The Gift of Understanding

There are a couple of sweet dear older missionariy ladies that attend our church.  I've been so touched by the in the last little while.  I make a point to talk to them, and they just get me, ya know?  They are both in their mid 80's and are such a testiment to staying the course and giving yourself to a place for the long haul. 

A couple of Christmases ago, one of them handed me a package.  She moved here to Costa Rica in the 50's with her husband and young kids to help translate the Bible.  She was one of the first people to talk to us when we started to attend church.

When I asked her what it was, she simple said, "well, I guess you'll have to wait until you get home to find out."

The card was so sweet.  It said "I hope this small gift helps you in your ministry to your family."  She knows what it's like to have young kids on the mission field.  She knows what it is like to be far from family, from familiar. She understands that my primary ministry here, there, anywhere, is to my husband and kids and everything else is secondary (something I often have to explain to people).

And what was in the package?  A new washcloth, a new spatula (a nice one too, one that is hard to come by here) and the best part?  A set of hand embroidered tea towels with the days of the week on them.  You know, these

When my husband saw them, he said, "it's from one mom to another."  And that is exactly right.  Sure, we had young kids 50 years apart, but some things never change.  You can always use some pretty things to make the daily washing dishes, cooking, wiping dirty faces just a little nicer.   And there is no way she could have known this, but I have always wanted vintage days of the week towels. 

More than the physical objects, it was a gift of understanding, from one generation to the next.  Understanding the life as a young mom in a strange land. Understanding my primary ministry.  Understanding that washing dishes, cooking meals, making a home is important, necessary, vital.  What a gift!

How about you?

Have you been encouraged by the older missionaries on the field?  Is there a newer missionary you could encourage this week?

Longevity in Ministry - Dressed in Humility

"Like longevity in life, some basic things are needed -

right genes [to be a child of God], right diet [God's Word],

right exercise [involvement in ministry]

and right environment [a place in God's community - the Church].

The Apostle Paul set it as his goal to walk worthy and finish well. So should we!"

Yet what does the practical outworking of this look like in real life and ministry? How do expats working, ministering and seeking to be Christ’s  “…witnesses… [in] Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1.8, NASB) sustain long and productive careers?

Based off of a sermon by my home church pastor and some additional, subsequent study, I’ve identified priorities, seven of them, that when practiced, can help protect those in ministry, particularly cross-cultural ministry, from burnout and temptation. Even more than protect, these priorities can also give direction and hope as they help us remember that all is grace and a gift from God.

Those priorities are:

1.       Seeking the Lord, consistently and continually

2.       Praying without ceasing

3.       Balancing personal growth, rest and ministry

4.       Welcoming accountability

5.       Committing to marriage and family

6.       Choosing to be teachable, even in difficult circumstances; and

7.       Determining to be a genuine team player.

This post considers that sixth priority – choosing to be teachable, even under and in difficult circumstances.

What does it mean, then, to be teachable?

According to Your Dictionary, teachable can mean:  1) capable of being taught and apt to learn; 2) willing to receive instruction or to learn and/or docile; and 3) that which facilitates instruction. But, teachability involves much more than “smarts” and just being a good student in a traditional academic or teaching situation….

…which reminds me of an African proverb:

“If your only tool is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail.”

Because teachability, in fact, has a lot less to do with academic ability… and has a lot more to do with willingness-to-learn-ability, regardless of the situation, regardless of any personal cost to pride and regardless of thoughts of fairness/rightness. Perhaps it has a lot more to do with character… and very little at all to do with ability.

Perhaps it is easier to define teachability by considering what unteachableness looks like.

1. Someone who is unteachable is someone who is dogmatic and doctrinaire.
2. Someone who is unteachable is repeatedly reactionary and has difficulty submitting to authority with whom they disagree.
3.  Someone who is unteachable feels threatened and defensive when personal beliefs, ideas and/or knowledge are called into question.
4. Someone who is unteachable finds it difficult, if not impossible, to process new and/or contradictory information regarding his/her own “doctrines” without first polluting those new ideas by his/her own personal perceptions and preconceptions.
5. Someone who is unteachable struggles with insecurity.
6. Someone who is unteachable resists change and transitions to any new idea and practices intimidate him/her.
7. Someone who is unteachable cannot take criticism or correction without becoming indignant at the insult… or retaliating in some way.
8. Someone who is unteachable is commonly dissentious and incendiary, choosing angry debate over honest and vulnerable communication.
9. Someone who is unteachable might “overpower” others rather than engaging in genuine fellowship.
10. Someone who is unteachable often blames anyone and everyone else for his/her own failures, rather than accepting responsibility.
11. Someone who is unteachable often claims to love to learn and grow, but wants to figure it all out on his/her own terms and is confident of his/her ability to do so.
12. Someone who is unteachable is, above all else, a proud and, and often subtly, arrogant person.

