Sabbatical Journal 4: 6.30.19 Preparation / Preparación

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6.30.19 Preparation / Preparación

The week we were home between trips was filled with preparation for our upcoming big voyage. When one is traveling overseas and to a variety of different climates, one has to prepare in many ways. A couple of months ago we not only booked flights and hotel rooms but began the process of buying the correct travel adapters – we will need a different kind for Italy, Israel and the UK – and other preparations. This past week was filled with laundry, ordering and receiving space saver bags for our laundry, packing health supplies so we don't have to search for them in foreign languages, and meeting with Genesis' school so that she is ready for the fall. We purchased a futon so that our house-sitter would not be consigned to the small child's bed we previously had in the guest room while we were all in the house. We even managed a trip to the AAA office where they got us a great deal on train tickets in the United Kingdom. I found our London oyster cards and other handy things for our travels. While we had almost a week at home it flew by. But all of this preparation was not just for the physical journey but it was a way of preparing mentally and spiritually for our pilgrimage time. Because all of the physical preparation also readies the mind. But at the same time we can never fully prepare ourselves because unexpected happenings, good and challenging, are always on the path. Meeting the house-sitter whom I hadn't met before was an invitation to trust someone I did not know. I had prepared by speaking with her and consulting the references she kindly provided but I also had to trust that she would be a good carer for our animals and house. (And as far as I can tell, she is doing amazing!) God uses these times of readying ourselves to ready our hearts, too, for what the journey may hold.

Esta semana estábamos en casa entre los viajes y fue muy lleno de preparación para nuestra viaje mas largo. Cuando uno va a viajar a otros países y a climas diferentes, es necesario prepararse de varias maneras. Hace un par de meses cuando hicimos planes con los aviones y los hoteles, pero también ordene tres diferentes adaptadores de viaje – uno para cada país en nuestro viaje- para Italia, Israel y Gran Bretaña porque cada país requiere un adaptador de enchufe diferente. Esta semana hicimos una preparación diferente. Hice la lavandería, ordene bolsas que ahorran espacio en su maleta para nuestra ropa sucia. Reunimos con la escuela de Genesis para prepararla para su escuela preparatoria en el otoño. Compramos un futon para que la persona que va a cuidar a nuestra casa no estará en la cama de niño que antes tuvimos en nuestro cuarto para huéspedes. Hasta pudimos visitar a la AAA donde compramos unos boletos para el tren en Gran Bretaña para un buen precio. Encontré nuestras tarjetas para el transito publico en Londres y otras cosas útiles así. Mientras tuvimos casi una semana en casa volió. Pero toda esta preparación no fue solo una preparación física. También sirvió como manera de preparar a la mente y al espíritu. No podemos preparar completamente para este tipo de viaje, siempre hay algo inesperado en el camino, si sea bueno o difícil. Esto también trata de otras situaciones al viajar. Por ejemplo hice mucho en preparación para encontrar a nuestra “house-sitter” incluyendo llamando a las referencias que ella me dio. Pero también me di cuenta que tenia que confiar en ella (y !hasta ahora hace muy bien!). Dios ocupa estos tiempos de preparación para hacernos listos en corazón también, para lo que encontráramos en el camino.

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