Can’t make contact

It’s all about our eyes, actually.  Shari and I have had some problems with our eyes in past years, and so we’ve ended up using certain types of contact lenses and certain types of contact solution.

Now, the trick is that, so far, we haven’t been able to find my contacts in Mexico, and Shari hasn’t been able to find her contact solution.  We’re investigating other options, but for the time being we decided to try to get these things from outside the country.

Now, our philosophy is that, in most cases, we should just make do with what’s available here.  But there are certain cases where missionaries consider getting things from outside of Mexico.  For example, you might be able to save a significant amount of money.  If you could save CA$100, should you?  Well, it depends on the situation.  Another reason may be that you can get something outside of Mexico that might really be a big help.  For us, that might include Canadian school materials for the kids.  But a big one for us has been medical-related things, like contacts.

But, there are problems.  I ordered some contacts, and had them shipped from Canada to the States, where a fellow CAM missionary was staying.  That way we wouldn’t have the risk and expense of shipping to Mexico, and he could just bring down the box.  Except, after a still very large shipping expense, the contacts got held up at the Canada/US border.  Now it looks like he may not get them in time, which means they’ll have to be shipped again, probably to somewhere else in the States where someone else can pick them up and bring them down.  (Actually, we have things waiting for us at our mission office in Dallas that have been there since December – these things take time!)

A few months ago Shari was able to have some friends pick up $70 or $80 worth of contact solution for her.  Perfect – except that we found out yesterday that the contact solution has been recalled, due to fears of a serious eye infection!  People may be able to return the bottles, but what do we have to do – drive to the USA to drop them off?  (By the way, that’s Complete Moisture Plus – if you’re using it, better stop for now)

I’ve also been having computer troubles.  The computer is under warranty for just a little longer.  I managed to ship the battery (which may be defective) to the States to have it replaced.  Now the new battery is – you guess it – waiting in Dallas for someone who can bring it down.  But what if it doesn’t arrive for a few more months?  Then if we find the battery wasn’t the problem, the warranty will be over.  And we will have spent all that money shipping the battery when it wasn’t the issue!

Well, we’ll work all these things out.  But I thought you might be interested to hear some of the challenges an expatriate – in any country – has to face.  We just try to get through it all as wise stewards of all God has given us.