God’s Word has a lot to say about pride… and humility – but consider one of my favorite verses: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Consider what we just might look like if every day, we literally dressed ourselves in humility. When I taught this passage as a Bible study to the women in our African church, I wanted to help make the passage visual… and as a result… memorable. So I compared each one of those characteristics to an item of clothing the women would wear every single day. Humility was like the head scarf…  “Wearing a head covering says many things - that you are submissive to your husband, that you respect the office and positions of those around you, that you are concerned about the reputation of whom you serve, that you are modest, that you respect and appreciate the W. African culture... Spiritually, covering the head can be an outward sign of inward humility, or recognizing our position relative to both God and others.” And, as we see by all of the debate in the news over head coverings… this “sign” of humility is an immediate identifier.

I copied down(from somewhere – just wish I knew where) this definition of humility: “Not the derogation of self, but instead a reasonable attitude seeing and comprehending with a decent measure of clarity who and what we truly are.”

… which kinda reminds me of another African proverb:  

“One who bathes willingly with cold water doesn’t feel the cold.” 

Genuine humility, above all else, allows me to learn even hard lessons taught by difficult people without quite as much of a sting.

David Murray describes being teachable as “the most important life skill.” I tend to agree with him. But it goes beyond being just a life skill. For those of us who live, work and minister in cross-cultural contexts, it is key, not only to longevity, but also to abundant life, joy, fulfillment and impact in ministry. Ultimately, it is a recognition of God’s sovereign hand, His refusal to allow any waste in our lives and one way He fulfills His promise to cause all things to work together for good. A teachable spirit allows God to use any person, any situation… anything… to further make us like Him. Sometimes that means that we will need to learn wisdom via the mouth of a donkey.

So then, what can teachability look like?

1. Someone who is teachable is someone who is willing to yield and be flexible – but without compromising truth.
2. Someone who is teachable is willing to change views and practices when convincing evidence is presented, and to even admit s/he was wrong.
3. Someone who is teachable recognizes his/her inability or ignorance or inadequacy and acquiesces others who will then be able to help or teach or otherwise come alongside.
4. Someone who is teachable is inquisitive and desires to integrate legitimate new knowledge into practice and application.
5. Someone who is teachable is secure in his/her worth and standing before God.
6. Someone who is teachable will move out of his/her comfort zone to try something new, even if that means making a mistake and possibly looking stupid.
7. Someone who is teachable is open - evaluating criticism or correction while appreciating another’s risk in being willing to help him/her grow by criticizing or correcting.
8. Someone who is teachable listens, carefully and good-naturedly, because s/he longs to learn.
9. Someone who is teachable gently encourages and welcomes the approach of others for the purpose of engaging in genuine fellowship.
10. Someone who is teachable looks to discover his/her contribution to a problem or mistake and accepts responsibility, regardless of how it makes him/her look.
11. Someone who is teachable desires to learn and grow, regularly pursuing others to ask for help, guidance and/or instruction as soon as (or sometimes even before) s/he recognizes the need.
12. Someone who is teachable is, above all else, humble.

Do you see yourself in any of these characteristics, positive or negative?

Would you add anything?

***************************************************************

Series: Longevity in Ministry

• Just Think About a Horseshoe (26 July2014)
• Trusting in the Sufficiency and Sovereignty of God (9 August 2014)
• If you don't want to shorten your ministry... obediently abide (23 August 2014)
• The essentials? Or merely superfluous? (13 September 2014)
• Habituate yourself? (27 September 2014)
• One Priority that can Never be in Excess (11 October 2014)
• Of rest and rescue (23 October 2014)
• Dare to Disclose (8 November 2014)
• “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear” (27 November 2014)
• Hoping to resume an abandoned but not forgotten study (13 June 2015)
• Passionately Committed to Marriage and Family (11 July 2015)

To listen to the actual sermon "Start, Run and Finish Well," click here.

Cure for the Food Rut

Happy Saturday! 
I have found myself in a food rut lately.  You know, making the same thing over and over and over and OVER again!  I can tell that we're all burnt out on what I've been making.  Every been there?  Maybe you're there right now.  Well, here's a couple of quick reciepes to get you into a new groove!

