Travel 101: Read visa stamps upon ARRIVAL.

Hello wonderful people! I'm currently opening my blog for the first time in almost a month. I suppose that speaks to what life has been like for the past few weeks. Namely, chock full of people, busyness, love, laughter, and life. Every time I thought about writing,  I was completely overwhelmed with the prospect of putting into words what I've been learning, thinking, and feeling. God is so good, and I am learning to be ok with not being able to put into nicely framed phrases what He's doing in my life. Sometimes I spend too much time trying to understand what I'm living, and not enough time just living. So, over the course of the next few months, as I transition once again into a new phase of my life, I will be gradually processing, gradually realizing, gradually growing out of this experience. But I'm afraid that patience will be required, as I am finding it impossible to share my heart at the moment.

However, there are many other external things to share; namely, the growing list of things that seem to be determined to keep me in Bolivia.

First, the visa. I have a tourist visa that is valid for 90 days, 3 entries per year. I'm here in the country for 94, and was anticipating the small fine at the airport upon departure. Yesterday, I started poking around the internet to see if there was anything else I needed to do before leaving, like pay the fine at the Immigration office, or anything like that. In my searching, I came across a site that casually mentioned that occasionally, border control stamps visas for 30 days instead of 90, for no particular reason,  and you have to go to immigration to apply for more days. I pulled out my passport, and was shocked to find a previously unnoticed 30 scribbled on my visa stamp.

So. Catherine is illegal. And the 4-day fine is now a 64-day fine. However, my brilliant host mom has come up with a plan, affectionately named by my brothers "the mafia plan." On Saturday we travel to Copacabana, which happens to be 15 mins from the Peruvian border. We cross the border, and return through Bolivian border control, where they stamp my visa for another entry into the country for another 90, or 30, days. Supposedly. We'll see how it goes.

Secondly, the flight. On Tuesday, there was a strike at the airport, and we have no idea if flights are leaving yet. So I called American Airlines this morning to ask about my flight for next Tuesday. The woman entered my name and flight number.....and couldn't find a reservation in my name.

Ok. Breathe. Jesus is in control. And life is an adventure =)

All in all,  we've laughed a lot over this whole situation, and my brothers are quite content with the idea of me not being to leave the country at all. However, as much as it breaks my heart to be leaving, I do really want to see my family, and I am scheduled to be at HoneyRock on May 17th. So prayers would be greatly appreciated - for peace, for trust, for joy, and for the ability to continue to laugh about the twists and turns of this crazy life.

I love you all, and I'll see many of you very, very soon. I leave you with Tozer's prayer from the chapter of The Pursuit of God that I read this morning.

"O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good. Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen."