I love being treasurer. I usually get condolences and stinky faces when I tell people, but it is seriously something that I enjoy and that God has been able to use. I have more responsibility, my bag is something I have to protect with my life, and there’s a lot of extra work, especially when trying to submit reports. But perspective is key.
So if I were to keep a treasurer journal, this is what it would look like it:
5:00pm the day before: Expense report is due tomorrow. Must get good wifi to do it. Have to miss ministry tomorrow and get this knocked out.
9:00pm: OH! I could take the teams laundry to get done since there’s places near it. Now to get all their laundry together and give me money for it.
NEXT DAY (Expense Report Day):
7:00am: today’s the day. I hope I can figure out how to get to Thamel (the land of good wifi, coffee, and laundry)
8:00am: uhoh. 6 women’s dirty clothes IS NOT going to fit in my big pack. Girls, time to repack your dirty clothes.
8:30am: Hey host, I need directions to get to Thamel. Oh, you’ll go with me and drop me off in a taxi? Perfect!
8:45am: time to trek with my day back filled with finance stuff and my big pack filled with 40lbs of dirty clothes. Welp, it’s super muddy and I have to walk 20 minutes to get a taxi. At least my host was with me to help me not fall on my butt.
– saw a Hindu offering in the street. They had cows in a truck with powder on their heads and flowers around their necks. They were giving offerings to the cows. Definitely NOT in Texas.
9:30ish: Bye taxi! Please don’t let me get stuck here alone with all of this stuff God.
-Hostel: doesn’t do laundry because it’s cloudy and won’t dry
-3 hr laundry service 10 minutes down the road: I charge 400rupee per Kilogram. NOPE!
10:00am: 10 minutes later of walking down the busy road looking like a bloated turtle: laundry service inside a mail service center? Only 100 rupee per kilo. PERFECT! Have to come back at 7:00pm?? Ummmm ok :/
10:45am: found my coffee shop! Yes coffee! Yes banana chocolate muffin! Yes cool music! Yes amazingly fast wifi! PRAISE THE LORD AND DO A HAPPY DANCE!
11:00am: work work work work work, submit a receipt, take a bite, do a transaction, take a sip of coffee, work work work work work
-a man walks in and of course he knows I’m American because I smile
-Cue awesome conversation where I find out he is a former Tibetan monk who lived in India, then moved to Atlanta, and is in Nepal to work on his PhD, studying mysticism in Hinduism and Buddhism
1:00pm: YES I have finished!!! Success!
-talked to man as he left. He wanted my blog info! Win!! Hopefully he actually checks it out and Jesus begins speaking to him
1:15pm: don’t need to leave until 2 so I might as well upload pictures and get them off of my phone
-hahahahahaha found a real restroom!!!!!!! God, you are spoiling me.
2:00pm: Ok here I go. Need to find the school and really don’t want to pay for a cab. Let me ask someone how to walk there
——walk walk, stop and ask that I’m going the right way, walk walk walk——-
2:45pm: MADE IT! Gosh I love being able to explore and walk at my own pace, not in a mob of white people that get stared at
3:00pm: with the team we head to our host’s concert. I’m so glad I didn’t have to miss this!
4:00pm: our host is seriously awesome! This music is so good!
5:00pm: Bye team :/ time to go back and get our clothes alone
5:30pm: dropped off at a random hostel. I think I can get back to the laundry place
5:45pm: Come back at 7. Ugh where to go??? I’m kinda hungry. I didn’t get lunch. Oops, wrong way. That coffee shop looks sketch. Not going there.
6:00pm: this looks like a safe place. Free fast wifi?? Heck yes!
-get a banana lassi (thick milk drink) and an egg wrap for $3.50
-begin watching a message. I need Jesus.
6:45pm: LAUNDRY!!! Not put back in our bags? Ok, let me shove it all in my big pack again. I hope the girls are ok with wrinkles.
7:00pm: Ugh it’s getting dark. I need to get back. You want to charge me 800 for one person to get back??? I don’t think so. BYE
-walks 20 minutes to a different road
7:20pm: 500? Ok that’s fine. Let me throw my stuff in
-I don’t know how, but the taxi man figured out I’m a Christian. And so is he!! How awesome!
-What a nice man. So caring and encouraging for me. I’m glad I didn’t get a creepy taxi driver. Thanks God!
7:45pm: Now to walk 10 minutes in the dark with both packs through mud. Ok Felicia, you can do this. DO. NOT. FALL.
– almost slipped because of a motorcycle in front of this cute older couple. At least they laughed.
—– 2 seconds later: BAHAHAHHA THEY FELL! (they were laughing too)——
8:00pm: HOME!!!! I MADE IT!
Today was a success! Now if I could only sleep for 12 hours to recover lol ya right. Breakfast is at 7:30am
Like I said, it’s all about perspective. Yes, I have to work some nights while the team gets to rest, BUT I also get to see the countries in different ways. I get to be a part of the country and get to interact with our hosts in a very unique way. I have to go out alone sometimes, but that means I learn to get around without help (or with the help of the sweet locals).
So for future treasurers: don’t treat the position with dread. Enjoy it because you get to do the World Race in a very unique way.
