heading 'cross the Rio Grande

Tomorrow I'm boarding a bus for Juarez at 11 pm and will be crossing the border in Wednesday morning's wee hours to board yet another form of mass transportation in El Paso, and drift into beloved O'Hare Wednesday afternoon. 

Yup, I'm headed home. And I'm happy. 

Two more sets of exams to grade and final grades to calculate, but it shouldn't be that consuming. After that, it's all downhill. America, land of infinite comforts and conveniences, here I come!

...but that's what worries me. The part of me that loves my homeland's appeal to my every need and want that money can buy (central heating, dishwashers, drive-thru everything, Blockbuster) just has a heyday every time I return to the States. And it so easily satisfies me. 

I love those good things: soft carpet, plush down comforters, snow outside and a roaring fireplace inside, excellent food without limit, hot chocolate, Christmas treats and goodies, shining Christmas decorations, a well-equipped kitchen, and I believe those good things come from the Good Creator. 

But oh, how easy it is for these good things to come in between the Good God and my soul that so desperately needs him. 

Jesus, maintain our gaze on your inconvenient, uncomfortable Advent so our souls will be satisfied with our good Father.

Billy and Dave's Adventure in Chihuahua

Well, my friend David and I took an interesting trip to Chihuahua today to pick up our work visas. The 6 am bus trip was halfway pleasant -  a little cold on the bus, but I actually slept well and enjoyed the scenery on the way into the city. After taking a taxi to the immigration place, signing the essential paperwork, and receiving all our visa stuff, we had several hours to kill before we were to eat with our pastor's son and his recent bride at their house at 1:30. So we started walking, and found ourselves on one of the main streets. 

The city bus system in Chihuahua is funny - there are a bajillion buses, so you never have to wait long at a stop before one comes by. One passed by that said it was going to the Plaza del Sol (the big mall in Chihuahua). So we took it. It took us around the whole city, a 30 minute tour that only cost 4.50 pesos. Pretty good deal, I say. As we approached the mall, we saw (miracle of miracles) a brand-new Starbucks, just waiting to serve up a nice hot drink to a couple of hungry travelers. 

So I ordered a Chai Tea Latte and Blueberry muffin in Spanish (which was really weird), and enjoyed the nice, comfy Starbucks environment...in Mexico...weird again. Dave and I got out our book we're reading together ("To Kill A Mockingbird" - excellent read!) and read 4 chapters, killing time from 10:00 to 12:45. Then we walked to the mall and Enrique picked us up at 1:30 to go eat at his house. We enjoyed a good meal and conversation with the newlyweds, and then he dropped us off at another bus station to grab a bus back to Parral.

But this is where the plot thickens. We saw that the bus was about ready to take off, and the driver came up to us and asked us, "You going to Parral?" We gave him the affirmative, and he told us to pay on the bus. This confused me, but I thought, "Well, maybe they give out the tickets on the bus." I saw a ticket office off to the side, but the driver insisted, and David and I followed him, the both of us a little confused. He told us the amount, I paid him, but he gave us no tickets. This confused me even more. We seated ourselves, and the bus took off. Then it dawned on David that the driver had simply pocketed the money and let us on the bus. It was too late. I just contributed to a corrupt system.

During the whole trip, I felt terrible. That, and there was a stupid movie on, which made me more depressed. It's really hard for me to avoid watching movies on a bus, especially when I don't feel like reading. So I watched the dumb movie, felt like I wasted my time, and felt bad for giving the money to the driver. When we got into Parral, the driver stopped about two blocks from the bus station and made us get off the bus. I suppose that since his number of tickets and number of passengers didn't line up, he had to make us get off to make things look good for him. Looking back in 20-20 hindsight, I should have just stayed on the bus and insisted on being taken to the station to buy a ticket straight-up, but again, in the confusion, we went with the flow. That irritates me so much that I didn't have the discernment or wits about me to confront the problem then and there. ARGH.

So we got off and started walking to the apartment (it's only about a mile and a half to the bus station). I wanted to go walk to the bus station and pay for my ticket, but David convinced me that the best thing to do would be to call the bus company's service line and register a report of what happened with the company. So that's what I did. We looked up the bus number and called the company to register the incident. They're going to track down the driver and hopefully make things right. 

But this whole thing has left me feeling really yucky. Even as I type, I've got this gross feeling in my stomach that I didn't have the righteous wits about me to do something about it then and there. Perhaps because I want to be a big superhero and stop crime as it starts. That's my ego speaking. I am praying about it, asking God, "If I were really walking in the Spirit, how should I have reacted? And how do I walk in the Spirit like that?" It's really making me think about what it means to be a Spirit-filled Christ ambassador at all times and in all situations.