Cash Supply

It is easy for some fat cat rich guy to sit there pontificating about how we all need to be very rich and have a lot of cash in the bank in order to pay the costs upfront before we can hope to travel overseas to do missionary work. Yes, I suppose that it would be advantageous to have a wad of cash in the wallet in case of being strong-armed at the border by guards and customs officials who sometimes are expecting their "mordida" or bribe, whether this is expressed implicitly or explicitly. The missionary stories of being extorted at the border are many in circulation. And what are you going to do when they are holding the guns and we are standing there conspicuous white people at the shabby border station? We drive a car donated by Speed-the-Light, we wear nice clothing donated by the Women's Missionary Council, our car is full of toys and gadgets and suitcases donated by the churches and family back home. We certainly might appear like rich people to them even if we are dependent on the largesse of the supporters within the church organization. We really ought to be grateful for all of these things that are given to us, as we are reminded on a continual basis, and what do we have that is not given to us? Rich people seem to own things but perhaps we Missionary Kids are only renters on this planet. We cannot take this junk with us anyway, as the Bible says. Other people are blessed by giving us their castoffs and secondhands so we must be grateful for their happiness even if their generosity only burdens us with feelings of guilt and obligation. We did not ask them to dump all this junk on us and yet it seems we have no choice but to accept that we are dependents. We would depend upon God to deliver us from this obligation but it was God who put us here in the first place.  Thus, if push comes to shove our options are to pay what seems to be an official border crossing fee levied by a customs officials often in uniform or flashing a badge or other official looking paperwork or else to play the empty wallet game and pray that the border guards will drop their bluff and let us pass. Either way it is sometimes sort of a flip of the coin as to what is the right to do. We really don't know. Corruption is rife there, as everyone says. It is their system. Thus, it is always a relief to get back to the United States where the rule of law is valued. Hmmm.