You have to pay taxes on this.” Because the word projector wasn’t listed on the list of “personal items,” we were going to have to pay taxes. So, no biggie, right? Except that the office where you do this was closed until Monday and our friend found herself in the airport on a Saturday waiting on a connecting flight to our city. They wouldn’t budge. They gave her a piece of paper stating she had 60 days to retrieve it. That was it, end of discussion. During her stay we discussed it, and decided that she’d simply grab it on her way home and take it back; we’d figure it out later. Only, when she was back in that airport on her way home, she was told she still couldn’t have the projector or pay the taxes. The office was open this time, but it would take 24 hours to process her information and only then could she get it back. (Imagine our frustration… I’m still imagining it) They, again, wouldn’t budge. So, she is home and our projector is (supposedly) in a locker in the Santa Cruz airport. The likelihood of us getting it back is slim to none. Why, because corrupt bureaucracy allows for the legal theft of merchandise in order to fund our wonderful government. There is no way anyone traveling through that airport can pay taxes and keep items that they bring if the staff deems it as “taxable.” 

Am I mad that we lost $400 on this projector? Not really, I believe God is sufficient. If there is one thing God has taught me in this journey to foreign missions is that he will provide for all our needs according to his riches for his glory. Am I mad that we don’t have a projector? Not really. I’m frustrated that we lack that tool, but again, God is our supplier. Am I mad at how those things were taken? Yes. Is my anger justified? Not really. 

Scripture tells us that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” I can be angry about this situation and most people would tell me it’s justified. But my anger isn’t a sign of my trusting God, but a sign of my selfishness - “MY projector” and “MY money.” When we find our selves angry over things that were taken from us or that were lost, I take that as a sign of a lack in our faith in who God is. Do I believe that God will supply my needs? If so, why am I worrying about this loss? Do I believe that God is sovereign and will work in me and my life for his glory? If so, why am I more concerned with this circumstance instead of looking for a way to walk obediently on mission with Jesus. “Consider it joy when you face trials of many kinds.” 

We can take joy in these trials because scripture says that they “develop perseverance” and “cause us to become mature and complete” not “lacking any good thing.” When I face the trials of living on the mission field, I don’t want my response to be carnal. I don’t want to react with an attitude that relies on my own ability and understanding, but with one that trust in God to perform his will in my life in a way that works for my good and for his glory. And, my ultimate good is being conformed to Christ. Frustration is a good test of character, but it is also good for my character. 

When you first move to another country, learning another language, meeting new people, it takes time for it to sink in that this is your new life. You can have all the intention in the world to be on mission for Christ and can take step after step in the work of service, but you will go through a honeymoon season where everything is great and your life feels like a vacation. But, with time, life has a way of showing us the work to be done and then wiping away the “vacation charade” that comes with the first few weeks of living abroad. We are stepping into this new season of being able to realistically look at the road the Lord has set before us in our calling to Bolivia. And this new season is one that is accompanied with frustration, yes, but also with great joy. We look to the work ahead with joy because it will not only be used to accomplish God’s will for Bolivia through our small acts of obedience, but it will also work to conform us to Jesus - and this is the most important aspect of our walk with the Lord. Be obedient, yes. Be bold and be focused. But, also learn to allow each circumstance to make you look more like Jesus. That is our desire and our prayer - to be like Jesus. 

Joyfully frustrated, 

Seth 

(and the rest of the Powell house)