First up,
 Power Balls
Now, I know that peanut butter is a luxury in most places, but sometimes a splurge is nice, right?  Right.

Behold the wonder of power balls!

They are a yummy sweet, sorta sticky, chocolately, mostly healthy treat.  And yes, you eat them just like this.

Here's the deal,
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
3 cups oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup of any combination of dried soft fruit and nuts

 Mix it all together and make balls out of the mix.  I used my small cookie scoop and it works well. Stick 'em in the fridge or freezer and enjoy!

And sometimes you just need a good go to dough recipe.  This is our pizza crust recipe, but I use it to make stromboi sometimes too.  Super simple, no need to let rise.

Pizza Crust

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon dry active yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cup white all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can use 2 1/2 cups white if you want)
2 Tablespoons flax seed meal (optional, but that stuff is so good for you!)

Directions
-Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, set aside
-Mix all other ingredients together, add water and yeast
-Stir until combined
-Knead for 5-7 minutes or until smooth

-Roll out, place on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350
-Add toppings, bake again.

Sometimes I will brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle Italian herbs. 

Enjoy!

Tea Cups Full of Grace

(I am currently on a trip to the US for my brother's wedding, so I wanted to share this post from my previous blog. When at home in Russia, I am still reminded daily of the Lord's love and provision for me when I look at these tea cups displayed as a reminder of His grace.) 

I remember my daydream years back before our little family had moved to Russia. I had spent a summer here previously, but I really had no idea what life would be like, and especially life as a family with a baby. Being the optimist that I am, despite the worries of leaving family and familiarity, my imaginary future life was bright and vivid. I can still see the crisp image in my mind of the home that I imagined I would have, and the life that I would soon lead.

My quaint little imaginary home was bright and inviting with a little kitchen that opened up to our living room, perfect for frequent hospitality. The sun shone in the windows (really this was not as fanciful as it sounds since we were to move to southern Russia that is indeed quite sunny and bright), and I would sit there on the couch with my new Russian friends sipping tea out of little blue and white china tea cups, sharing deeply about our lives and talking about the gospel. I am not particularly prone to daydreaming, but for some reason this image remains vivid in my mind.

What a shock it was to enter our new apartment for the first time, dead exhausted in every way, and to walk into our dark, dingy flat late on that first night. I had always considered myself relatively adaptable, as does anyone planning to leave family and culture for the international mission field, but as my eyes beheld these first images of my new home, the tears defied my will to hold them back. The furniture and decor was all very dark, the ceilings were low, electrical sockets practically hung out of the wall, and the dirt was abundant. The windows of my tiny kitchen were on the dark side of the building, crossed with iron bars, and the dishes were chipped and mis-matching and not enough in number to create a set even for our little family of three, let alone containing a beautiful set of ornate blue and white tea cups.

And not only did the reality of my home contrast so sharply with the new Russian home of my daydream, but the reality of my new ministry was also just as strikingly different. I could hardly say, “Hello, my name is Ashley,” let alone have a heart-to-heart in Russian. And my supposed “natural language ability” proved to be quite circumstantial. This ability existed in a past life where I studied language for over 20 hours a week, without kids, learning Chinese. Studying Russian a few hours a week with a baby did not pan out quite the same. Rarely did anyone come to sit on my couch for tea, let alone to hear the gospel, and I wondered how on earth I would ever be a thriving and fruitful missionary.

I remember the feelings of sadness, disappointment, frustration, and even hopelessness as I began this life that seemed far less beautiful or fruitful than I had daydreamed. I wondered and prayed if God would ever fill my living room with friends for tea and opportunities to share about God's love with others, but honestly that now seemed even more of a fantasy than my original daydream about the bright, inviting home and blue and white china tea cups. I was thrilled to love and serve my family, as all-consuming as that task was especially when we first arrived, and to help enable my husband to have a fruitful ministry, but was there ever going to be an opportunity for me to really feel like I, too, was a part of our work here as I had desired?

The memory of this daydream and the feelings that came so strongly after I first arrived in Russia are what made a gift that I received last night in my kitchen over tea with friends so incredibly special. My dearest Russian friend, not yet a believer but with whom God has blessed me with true friendship, many heart-to-heart talks over tea, and conversations about the gospel, brought me a set of lovely blue and white china tea cups. She had no idea about the little daydream of my past, so to receive these little cups, just like I had imagined, from such a truly dear friend, is such a vivid and perfect picture to me of the Lord’s amazing grace in my life here in Russia. He has provided friends, he has provided a ministry that even I with all of my limitations can do, and He has even provided the blue and white china tea cups to remind me of His grace. God didn’t have to do it that way to remind me of His plan and power and perfection, but how incredibly grateful I am for this special display of His love.

