Wildflowers

“Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” Matt. 6:28-30

          In my creative writing class in college, I wrote a memoir piece that shared this title. Wildflowers. I wrote about two months that I spent teaching in South Korea and God’s ridiculously amazing provisions during that time. Here He is again. 

          The plan when we came to this island was that John would look for work, and I would gauge the situation to determine whether I would work or be a homemaker. Logistics and necessity have since left me home for now, so the prayer has been for John to be able to practice chiropractic. God, the Father, has extended His hand more than words can truly share.

John began by applying for the Puerto Rico jurisprudence exam. The application was extensive, including the necessity of proof that he does not owe anyone child support…interesting, right? Anyway, he took care of all of his paperwork like a champ, and he mailed it months before the July 31^st deadline. In addition to the application, John researched to find chiropractors near Cabo Rojo; then, my intelligent husband narrowed his search to Parker Alumni. Two willing and helpful chiropractors took time out of their schedules to see him.  The first (actually not from Parker), in Aguadilla, scared John to death—talking about how he had failed the state test the first time, about how he lost a few thousand dollars due to insurance difficulties, and that he was considering moving his practice to his home because most of his patients were his friends anyway. He was willing, and he was helpful, but he was terrifying.

Next, John drove to San Sebastian. There, he met the married chiropractic couple that I’ve mentioned once before. They asked John if he had received the study guide for the test. He had not. They warned that he should probably call because much of what is important on the island doesn’t get done unless it is done in person. Great. John emailed the testing office twice. He called several times. Two weeks before the deadline he had a humorous, but sad Spanglish conversation, in which he learned that the office had not received his application, but they did have his board scores and Parker transcripts. Anxious for detailed information that the lack of a common language could not achieve, we called my dad for help. He called the testing office two days later to learn that they had never heard of John Barrington. They needed everything, they said. In a hurry, John made all of the phone calls necessary to receive all of the official paperwork over again. Edgar, one of the chiropractors in San Sebastian, advised that we drive to the testing office in San Juan and deliver the new documents in person.

We arrived at the testing office around 9:30am on Monday, July 30…one day before the deadline. We were fully prepared to get and fill out another application, pay for another money order, find a notary close by, and then turn it all in again. There is one floor in one building that every health professional on the island must deal with at some point or another. There is one tiny glass corner of that floor for quiropráctico.

I lie.

Quiropráctico doesn’t even have its own corner…it shares with psychology.  I walked by a few cubicles with desks covered in stacks of paper. John questioned if we could be in there at all, but—what’s the worst that could have happened, being asked to step back? Finally, there was a girl behind a desk; she kindly led us to the woman we needed to see. Once seated at that woman’s desk, John introduced himself, and she said, “Oooh---John Sanders Barrington.” And we reap the benefits of being pests. The file was within an arm’s reach…and the application was inside. She told us the four things it lacked, but after closer examination, found that all of those things were actually inside the folder. John received his study book—for the open-book test (yes, you read that correctly)—and we called our hotel around 10:30am to see if we could check in early. After frustration, worry, anxiety, and more, the Lord provided. “What a hassle!” some might say, but we say, “We’re in San Juan…VACATION!!” And that we did. It’s a shame that the main Medicare office we have to go to is in Florida…I don’t know what we’re going to do there for fun. J

Beachside resort for $80...not bad. Not bad at all.

Shrimp, avocado, and sweet plantain tempura
Yummy!

Ready for dinner in Old San Juan!

 

Let's end it with a oceanside lunch in Ponce!

 
        This story is not over yet though. Over several casual conversations, we learned that Edgar and his wife are opening a second clinic about ten minutes away from where we live. The practice and facility will be brand new. And they said they could use another chiropractor. John’s test is August 17^th. Shortly after, he will have his license to practice. Shortly after that, he will be practicing with a fellow Parker alum. That, my friends, is absolutely nothing short of the Glory of our Lord at work. I don’t know if you realize the enormity. 

Looks like a heart, right!?
I think he did it on purpose! :)

In other news: we are all healing. Grandma’s kidney and pains are ten times better, Grandpa’s stitches are out, John’s burn is producing what he calls “baby skin,” and, although a little snot still comes out when I giggle, I am no longer sick. 

Humans are so stupid. Why should we ever have little faith? We are cared for significantly more than the wildflowers.