In six days – SIX DAYS – I will be leaving for training camp.  I slept in my tent in the backyard two nights ago as “preparation.” I’ve never been camping before, so this was a new experience. Sleeping in a tent is great! It’s like being outside without being outside.

Current concerns have me spiraling into a thought “process” that goes something like this: What else do I need to get? How in the world am I going to fit all this stuff in my pack? Is my sleeping bag too huge? Is my sleeping pad too thin? What kind of computer should I get to take with me?  Do I need an external hard drive?  All the blogs say I need an external hard drive, and an ACTUAL laptop.  Also a Kindle seems like a great idea, but why are there so many different kinds of Kindles?  WHY DO I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY??  And I need some compression sacks.  Why does Dick’s not have compression sacks?  I think I hate my Keens….I still need to get a good pair of flip flops…what if I get ingrown toenails during the Race?  Other countries have podiatrists, right?

It goes on and on.  Today, my mom and I spent like an hour looking at shoes, because I was pretty convinced I should get a new pair of sneakers for the Race.  One pair of sneakers usually lasts me several years, so I rarely buy them, and when I do I go with the cheapest comfortable pair I can find. However, I wanted to be sure I was getting a “good pair” that would last me though the next year. Mom hunted down the shoe guy and he talked all about arches, and supination, and a few other words I’ve never heard before.  It was pretty educational, but also slightly overwhelming.  So I was sitting there trying on shoes and debating aloud about which ones I should get, when Mom suddenly said, “This is such a first world problem!” And I had to stop and laugh.  It IS.  All these options?  It’s crazy to have all these options.  At Vacation Bible School this year, the kids are going to be collecting shoes to send with our missions team that is going to Guatemala in August.  Those kids don’t sit in a sporting goods store staring at rows and walls of shoes thinking about arch support.  They gratefully accept what God provides for them. 

It reminds me of some verses from Matthew 10, which one of my squadmates (Ashley Spriggs) blogged about a few days ago.  This is where Jesus sends out the twelve disciples, and tells them “Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.” (verses 9-10).  Apparently, Jesus and his disciples were more hardcore than Adventures in Missions…at least we get to take a backpack!  But seriously, I think the takeaway here is to trust that God will take care of us.  Either the stuff that we bring will last, or we’ll be able to get it in another country, or it will be unnecessary.  It’s all just STUFF.   The challenge is in finding the balance between being prepared to the best of our ability and trusting God with the rest.

I did end up getting a new pair of sneakers…the most (relatively) cheap and comfortable pair I could find. 🙂