The Case of the Stranded Documents

It was a bright and sunny afternoon in Lima, Peru in January, 2011. I was accompanying John Kreider, fellow missionary, to take my residence card and passport to the offices of the National Evangelical Council of Peru (CONEP) to get my residence card stickered to make it legal for the next year. We took it there, dropped it off, grabbed some ice cream to beat the heat and went back to the hotel where the entire missionary team was staying on retreat. And that is when the great mystery began.
Several days later, we received a call that my residence card could NOT be updated for the next year, because, according to Peruvian immigrations, I have been in Bolivia for the past two years. To clear up any confusion, I was in Bolivia two years ago for vacation, but I most definitely DID come back and I HAVE been here for the past two years, very much living in Cusco, Peru. Mystery number 1: Why does Peru think I am in Bolivia? Answer number 1: They don't have any record of me re-entering Peru, though I'm sure I gave it to them at the border... Mystery number 2: Why was this not a problem last year? Answer number 2: I have no idea...
My case: Upon entering Bolivia the first time, 2 1/2 years ago, I did not want to pay the $130 visa fee for Americans. Therefore, having Peruvian residency, I used my residency card to pass the border and escaped paying the $130 fee. No one said anything and I innocently rejoiced in the great savings. Entering Bolivia again 4 months later, I did the same thing. Apparently, I'm not supposed to go anywhere without using my passport because then the record of my travels on my passport and my travels on my residence card do not match up. I don't understand what the big deal is, but whatever.
I needed my documents in order to fly back to Cusco, so we returned to the CONEP offices for them before leaving Lima. Upon returning to Cusco, I promptly sent my documents back to Lima and waited. And waited...about a week. Finally, CONEP responded to my inquiries by telling me that they were going to do some kind of a "regularization of migratory movement", annulling the last time I went to Bolivia. Then after that, they should be able to update my residence card with no problem. I rejoiced in the good news and answer to prayer.
Then I learned that the Peruvian government now requires all power of attorney letters to be notarized (brand new law). I needed to get one legalized so that the CONEP people could do all my paperwork for me.
Problem: you can't get anything notarized in Cusco without either a passport or a valid Peruvian identity document. All of my stuff was in Lima. So I had to ask CONEP to send me back my passport so I could notarize the letter and send the whole works back to them. They did and I did. And then I waited again. And waited.
Finally, last week I got another email from them. Apparently, immigrations in Lima had to talk to immigrations in Puno (where I left the country to go to Bolivia), in order to do this regularization of migratory movement. And apparently, immigrations in Puno has not responded to immigrations in Lima yet. So CONEP has to file a formal complaint with immigrations in Lima because they are taking so long.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is all I know. I am praying for favor with the government and praying that my documents can get miraculously saved from the black hole of government offices in Lima so that I can buy plane tickets to go to the States this summer. I'm praying it can all get resolved quickly and that in the end, everything would work out. Please join with me in prayer for my stranded documents to be liberated and to return to Cusco safe, healthy and soon.