SATURDAY… I’m not sure what to call this note… “I’ll be back!”… “The Father I never Knew”… “Dumb and Dumber…” or “Missing…”
Last Wednesday I went to pick up my ID card – and it actually WAS ready and the information was right!!!! I could finally start on Marlee’s national ID card, my drivers’ license etc…
A friend had to renew her ID card – got in line at 4 a.m. (the office opens at 8 a.m.) but was too late – there were already over 1000 people there!!! The next night she went around 10 p.m. and was number 400+!!!
Horrible… so I sent Marco =) Ha… …but to a lesser known office that we hoped would be easier… He got there at 5 ish… and was number 169!!! (they receive 170 daily)
There was something missing… I figured, “How hard could it be?” …a little paper saying that Marlee’s birth certificate is in the system… (we have her original birth certificate…) I went to an office close by – while Marco kept his spot… The lady couldn’t find it on her computer… “You’ll have to go to where you got her birth certificate…” It was way over on the other side of town but I still didn’t think it would be a problem… I had a lot of time before they’d get to Number 169.
Marco called me when I was on my way… and unfortunately, they decided to only go to 150 people that day… Hmm…
It didn’t go any better for me… unfortunately, Marlee’s certificate has been deleted from the system (along with a bunch of others) in a mix-up in the national office… Now I have to get it re-transcribed INTO the system… More lines – where people sleep outside in order to get attended to the next day… …and then more lines in ten days to see if it’s been done yet!
Better luck with my license… (or so I hoped)… I took the two kids along to get to the front of some very long lines - 3 the first day… and 2 the next day… I was on a roll… I’d be out of there in no time… Unfortunately…my process is blocked…. the second “me” is back to haunt me!!!
Back to the ID office to forever get rid of my multiple identity… Three hours plus of already doing paperwork that morning and poor Keiden, hot and sweaty, just wanted to go home (me too…) … I found a shady place to park but it was a tight squeeze… I first got Keiden down… (Stay RIGHT THERE…), then my file folder… and finally squeezed Marlee out... We finished that paperwork in about half hour… In a week the extra “me” hopefully WILL be gone…
I raced home to pick up a few things for our monthly volunteers’ lunch meeting… I started getting my kids out of the truck for the umpteenth time that day when all of a sudden I had a very, very sickening thought… my file folder of paperwork!!! I had left it on top of my roof when I was squeezing the kids into the truck!!! FRUSTRATION!!! How dumb could I be? People talk about pregnant brain (no I’m NOT pregnant!)… but with two small kids I feel like even less of my brain functions… Aarrrgg!!!!
I was leaving to look for my papers… and I got a phone call… “Did you lose some papers?” Someone had seen my papers blowing and picked them up… He wanted money… If he had asked me in a kind way, it might not have bothered me so much but he was quite rude about it… Could he not see, hear, care that my daughter crying? …my son hot and bothered? …and me close to tears? What could I do? When I didn’t have change, he shrugged and said, “Go find some. I’ll wait here.” If I started to argue, all my frustration would come out in tears rather than coherent words… so I got my kids down AGAIN… and off we went walking to go find someone who could change my bill…
In the end I’m missing the most expensive paper (for my drivers’ license)… I walked up and down the streets hoping that I might find where the wind had blown it… but its gone…
SO… that is where I’m at with my paperwork… so… I’d appreciate your continued prayers for patience… sanity… and completed paperwork!!!
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I had a strange call this afternoon… “Do you know a man named Humberto?” Humberto… Humberto… nope… They were calling from the State Hospital… He had passed away at 6 a.m.
“He said you were his daughter…”
“No, no, no… you must have the wrong number… It’s the wrong number… I’m definitely not his daughter.”
“Are you Corina? Corina Clements? This is the name and number we have for his daughter…”
“I work with street people… maybe he is one of them…”
Apparently he is a street person… abandoned at the hospital… and now morgue… and supposedly, I’m the daughter… It’s an awkward situation… because I don’t want to just leave him there… but I don’t know who he is… there isn’t paperwork… we don’t know where his real family is…
Years ago, it was a common occurrence to do this type of “pick-up”… but now everything is much more expensive, complicated and controlled… A simple explanation, “He’s a street person who doesn’t have paperwork or anyone” isn’t enough anymore…
Anyhow… that is the quandary that I’m in right now… what I’ve told the hospital is that if someone shows up to claim him… or if the hospital has a way to find a place in a cemetery to bury him, I could help with the coffin… With my kids being small, I can’t just up and go and spend hours here and there…
We did go looking for a clandestine cemetery where I know many street people have quietly been buried… It’s in a sketchy neighborhood… and a white lady and her two small kids wandering around raised quite a few eyebrows… One drunk man who was visiting a tomb said, “There is space right here… it’s nobody’s cemetery… go ahead!” Others said, “If you offer money, any neighbor you go to will be ‘in charge’ and let you bury here…” I held on to my kids a bit tighter as I looked for the lady supposedly in charge that lived down a little alleyway… Unfortunately, she couldn’t help me… The municipality has taken over and refuses anyone without all of the paperwork… Hmmm… What can I do?
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Early this morning I got a phone call asking if I knew anything about Rosario… she didn’t show up at her house last night… and her husband was worried… She was at Bible Study at El Jordan in the morning but didn’t come back for her class in the afternoon… She is diabetic… and although she says she’s fine, lately she’s looked very sickly… and has been a bit confused…
Her husband has looked in all of the main hospitals but there is no sign of her… None of her friends have seen her… and she isn’t hanging out where she sometimes does…
So… please pray for Rosario where ever she might be… and for Fernando her “husband”…
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE…
No sign of Rosario anywhere… this morning we made up flyers for Fernando with Rosario’s picture on it… so he’s going to keep on searching… go to the police and maybe to a TV station to get her picture out there… I wonder if she didn’t go into a diabetic shock and maybe is in some clinic… but where?????
I’ve also tried the 4 different numbers I’ve found for the State hospital to find out if anyone has come looking for “Humberto” but no one answers…
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A couple things I was forgetting to tell you all…
On Wednesday, Nelly (one of our students) and Jean Paul got married at El Jordan… They’ve been talking about for a year or two now… but paperwork was a problem, money was an excuse, and just the plain decision of “we are going to do what is right” took a while… but…they talked to me about a month ago… they asked about using our meeting room, they had saved up money, Jean Paul’s paperwork finally was in order (I empathize!) and they wanted to get married as soon as they could… Jean Paul was so cute… his hands were sweating so badly with his nerves… Anyhow… on February 27th they got married… They worked hard… and were even there sweeping floors and cleaning bathrooms an hour or two before the guests arrived… We were all proud of them… and happy that they’ve taken this step of obedience in their lives…
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This past week has been a bit heavy having to deal with some issues among our volunteers/workers… One resulted in repentance, a desire to make things right and continue serving the Lord… the other resulted in hurt feelings and a choice to leave El Jordan… Please pray for much wisdom and discernment for us… that God would put a hedge of protection around us and our volunteers… and that we would always uphold Truth and Justice… and give HIM all the glory with our lives and service…
Two men started work on Friday – Manuel to lead the carpentry shop... and Oscar to lead the welding shop... There are things to get set up... plans to make... and guys to come and join... LOTS to pray about as the shops start functioning... Thanks!
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Anyhow… thank you for reading my ramblings… we appreciate your prayers… support and encouragement… We couldn’t be here without you… Thank you…
God bless you richly… love from…. Corina for Marco… Keiden and Marlee…