Oh the joys!

Well!  If you are reading this, I assume you’re sitting down,  now before you continue reading I’d like you to review what is around you;  make sure you’ve created yourself a safe space - so you won’t knock anything over or when/if  you fall off your chair you will land on something soft, if you’re drinking something maybe stop – so you don’t spit it out all over your screen! 

Do I have you sufficiently excited yet? 
(In my mind I hear a roaring “YEEEEEEeeesSSSS!!! Come on Kayla, get on with it already!”)

OKAY well this month has had it’s share of stressors, the most recent larger one has been a package that my mother sent me at the beginning of the month.  Customs decided that they wanted it, I was informed over the phone on December 14 that if I didn’t have an explanatory letter(and apparently saying that it was Christmas and my family wanted to send me something was NOT a good enough explanation as the woman on the phone rudely told me), translation, and some permission letter from the Costa Rican Ministry of Health by December 15 that my package and all it’s contents would be destroyed!  You can imagine my horror…I had ONE day to get all these documents – some of which would be next to impossible.  Have you ever needed a letter from the Ministry of Health to receive a present in the mail?!  No, me neither!  As it turned out, there had been an issue with the paperwork and so the package was being treated like a commercial shipment.

Now you may be thinking, “Oh Kayla, so dramatic, it’s just some cards and a colouring book, let it go”  weeeeell yes and no.  You see this package also held my childhood stocking – which holds a lot of value to me and a new debit card (I have not been able to take out money from an ATM since October – things have been veeeery tight the past little while).  So, knowing there was no way I’d be able to get the necessary permissions in one day, let alone, one day during Christmas week, I suggested that the package be returned to the sender.  Thinking that at least it wouldn’t be destroyed; only to find out that the Shipper was going to charge somewhere around $300 CAD to get the package back.  I was quite discouraged. 

Fortunately, on the 16th I got a call saying the package was not being destroyed but rather being placed in abandonment until the proper paperwork came.  That the items that were offending Customs (the reason the package was held in the first place – I presume) could be removed and they would send me the rest of the contents!  Great news!  Unfortunately, when I had heard the package was to be destroyed I had called the bank and cancelled the card (the term ‘destroyed’ has different meanings to different people, i.e.. open and claim what you’d like..).  So I played it safe and cancelled and requested a new card (which we are praying comes to me, here in Costa Rica, by the end of the month!). 

So the package was opened and a list of the offending items was made, I signed it saying it was okay to leave those items.  I was told it would take about 24 hours for the package to be released as long as everything went smoothly… haha!  Last week I was told that Customs was saying I’m not registered with them, so they need to do that – it usually takes a day (that initial 24 hours) but for me it had already been over a week…

Last night I was discouraged, thinking about all the things that should be working smoothly, but aren’t, how I've handled things, basically, i was getting bummed out (I’ve been calling the Shipper’s local number multiple times a day do ask about the package – make sure I’m not forgotten (which is normal to do) but it takes it’s toll.  So last night I was laying in bed, talking to God “Hey buddy, what’s going on with this, I’m tired, I’m sick, I don’t know what else to do here….”  I decided that today I would fast all day and see if I got some news, I prayed about how God knows that I’m tired and this shouldn’t be as big of an issue as it’s been.  Then I rolled over and said “NO more thinking, analyzing etc., now I will sleep in peace!”  And i did!!!

So this morning I wake up, dreading the phone call I have to make to Stephanie (the worker who has been with me since the beginning, she’s delightful, but recently has been the bearer of all the bad news haha) so I was laying in bed, deciding if I would call just the once today or twice.  I had been feeling like maybe i was being given the run around, which is common here, that perhaps they weren’t even doing anything and just blaming everything on Customs.  *Phone rings…. I look at the number, it’s Stephanie… I thought “Oh no, what is wrong now?”

“Allo??” (Hello with a Canadian/Spanish accent)

“Hola! Kayla!?  Your package was released today, it’s en route!”

*Jaw drops*  Oooh Lord you work fast, I hadn’t even started my fasting and extra extra intensive prayer plan for today!  

Excellent!  I hang up and am overwhelmed with happiness and since there was no one to hug, my blanket serves as the substitute!

Then I’m wide awake, so excited, God took care of this issue, so I take to my devotional (Jesus Calling, Sarah Young) because I’m just so happy I want to see what it says for today:

“TRUST ME with every fiber of your being!  What I can accomplish in and through you is proportional to how much you depend on Me.  One aspect of this is the degree to which you trust Me in a crisis or major decision.  Some people fail miserably here, while others are at their best in tough times.  Another aspect is even more telling: the constancy of your trust in Me.  People who rely on Me in the midst of adversity may forget about Me when life is flowing smoothly.  Difficult times can jolt you into awareness of your need for Me, whereas smooth sailing can lull you into the stupor of self-sufficiency.
     I care as much about your tiny trust-steps through daily life as about your dramatic leaps of faith.  You may think that no one notices, but the One who is always beside you sees everything – and rejoices.  Consistently trusting in Me is vital to flourishing in My Presence.”

Psalm 40:4  “Oh, the joys of those who trust in the Lord…”

“..when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.  I praise God for what he has promised.  I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?”  - Psalm 56: 3-4

Psalm 62:8  “O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to Him for God is our refuge.”

Isaiah 26: 3-4  “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You…”

What a refreshing and encouraging reminder!  I am not alone, and even the trivial things – like a package from home are also important to God. 

Well we thought it was over….after writing this, I saw the company’s truck pull up, raced outside to go get my present!  Only to have it waved in my face and be told that to be able to release the package to me I need to pay (in cash) 62,155.55 Colones (which is about $125 CAD)…I don’t have that kind of cash on hand and therefore wasn’t able to pay, meaning that I saw the present and then watched it drive away.  Left with only a bill in hand and wondering why I hadn’t been told beforehand of these charges.  I had a feeling there would be something, but since nothing was mentioned, I decided not to worry.

Anywho, I guess the waiting and praying will continue…I was hoping to end this with a picture of my present BUT instead I guess we will use it as prayer fuel and hopefully everything can be settled today!