Do you remember your imaginary life on the field before you set foot in your new country? Does that image differ from the reality of the life that you stepped into? How has God shown you grace in this life that is perhaps not what you had expected, but all the same His perfect will?

Longevity in Ministry ~ Passionately Committed to Marriage and Family

"Like longevity in life, some basic things are needed -

right genes [to be a child of God], right diet [God's Word],

right exercise [involvement in ministry]

and right environment [a place in God's community - the Church].

The Apostle Paul set it as his goal to walk worthy and finish well. So should we!"

Yet what does the practical outworking of this look like in real life and ministry? How do expats working, ministering and seeking to be Christ’s  “…witnesses… [in] Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1.8, NASB) sustain long and productive careers?

Based off of a sermon by my home church pastor and subsequent study, I’ve identified seven essential priorities that help protect those in ministry, particularly cross-cultural ministry, from burnout and the temptation to sin... ones that direct and give hope for the future... ones that remind that all is grace and a gift from God… ones that will hopefully allow us serve well for exactly the time God has chosen for us…

Those priorities are:

1. Continuously and consistently seeking the Lord
2. Praying without ceasing
3. Balancing personal growth, rest and ministry
4. Welcoming accountability
5. Committing to marriage and family
6. Choosing to be teachable, even in difficult circumstances; and
7. Determining to be a genuine team player.

This post is looking at priority number five – committing to marriage and family.

Let me start off by saying that I do not believe there is one hard and fast way to do this… this commitment thing. How I demonstrate my commitment to my marriage and family might look quite different than how you do. Key is that 1) an intentional, purposeful choice to first made - choosing commitment, 2) a continuous effort is made - working on commitment, and 3) a covenant relationship is kept, clinging to commitment… regardless.

Regardless of the difficulties.

Regardless of the inconveniences.

Regardless of the words and opinions of others…

So what do I mean by commitment to family, in a biblical sense, if you will? I wasn’t exactly sure. It is something we talk about, casually throwing into edifying conversation – but what does God say commitment looks like? To try and find out, I searched both commit and commitment in an online concordance.

First, there are verses like “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37.5 ESV), and “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16.5 ESV). These verses remind that God has chosen to work through us, but He doesn’t need us to accomplish His plans. Believing and living according to this principle frees us to also minister inside our homes. Yes, we work and work intensely – but our work… our ministry… is no excuse to ignore (at one extreme) or slack off even a little bit (at the other extreme) at working on those family relationships and dynamics.

“Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife” (1 Corinthians 7.27) speaks of marriage as a being bound… a binding, knitting, tying and winding together of a man and a woman that should remain.  That means I support my husband in the ministry opportunities God gives him; he also supports me, giving me opportunity to serve and work, using the talents and abilities with which God has graced me. It isn't 50/50. It is 100/100.Today, what did that look like for us? Less than a week after moving (and after an extended furlough/home assignment), he’s itching to dive into a new ministry. So I continue lugging boxes, unpacking suitcases, trying to fit our family into our new (and beautiful) home while trying to keep six kids (who’ve gone from friend-overload to all-alone-in-a-new-city-with-nothing-but-siblings-overload) at least moderately content and engaged all day. After his long day and taking apart a desk that we needed to squeeze down into the basement, he’s now taken all of the kids out and about, exploring our new city, but also giving me the time to put my notes and this post together.  In Matthew 19, Jesus speaks of the marriage commitment – marriage is something God has put together and that men should not seek to separate. Our ministries, at least for this moment, are separate – but we need each other to do them well… sometimes to do them at all. Working together to help each other accomplish individual goals, works to further unite us.

Just a few verses later in Matthew 19, the disciples are rebuked for hindering the little children; in the previous chapter (and additionally in both Mark and Luke), a direly strong warning is given to any who would cause a little one (usually thought to mean a child) to stumble. Consider the list of qualifications given for “overseers” – above reproach in personal life, public life but also family life – husband of one wife, family managed well, obedient children, and mutual respect (i.e. by parents, spouses and children) demonstrated in the home (1 Timothy 3).  Although not all missionaries are “overseers” in a biblical sense of the word, there is no doubt that we are often seen as such and considered ones among the people to whom we minister. Regardless of our ministry, our actions and choices should not cause our children to "stumble" and turn away from God. They must always feel confident that their parents consider them more important than "the work."

