This week has been quiet. No workmen at the house. Few boats on the lake. Calm, sunny, cool weather. No trips to town or errands to run. Yet in all of this quiet things are happening and because of the calm I almost overlooked how God is working things out.
A few weeks ago my mentor reminded me of Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things, Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” I had poured out to her all of the many things that needed to be done to prepare for the Race and my worry about next year while I am away. She said, “Those are tomorrow’s concerns and my God deals with today.” It was a good reminder that He knows all of my needs and has already supplied.
That doesn’t mean I do nothing. Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.”
What exactly goes into planning to be away from life for a year?
1. Packing and Shopping
Finally, last week I sat down and wrote out a packing list. Then I edited it multiple times, asked a friend for advice, edited it some more, and walked away. Tomorrow I will pull out everything I have so far and attempt to pack a back pack. I have three back packs to choose from between mine and Mom’s and am hoping that one will be big enough. Click here if you would like to see my current packing list.
There are a few things I need to buy for the trip. Thankfully it is not too much as the research and decisions can get overwhelming. Then the second guessing if I got the right gear. Once I get a sleeping pad, one of the most important decisions I have to make, I think I’ll camp in the yard for a few nights to test everything out. Yes, I promise there will be pictures. 🙂
2. Ellie
Ellie (my car) became a bit of a conundrum. She will be parked in my parent’s garage in Alabama while I am away, and no one will drive her. A car must be tagged (states want to collect taxes), but she doesn’t need liability or collision insurance. I decided to keep the tags in Colorado to avoid the cost of transferring the title and transferring it back. Here’s the tricky part, Colorado want’s proof of insurance to renew the tags, and because she is parked in Alabama I need Alabama insurance. Alabama requires minimum liability on a licensed vehicle. Let me tell you, it is fun trying to explain to an insurance agency’s receptionist that it is impossible for the car to harm another driver from inside my parent’s garage. Over the last three weeks I have been on the phone with Alabama and Colorado DMV (it’s not much better than the live version) and four different insurance agencies in the two states. It seemed impossible to renew her tags and only get comprehensive or no insurance at all.
This week Danielle and James at the Denver county DMV uncovered a solution! Colorado has a non-use vehicle form that says a vehicle will not be used for a period of up to 12 months and allows me to leave the vehicle uninsured. Alabama DMV said they don’t care as long as the car is not on the street. AND Donna at State Farm in Alabama finally found a way around the Alabama law so that I can have comprehensive only! After three weeks of frustration and run around and finally admitting that this may be God’s way of saying it was time to let go, it all fell into place.
For now, I get to keep Ellie!
3. Expenses
Think of all of the bills and expenses you have to pay in the year. Now think of how you will pay them if you are not in the US and are not working. I have had to go over old bank statements and through my important papers box to be sure I have not forgotten any. Then I have to set up auto-pay or figure out how Mom or my brother will pay them for me. This summer I opened a new bank account with USAA, the military bank, so that banking online and over seas will be easier. By adding my brother to the account it saves me from trying to grant permission if needed from the mission field.
Most expenses are no big deal thanks to ebilling through the bank, but one was creating more and more questions. Again it has been a few weeks of phone calls and conflicting information, but today I finally met Rob who will straighten it all out. We also discovered a 10 year error that may result in a retroactive refund. God can send money in all kinds of ways. 🙂
4. Taxes
Next year my 2014 taxes will still need to be done by April 15 even if I am in China. You might think that this means I lucked out of having to do them. Nope, I am now gathering documents and creating a list of everything that my mom should anticipate getting so that she can do my taxes for me. Which leads to…
5. Power of Attorney
Mom and William, my brother, have to have access and authority over stuff while I’m gone so they can do things like my taxes. (Call me crazy but I like doing my taxes and am kinda bummed I’m missing out.)
6. Training
I saved the best for last. This week we began training for the Race! Because Fusion is a new concept and everything about our Race is being created as we go, this week we met on Google Hangout to talk to staff from Adventures in Missions, get questions answered, and get set up for a virtual training. I was in a session with two other women who I will be traveling with on the Race. We have chatted on Facebook but it was really good to see them and talk with them!
This is all starting to feel really real.
