Out Of Order

I’m not a morning person. So, arriving at the church at 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning was a stretch for me. I was encouraged by our staff and families who were there to see us off - I wouldn’t have been there if I were in their shoes.

Once at the airport, things proceeded smoothly, according to plan. We were all at our gate in time to get breakfast before our first flight. The flight to Miami was smooth and we had no problems. We boarded our flight for Guatemala City and things were working out fine…according to plan.

We all cleared immigration with no problem. Then we got to customs. The customs officials would not let our medicines through. They had no issues with our personal belongings, or with the crates that did not contain medicine. The customs officials needed a piece of paper with a stamp and a seal on it that we didn’t have.
Once he realized that the matter wasn’t going to be solved quickly, Doug Nally had us exit the airport and wait outside while he, Jorge and Pastor Edgar tried to resolve the issue. The original plan was for us to clear customs, board the waiting bus and travel to the restaurant where we would have supper. Now, things were not working according to plan - they were, well… out of order.

We waited outside the airport for about an hour, praying the entire time that God would resolve the issue and release the medications. We heard from another team at the airport trying to collect their medicines, that a government official was unhappy with the actions of a team that preceded us. He was taking out his frustration out on us by not letting the medicines clear.


As evening drew near, Pastor Edgar was concerned for our safety as we sat outside the airport with all of our belongings. So, we boarded the bus and drove to El Shaddai Church of Guatemala City. This church is the “mother church” of the church Pastor Edgar serves in Guazecapan.


Definitely out of “our” order, but what a blessing and what a treat! Though we were in the heart of the city, we felt like we were in our own little world. This church’s beautiful sanctuary seats 5,000. A group was there preparing for a concert on Saturday night, and they gave us a preview. We were comfortable, we had entertainment and we had bathrooms! But… we still had no meds.


Once it was evident the meds would not be released on Friday night, we began our long bus ride toward supper and ultimately Fe Viva, our “home” during this trip. We stopped at the pre-planned restaurant for our supper at 9:00 p.m. The food was really good - but by then most anything would have tasted good! Back on the bus for more riding and we arrived at Fe Viva about 11:30 p.m. - physically and emotionally exhausted.
As options about what to do were discussed, the leadership team decided to move our “day off” from Thursday to Saturday, in hopes that somehow the meds could be cleared through customs. So, now we are on our way to Antigua…definitely out of order.

And yet today, in the midst of this chaos we are experiencing, I’m reminded that God took Chaos and ordered the world into creation. He “ordered” the lives of the Israelites so that they were freed from captivity, not once, but many times in history. And He has ordered my life, just as He promised me he would.
So, though my world seems “out of order” at the moment, I know that God’s order is still in place, just like it has been from the beginning.

So, Lord, repair me. Remind me that even though my world seems out of order, Your’s is working perfectly.