God's "Plan A"

Dear Lima Peru Team and Friends!

We leave tomorrow and as I write this our container still sits in customs.  It’s maybe an hour ride from customs to the ministry site where we are supposed to be building the first playground on Monday but that plan is uncertain. 

I have never shipped to Peru before and I may never again.  The amount of red tape in that country is unbelievable. Our Shipping manifest was approved by the Peruvian Consular in Chicago.  Every document (in triplicate) was read, approved, and stamped by the consular BUT that was only the beginning.  All the cargo then needed to be approved by the appropriate “Ministry” in Lima – and that included three different Ministries.  One Ministry rejected some of our medicines because we didn’t list an expiration date.  These were items Kristin and I couldn’t find an expiration date on – like scalpels, gauze, bandages, needles for insulin shots, and exam gloves.  All those items had to be taken off the container and destroyed – which was a full day process as they were at the back of the container.   A different Ministry took a full week to scrutinize one item on our container - the 500 wooden cars and trucks that were handmade by craftsmen in Kalamazoo.  That set us back considerably and they actually still haven’t “approved” those items so they’re requiring we post a bond- which we’ll hopefully get back.  Then we ran into an issue of customs wanting additional detail on much of our cargo.  We listed the name or description of each item, a quantity, the weight, the final destination for where it would be going, and a value.  BUT they wanted to know the manufacturer of each item and the place it was manufactured – plus they wanted each item to have a value.  It wasn’t enough to say there were 450 playground pieces for a total value of XXX.  They wanted a price on each swing, slide, ladder, and platform, and pole.  So we supplied detail on the four different playground manufacturers represented on the container and as much other details as we could dig up.  Then yesterday we were dealt two additional challenges.  When our customs agents (people that work for us) were inputting everything into the customs system it kicked out our soccer balls.  Apparently soccer balls need to be approved by a completely different Ministry –so we made the decision to have the soccer balls pulled.  It’s an unfortunate but necessary decision as approval from yet another ministry could take days or weeks that we don’t have.  Finally about 2 yesterday afternoon everything was put into the customs system but shortly thereafter their computers crashed.  Once our information is “received” by their system we get a claim # and the exact amount of our necessary bond.  I just got off the phone with Mike Fietje ( our director in Peru) and he has now received our customs #, our bond amount ($5,221), and he’s headed for the bank.  Getting a bond is a process that takes 24 hours.  Once we have this bond we personally go to customs and they will give us a green light, orange light, or red light.  Green means everything is in order and we can take the container (minus the soccer balls).  Orange means we can take the container but we’ll need to do additional follow-up with customs.  Red means there are problems with our paperwork and we have to start all over again. 

PLEASE PRAY GOD PROVIDES US A KIND HEARTED CUSTOMS OFFICER WHO GIVES US A GREEN LIGHT.  Please also pray we get the majority of this $5,221 bond returned to us. We’ve also been paying $75 a day “storage” fees on our container to our shipping company which have amounted to about $1,500.  We’re asking them for leniency and would appreciate your prayers about that too.

Best case scenario we’ll find out if we are green, orange or red on Monday (customs is closed on the weekend).  And then once we have clearance our trucking company requires 24 hour notice to deliver the goods to our site.  So we’re looking at a Tuesday delivery as our best possible scenario – unless both customs and the trucking company are extremely cooperative.  Where do we go from here?  We have blueprints for the main play structure and should be able to lay out a good portion of it and start digging on Monday and Tuesday.  Then if we still don’t have a container on Tuesday we can do ministry activities with the children on Wednesday (puppets, songs, dramas, etc.).  If you needed the balls on the container for your activity, you’ll want to pack those in your suitcase.  Additional meds and supplies for Dr. Dave and nurse Autumn can be purchased at a pharmacy in Lima.  Beyond that we’ll just have to figure out and follow God’s plan A as He’s not surprised by this delay.

I was encouraged this morning when I read an e-mail I received from Franklin Graham.  He wrote…

‘I have been reading through the book of Deuteronomy and have been impressed at the mighty hand of God that moves dramatically throughout the pages of Scripture. The Bible recounts that as Moses neared the end of his life, he reminded the people of Israel about the mighty hand of God. “Because the Lord loves you ... the Lord has brought you out [of Egypt] with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 7:8, NKJV).

After Moses died, the Israelites stood on the banks of the overflowing Jordan, ready to cross into the Promised Land. It looked impossible. The water was swift and deep. But God told Joshua to instruct the priests to go and “stand in the Jordan” (Joshua 3:8). As they approached the rushing torrent, nothing happened. 

But when they touched the water’s edge with their feet, God worked a miracle and stopped the river. The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan until a million or more Hebrews had crossed into the Promised Land. When they stepped out on the other bank, the water resumed flowing. 

Sometimes when we face difficult situations, we may feel that we are in bondage to our circumstances, but we must trust God and step out in faith. Obstacles may seem frightening, but the Bible says that God will honor a person who depends on Him to lead and guide. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6–7, NASB).”

Thanks for stepping out in faith with me!!

Rich Anderson