If you are a regular reader of this blog you might remember reading the post Delivery Drama at Dalmianagar in which I had written about the difficulty that we faced in posting the parcels to destinations abroad.
When it appears that you have known-it-all or all-troubles-have-ended, only then you are faced with new ones. And you realize that you need more of God’s grace and God given wisdom. This post is all about this – yet another experience to learn to be dependant on God for all things, old and new!
Being confident that I had written all the addresses well (Great Britain and not UK!), I sent Brother Selva, Brother David and Brother Kingston to the Post Office, as I was occupied with some work. After a while (when I assumed all parcels would have been posted) came a call saying that the clerk at the Post Office was not sending the parcels for lack of a FORM! “Here comes another hurdle”, I thought to myself and was wondering at what that form was. Immediately I plunged into a frenzy search in the India Post website, all the while PRAYING. Within a few searches, navigating around the website, I landed up in a page which had several documents, one which was 726 pages long!
‘Customer Guide – International Postal shipments and Customs matters’
And I frenziedly started reading it too – the guidelines for countries where I was sending the magazines. Realizing that it is going to end nowhere, not at least in that short time, I searched once again in the site and I found two forms ‘Customs Declaration CN 22’ and ‘Customs Declaration CN 23’. Going through them in a hectic manner and finding them appropriate, I printed them and rushed to the Post Office with Brother Peter in his bike, only to face the much reluctant clerks and officials at the Post Office. A lot of persuasion (showing the printouts and explaining to the postal officials) and much of prayers was required to convince them and to send the parcels. Finally, through the persuasion I figured it out that CN 22 was the right form! Then began the long ordeal of photocopying the forms, filling them and fixing them along with all the parcels. It was ONLY by the grace of God that the parcels were sent that day.
It was an impossible situation – a new hurdle, less or no cooperation, reluctant staff, less time. But the promise was afresh like never before, “With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” (Psalms 18:29 NIV) When we rely on God’s help every impossible thing becomes possible and especially if it is meant to build His kingdom and for His glory! This is also yet another proof to the fact that missions are were all adventures lie – different in nature though, given the field! A place to experience God’s promises, provisions, guidance, grace and power so intimately!
Why did I remember this incident after so many days?? As I returned to office this morning after vacation, one of the magazine parcels that I had sent to Australia that day returned today after 64 days, with the Custom Declaration Form CN 22 intact! If you are sending a parcel to a foreign destination from India remember to visit this site and download the necessary forms/documents - http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Customs_Information.aspx
Above all seek God’s help and seek to glorify Him alone!
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