Chaos in Bolivia?!?

The following article was written for an edition of the Challenge several months ago but they did not use it. So, not to waste my creative talents, here it is . . . (I tried to include a picture but the server wouldn't let me. What is it about me and my writing, anyway?

“You have been selected to provide an article for the Spring issue of the Challenge. The theme is ‘Finding Contentment in a World of Chaos.’ Don’t be late!” My first reaction on reading that sentence from the office was panic. There is always panic when I am selected to write. But then I wanted to throw up my hands in resignation. Chaos! They want me to write about chaos! Where in the world will I find an example of chaos in Bolivia, a country known for orderliness and exactness? (It is true that Bolivia has had nearly 200 coups in it’s less than 200 years of history but that’s not chaos, only routine politics.) Driving! That must be it. They want me to write about Bolivian driving habits. Now that’s chaos, at least it seems that way at first, but once you are around a while you begin to realize that there is method to the seeming madness. Perhaps they want me to say something about the church. I must admit that at times our services can be a bit chaotic with tambourine bands, electronic bands, lots of loud speakers, people shouting, weeping and praying out loud and all at the same time, not to mention an occasional dog or chicken passing through the service. And then there are the kids . . . . But I don’t think that is particularly noteworthy. No, there isn’t much chaos in Bolivia but examples of contentment are easy to find, at least in the church. Many of our brothers and sisters have come out of deep spiritual chaos. But the peace and new life they have found in Christ have provided them with a sense of contentment. It’s true, the traffic is still terrible, the political scene unstable, and who knows what new chaos tomorrow will bring, but the contentment that they have found in Christ seems to override it all. Chaos? I guess I’ll just have to wait for a different topic. Maybe next time it will be efficiency. . . .