A few other passages (I’m sure there are many others, but this study was never intended to be exhaustive – especially as we are smack dab in the middle of transitioning to a new field of ministry and I sit typing surrounded by boxes and piles of clothes and disassembled furniture…) seem relevant. First, at the end of the book of Joshua, Joshua instructs the Israelites to make a choice… and then sets the example:  “…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." To serve and minister as a family is the model we’ve been given. No one should try and carbon-copy my family’s “style” of service… those dated machines have no relevance today anyway. But do adapt principles and incorporate ideas, commit to making them work in your family and in your situation – not to make them look just like some other family that appears to have it all together.  And frankly, even in our family, what worked before is no longer feasible. Opportunities change, ministries ebb and flow. Our goal should be to focus on the intentional choice to serve as a family, each one doing his/her part.

One passage I never fail to find inspiring and convicting when it comes to our commitment to our tck children: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments… are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6.4b-8). We learn to better disciple others as we take time and practice discipling our children… To serve as a family, we need to be taking these Old Testament words to heart.

Second Kings 19 contains a pretty amazing account – although it was a particular phrase that first caught my eye. Hezekiah is king and the Assyrians are after his people. It is God who miraculously delivers Jerusalem from annihilation. There’s also a prophecy given… what will be accomplished by and because of God’s zeal for His people. One translation renders that word zeal as passionate commitment. That was the phrase that grabbed my attention.

Passionate commitment for His people.

A commitment motivated by strong feeling, affection and belonging.

A choice motivated by selfless love and protection.

An intention of working for the absolute, very best for another.

God is zealous for His people. 

I believe He wants us to feel the same - and not just about ministries or other peoples and cultures. He wants us to have a passionate commitment to our marriages, our children… our family. 

Just as Hezekiah recognized He couldn’t protect or save his people, we must understand that it is highly likely our spouses, our children, our families WILL suffer at times because we’ve chosen to serve the Lord in cross-cultural ministry. Like Hezekiah, when we recognize and accept this reality, we are open to seeing our lives, our families, our situations for what they really are. We can see our abilities, but also our "helplessnesses." Then, like Hezekiah, we need to humbly seek the Lord and rest always aware of His continuous, sustaining grace, active and available. He wants the best for our spouse, for our children... even more than we do. Like Hezekiah, we need to seek the Lord and seek out guidance from His Word when it comes to finding those always changing balances between ministry within and without the confines of home. And last, but not least, like Hezekiah, we need to remember that our hope for our families and for our ministries lies in the Lord.

I’ve purposely not given a whole lot of “this is what it looks like in our lives and ministries” to describe "commitment to marriage and family" which is such a critical priority for longevity in cross-cultural ministry. But I do hope that some of these principles will be of help as you seek to discern what said commitment will look like for you in your place of ministry.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Series: Longevity in Ministry

• Just Think About a Horseshoe (26 July2014)
• Trusting in the Sufficiency and Sovereignty of God (9 August 2014)
• If you don't want to shorten your ministry... obediently abide (23 August 2014)
• The essentials? Or merely superfluous? (13 September 2014)
• Habituate yourself? (27 September 2014)
• One Priority that can Never be in Excess (11 October 2014)
• Of rest and rescue (23 October 2014)
• Dare to Disclose (8 November 2014)
• “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear” (27 November 2014)
• "Hoping to resume an abandoned but not forgotten study" (13 June 2015)

To listen to the actual sermon "Start, Run and Finish Well," click here.

If you want to move to ____

Even after 14+ years overseas, I am far from an expert on living this life. And, when I give advice, much of it is from the perspective of "hindsight is 20/20" and what I wish we had done. But can I give that advice and not be a hypocrite? I hope so. Also, sometimes what I can say is from looking back and being thankful that we did do something a certain way, so there's that, too.

Sometimes people tell me that they're planning to move overseas, and they want advice. (Or they don't want it, but this is still what I'd like to say to them. ) So, without further ado, a few things:

1. Get training. If you're joining a mission, they'll probably help you with this, but if you're "independent," you need it too. (Maybe more so!) I'd recommend studying both Bible and cross-cultural living. (Can anyone recommend a general missions or cross cultural life training?) Learning on the job is great, but it's also wonderful when we can benefit from the experience of others who will teach us.

2. Language! Please plan to spend the first year or two in full time language study! It seems that so many people feel the urgency of ministry and choose the we'll-learn-as-we-go approach. And that can work; we did it to some extent. But it wasn't optimal! See all of my exclamation marks here? I really believe this is important... and neglected.

