Thursday, January 10, 2008

Mi casa es su casa

Well, Praise God that I found a place to live.

I just signed a contract to rent a small house near one of the Anglican churches here. It is in a very tranquil neighborhood called CalaCoto and I will be renting the house for one year. It is a two bedroom house but it has a smaller third room that I am hoping to use as an office and it will great to able to host guests that need a place to stay. Once I have the internet setup in the house I will post a photo album of the place…I promise.

It is a pretty old house and there are some things that I need to have the landlady fix but I am happy to have it. I looked at various apartments but this place just seemed to be the place the God was leading me to. I am glad that I can walk to one of the churches and there are tons of stores and restaurants that I can walk to as well…including Burger King…which is a place that I have vowed not to eat at as long as I live in La Paz! Anyway, I pray that God uses this house for His glory. If He wants me to have bible studies, prayer meetings or have the youth of the church over to play video games and talk about Jesus, I say let His will be done.

I am right down the street from the UNICEF offices and a FEDEX building. (Yes – I am trying to figure out the best way to receive packages…and as soon as I find out how, you will be the first to know)

I have spent the past few days going around to different markets around the city with one of the pastors here looking for items for the house. So far the big items that I have purchased are a bed, a washing machine and a stove/oven. (By the way, have you ever seen a guy carry a washing machine on his back by himself?) There are also some items here at the church that I am going to use – living room furniture, table and chairs for kitchen, refrigerator, etc…

But here is my problem.

I can already feel myself starting to worry about getting everything situated in the place. Once I had the keys to the place my tendency towards perfectionism kicked in. In fact, I am having trouble sleeping right now so I decided to type this post. The bible talks about “not being anxious for nothing” and “do not worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will bring enough trouble of its own” yet I still find myself falling into the same trap. Take my word for it. Some of the same traps that exist in Atlanta, Georgia exist here in La Paz, Bolivia. Just because I am here as a missionary hoping to share the love of Christ with others does not mean that I am immune to certain temptations, even the temptations that involve “stuff” and our home.

I think what I am feeling with regards to the house is that I am taking my western way of thinking (ie I need to fill up this house with stuff and everything has to be perfect and in its proper place so I can impress people) and I am trying to apply it to my new Bolivian living situation. Why can’t I just be happy that I have a place to live? Why is a roof, a bed and a bathroom not enough? I want it to be enough but there is something inside me that is telling me that it is not enough.

I am in a city of extremes and they are very visible. There is extreme wealth here and extreme poverty. At the market today I was in a visibly poor neighborhood in La Paz and it was uncomfortable. It was the most uncomfortable that I have been so far. But it is interesting to realize that even in a third world country you can easily stay in your comfort zone if you want too. Even in a third world country I am going to have to manufacture the “uncomfortable” moments. I could live my life in a bubble here just as easily as I could life my life in a bubble in Georgia.

Believe me…I want to settle into my new home here and I want to be safe but the moment I feel completely “comfortable” is the moment when I am seeking my own will and not the will of God. I could easily live my life here and never visit those uncomfortable places and neighborhoods. But I truly believe that the people in the “uncomfortable” neighborhoods might need the love of Christ the most. I know that there are ministries in these tough places and I guess what I am trying to say is that I am anxious to join them.

I thank God for the blessing of the home that He has provided for me here but please PLEASE pray that the “accumulation of stuff” for my new home will not be a distraction for me. And please pray that I will be able to celebrate what God HAS blessed me with and not focus on what God has NOT blessed me with.

It’s a constant struggle. God has blessed me with something (this home) and He is curiously waiting to see what I do with it. I am kinda curious to see what I do with it also.

But please consider this my official invitation for you to visit me in La Paz. I have a room for you and everything.

4 comments:

neffbot said...

Can girls come visit? Or is that not socially/mission society acceptable?

Adam said...

Hey - go ahead and get some nice stuff; we're coming to visit! :)

J.P. said...

Great perspective on comfort levels, my friend. Hang in there. I'm willing to sleep on the floor when I visit.

JB said...

Can I send you Dale Jr. and Top Gun posters for your room? Lava Lamp? Black light? You just let me know...