Certainly Uncertainties

Playing with the kids at an orphanage

We have so many uncertainties right now in life. We are starting to make plans to travel back to the States this summer. But we do not know how many people in our family with be traveling. We are in the adoption process. Will we have 2, 3, or 4 children? That changes what type of vehicle you can drive in the US (even though it may not in this country). What if one of us is delayed to finalize paperwork for these children and the other parent has to travel ahead?

But in some ways living in here has made us used to uncertainties. Planning can be looked at as a bad thing in this culture because the plans are sure to change, thus all planning brings the possibility of shame that the plans fell through or the possibility of loss of resources that were being built up for something suddenly being used for something else. As you’ve probably heard the cost of oil is at an all-time low in the world. Our country planned to make a great deal with a super-power country a few years back and signed a contract for oil at a cut below the price at the time. As you can imagine, that deal doesn’t look so good now, and we’re still paying a government subsidized price of over $5 a gallon here. Those who have nothing seem to always be kept in poverty.

Just last week the absurdly high price of oil led to what we heard announced as a transportation strike. Yes, the day that my parents were going to ride the bus back to the capital to catch their flight out that very same night. All the sudden we were not sure if we would all be jumping in the car for two exhausting 10 hour days of driving. We are grateful that 1.) we have that option and 2.) the strike turned out to just be taxi drivers in the capital.

This morning as I did my daily glance at world news, I saw a story on Germany sending refugees back to Austria. It made my uncertainties pale in comparison. Shuffled here, shuffled there. These people, just like us, have hopes and dreams too - maybe to send their children to school - maybe just a dream of a routine. I have learned already from some of the Christians stories about their contentment in Christ. But may I realize that these are people, just like me.

--La Maestra