Shoveling Smoke and Divine Grace

When we were up in Tampa a few weeks ago, the office wanted to add Mildred as a signer on a special bank account for the radio station. So right there in her office, our accountant had Mildred sign the form. It took only a couple of minutes, but of course it also has to be processed at the bank. How hard could it be, right? Well, we were about to find out.

Peter wants us to be able to sign checks on the radio station’s Honduran bank account too – especially since he and Sandi will be going on furlough soon and we will be “it” for a while. So, he went with us to the bank and told them what we needed. We expected to sign a form and be on our way. Whooo hoooo hoooo hooo! It is to laugh!

First, the clerk insisted that we speak Spanish, even though she was an English speaking islander. In addition to the letter from Peter stating he wanted us added as signers on the account, she told us that we each needed two letters of recommendation. She didn’t say who could or could not sign a letter of recommendation, so Peter told us that he and Sandi could provide the letters.

Mildred and I went back a week later with the requisite letters. We dealt with the same clerk, who this time spoke English with us right from the start. This time she told us we needed letters from our own bank in the USA saying how long we had had our personal account. We also needed our bank statements for the past six months.  No one could explain how that was even remotely relevant to Peter’s request for us to sign checks on the radio station account. When we aksed why they didn’t tell us on the previous visit that the letters had to be from our bank, the clerk said that she wasn’t given that information. We asked if we or they could get on-line there at the bank and we could just take care of the new documents right then and there. Nope – we could not have internet access at their offices. So we came back home and Mildred contacted our bank and we got what we needed in just a few minutes.

After another week, we got the chance to go back to the bank and got in line again. After explaining what the documents were for, we waited while the clerk made some phone calls. Then she got out the forms. Wow, we finally cleared the first barrier! Then they needed to know how many children we have, how many dependents, if we have any credit cards or bank accounts in Honduras, if any relatives live in Honduras, our passport numbers, our income, do we have any loans here in Honduras, and on and on. Oh yeah! I almost forgot. I also had to go out to the truck and get the license number. By then I was thinking I’d rather hit my thumb with a hammer than deal with a Honduran bank. It would not hurt as much or as long. After about two hours, we had the forms all filled out and were good to go. Not! Mildred asked how soon we would be able to sign the checks. The clerk did not know for sure because the forms had to be sent off to the mainland and approved there. We can check back in a week to see if everything was approved. So far, we have invested something like five hours in a process that should take fifteen minutes and we still are not able to do what our boss wants us to do. If it is that complicated to simply be added as a signer on an account, what must it be like to take out a loan?

Smoke shoveling like that is a way of life here. It is a tremendous drag on the economy and the physical welfare of the average person. It also hinders the sharing of the Gospel because while we are shoveling smoke we are not maintaining the radio station or sharing Christ. I suppose we could have witnessed to the clerk, but there were others waiting in line to enjoy a few hours with her.

This is one area where I could really use your prayers. I have always been a bit of an efficiency nut. I’m often on the lookout for quicker and better ways to do things. Why? Mainly because I want accomplish something quicker and make it last longer. So when I land in the middle of something like what Mildred and I went through at the bank, I chafe at the waste of time and energy that could be used productively instead. I guess that is OK to a degree, but I must not allow it to affect my attitudes toward people and how I treat them. Usually, my attitude is one of pity, thinking how much better off people here would be if they focused more on progress and less on occupation. I’m sure it is even more so for the Lord Jesus. We often spend our time and resources in ways that He knows are not the best – in fact we are downright disobedient, not just inefficient. There are times when God needs to deal with us, but most of the time He shows us amazing mercy and grace. And even His discipline is a manifestation of His love for us. While I obviously prefer mercy, I’m deeply grateful for both His mercy and His discipline.