3. Visit. Here we have both followed my own advice and ignored it at different times. When we followed it, everything went so much better. Before you move full-time, it's really good to do a visit first, a focused visit that explores really living and working in that location. A generic short-term trip is a good start, and if that was a first taste that made you fall in love with a place, then come back again, before moving. No matter how wonderful a place seems, you look at it with different eyes when you live there or know that you will soon.

Do come on over! Moving overseas can be so overwhelming, so you have to start somewhere. Pick something to work and go with it. God will lead and guide you every step of the way.

That's just a start. What else would you all add to this? What do you wish that you had done before moving?

A Post from the Archives

So, we just moved back to our host country after a 6 month time in the states. What are we suppose to call that time now?  I never know.  Anyway, it was a good time of connecting with supporters, churches, family and friends.

And now we are in the throws of transition. Oh the joys.  I think in some ways, we got lulled into a false sense of security, thinking since we were returning to the same house, it would feel more akin to coming home from vacation, just unpack and go.  But we've hit some bumps, from the oldest down to the youngest.   Such is life!

While I would love to give you something witty and charming and new, I am going to repost the first in a series of articles about moving across the world.  I've been asked 4 times in the last week for my advice on moving, and it seems timely.   Feel free to click through the other articles in the series. Hopefully it will help some of you out! 

So without further ado:  Moving Across the World
So, as I thought about what to share with you all today, I couldn't get away from my moving notebook.

I kept grabbing it and jotting down "boys jeans" or checking the "To Buy in the States" page to see that garage sale had anything we needed.  And as I thought more about what to write, I figure, well, we all have to deal with this right?  I mean, we all seem to live in two or more places and moving a family across the world is simply the reality of missionary life.  And frankly, it can be big and scary and hard to even know were to begin!  I remember thinking "I wish I had seen someone do this before!"  So, in hopes of helping someone, you can watch our family move across the world.  And let me just say as we start out, this is what works for our family.  It may or may not work for you.  That's ok.  Take what you think will be helpful and leave the rest.  Really.

And so, here is "Everything I Know About Moving a Family Across the World".  Well, that title is a bit long.  Let's say instead, "Moving Across the World" or MAW for an even shorter title.

I guess the most logical place to start would be from the beginning, hummm?  Before we were deployed (yes, that is the word our mission uses, hehehe), we were living in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house with a garage.  We decided early on that there were things we wanted to keep.  You know pieces of family furniture, keepsakes from our childhood and from our boys.  Baby equipment for the next kid.  You get the idea.  For us, what made the most sense was to buy an old storage trailer (we found this beauty on craigslist for about $1400, which from everything we were told, was a steal!)  It's 20 feet long and we keep it next to my parents' barn.
 

We didn't know when exactly we were going to be moving because of funding, but we knew we were leaving.  And we knew that all our junk would not fit in the trailer or come with us.  So, about 8 months before we actually left, I started purging, sorting through our house room by room.  I worked with a couple of thoughts in my mind

1.  Do we love this item?
2.  Could we buy something similar in Costa Rica?
3.  Is it worth it's weight?

If we love something, we kept it.  If we love it and it's worth it's weight, we bring it.  If we love it and it can't come, it stays in the trailer.

If it's not something we love, worth it's weight or we could buy something similar in Costa Rica, we get rid of it.  Maybe we give it to someone who could use it, or we sell it on Craigslist, or we give it to Salvation Army.  But we move it on out!

Now the "is it worth it's weight?" question.  Sigh.  This is probably different for every family.  For use there are somethings that just make life a little brighter. You know, when your whole world is different and you can't read the label for the soap, it's nice to be able to reach for a familiar thing.

 For me, it's my own linens.  And since linens in Costa Rica are terrible, it makes sense to bring them.  I also have a thing for glass jars.  I have a few packed for this next move.  Yes, they are heavy, but I know I am not going to find these particular jars there.  For me it's worth it.  It's going to be different for everyone.

So there you have The Beginning of MAW.  Stay tuned for more thoughts and ideas on this crazy process of being a nomad.

What was/is your thought process on what what things should go and what should stay?  Any tips for making the process easier in the beginning?

Want more MAW?  Check these out
Moving Across the World:  Toys 
Moving Across the World:  Buying and Acquiring 
Moving Across the World: Packing 
Moving Across the World: The Big Day(s)
Moving Across the World:  Helpful This and Thats