Encouragement in the midst of “Red Tape”

Some families have seasons of snow shoveling. Others have seasons where the wind feels like someone opened a large oven door. We live in a land that has neither of these. Our seasonal annoyances are more akin to tax “season”; we have snowdrifts of government paperwork: ID cards, Visas, Passport renewal, Driver’s License, Passport renewal for the other country you keep a passport for – same for that other driver’s licence, etc, etc, and soforth. Just like those more weather realated inconveniences, it can be really easy to let your vision lower to the annoyances of the season instead of realizing the gift wrapped up in the inconvenience.

This past week, we had to renew our kids’ passports. We weren’t looking forward to it, but we serve a God who is God over government paperwork. While we were busy considering this chore an interruption to life in general and service to Him in particular, God chose to use it twice to encourage us and show his care.

First, when we went to print our passport photos here in Puyo, I noticed that the music the store owner had playing was conspicuously worship music. While I was pondering this, the owner came up to me with a big smile and excitedly told me that she was now a Christian, and that she still had a letter I had written her last time we were there – which was years ago! I remember writing it, and how I had been in her store and had asked her a few questions about what she believed and where her hope came from. But I also remember going home feeling like I had not clearly explained to her the good news of the grace we can find through Christ. That is why I had written that letter; to try to do a better job! Now, the Lord certainly used other believers in her life, but I was delighted and humbled that He had used a small act of obedience I had long forgotten about to plant seeds of truth! I was also encouraged that maybe being faithful in small obediences, even in days spent standing in lines, was what the Lord was looking for!

Our second encouragement came as a result of realizing that we were two documents short. The night before our appointment, we were making copies of ID cards and birth certificates. Suddenly it dawned on me that I did not have current birth certificates for our two Ecuadorian born children. (It is a mystery that has never been satisfactorially explained to me WHY a copy of one’s birth certificate should ever expire, but in Ecuador, the copy is only considered valid for 30 days after you request it from the Civil Regestry.) We live right down the road from the government office that handles such things, and it would have been simple for me to get new copies sometime that preceeding week, but here we were needing to leave before the office opened in order to get to our appointment in the capitol on time! We tried to use the online system, but to no avail. So, we made a plan to get up dark-early, drive most of the way up to Quito, and then stop at a town on the way and try to get the copies we needed after things opened up at 8:00. It seemed like a good plan, but we could still be waiting an hour or two before we could continue on our way. The next morning we made great time and found the office just as they were opening. There was however, already a line. Taylor jumped in it while I took the kids around the block to find a store with a restroom. By the time we came back, he was no longer in line. In fact, he was no longer in the building. He was waiting for us at the truck, copies in hand! Apparently they were short staffed that morning; one lady was trying to run two computers. It seems she had one cubicle set up to do birth certificates and the other ready to do government ID cards. She was getting tired of going back and forth, so instead of calling people based on their place in line, she grouped them based on what they needed. That meant that Taylor was called to the front of the line and we were on our way! We made our appointment with time to spare. All our paperwork was accepted and we were on our way home! The Lord doesn’t always step in and bail me out of my secretarial goof-ups, but we definately appreciated getting to see His hand!