Saturday Post -- 12/09/15

Early yesterday evening, we received word that the adoption we have been pursuing was now all but dead in the water. Due to the circumstances of the birth-family, a small chance remains of this working out in our favour, but this would not be for another few months.

Twelve hours later, we are naturally still pretty raw. In theory, either outcome would have represented something of a miracle, especially given the circumstances around the initial abandonment, and yet two weeks ago, in so many respects, the thumbprints of providence had seemed so evident to us. Time will doubtless reveal the true significance of what has just happened, but right now, we are struggling to make sense of it all.

Above all, the process has been a salient lesson to us on the land-mines that are laced along the road to adoption in this cultural context. Back in the UK and Canada last year, we were reminded of the treacle-like pace of such processes in the west, and were comforted that at least we wouldn't face such long waits once we got the ball rolling here. But, of course, there are good reasons for such safeguards, one of which is that they serve to protect prospective adopters and adoptees from the emotional strife we have recently undergone in having such great exposure to the case in question. Bloodied but unbowed, we now have to either proceed with greater caution in future, or develop a thicker skin; this may simply have been the opening salvo. Those are questions we hope to resolve over the next few days and weeks.

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And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,  they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

Those words of Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians have rung so true in our community this week. On Tuesday, our friends Carlos & Carla, with their young son Kenny, took a trip to the zoo in the afternoon to mark Carlos's birthday (you get half-days off work here for your birthday, believe it or not). After an enjoyable hour or two, they returned to the entrance to discover their motorcycle had been stolen. Motorcycles are the traditional family vehicle here, but the loss was doubly traumatic as Carlos works as a taxi driver to supplement his main income (Carla stays at home to raise Kenny). They ended up taking the long walk home knowing that their very wellbeing was now on the line. 

(To their credit, they kept a commitment with us that evening to come round for Chinese food -- prepared by Selene -- to mark Carlos's birthday. Given that things had taken a significant turn for the worse with the adoption, we all had ourselves something of a pity-party!)

But their loss only served to galvanise our church community here. Within 24 hours, Carlos & Carla had received several generous gifts from individuals and from the church's own funds. They kept another commitment on Thursday evening -- to host the church's prayer meeting -- and it was there that the men of the church came together to discuss a plan to get enough money together to carry out the expensive repairs required on a motorcycle belonging to one of our cohort, and then give said vehicle to Carlos & Carla.

Over the last six years, Amanda and I have regularly documented our work in seeking to bring the church here to greater 'maturity'. This essentially has become shorthand for, say, increased Bible knowledge or deeper devotional lives, and these things are just fine. But when it comes to generosity -- and particularly coming together to support needy brothers and sisters -- I would suggest that their maturity levels far exceed ours in the west. Their means are meagre, their margins are tight, yet their response in times of crisis is one of 'rich generosity'; some in our own cultures might even call it 'recklessness'. 

It's probably been my biggest lesson as a leader, too. It is all too easy to begin to regard oneself as the sensible westerner (dare I say, Scot?) whose good sense is a necessary balancing weight against occasional Latin American impulsiveness. And such an attitude, in the past, has brought me grief in leaders' meetings, where my colleagues have sought to meet great congregational needs when the church itself is barely making ends meet. "Well, Craig, so what," has essentially been the LORD's response as I have seen us reach deep into our pockets for one cause after another, yet somehow always have more than enough to keep going.

In a sermon I heard on the above text some years ago (and stop me if you've heard this one before), the preacher referred to statistical evidence showing that, in the USA, Mississippi was at one and the same time the poorest state per capita, and the biggest giver to charity per capita. That's very Bolivian. Indeed, that's very Macedonian.

We have learnt so much from, and grown so close to, this little church community (NB: they run rings round us westerners in that respect too), that it was nothing short of a privilege to host them and other friends last Sunday to mark Amanda's birthday. The steak was devoured, the trampoline was well-worn, and most people stayed long after the food (which isn't always the case here!). We must do it again some time. To close, here are some pictures.

Prayer

• Pray for us as we seek to get over the disappointment of the last day or so, and for the courage to forge ahead with an adoption in the future. If nothing else, these last weeks have confirmed that we have bountiful supplies of love to share with a wee one.
• Pray for Craig as he touches on issues of faith and unbelief with the youth group tonight, who are reading their way through The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.
• Pray for safe travels for Amanda's mother, Selene, who leaves Bolivia on Thursday afternoon.
• Looking further ahead, we have a busy couple of months looming, with two big events looming large: a marriage course in early October (more details soon) and the annual youth camp in early November. Amanda in particular has a lot of preparation to put in for both of these; pray for a healthy work-life balance, and for peace when it's simply not possible to spin all the plates at once.

Praise

• For the LORD's grace to our church in allowing us to consistently and joyfully meet each other's needs.
• For a happy day last Sunday.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda