Behold...my stuff

So, whenever Bradley asked me if I would consider moving to Korea, I had so many thoughts running through my head. Just like Cambodia, we never planned to move to Korea, but unlike Cambodia, we did not have nearly 2 years to prepare for such a move. The congregation asked us to be ready as quickly as possible, preferably within 2 months. Even though I had moved my life overseas before, 2 months would be stressful for a local move, nonetheless an international one. We were able to push our move date forward a few weeks, but I still felt at a loss as to how to pack up our life in such a short time. It felt as though we had barely stretched our legs after the flight from Phnom Penh, and here we were taking off again.

The upside to having been stateside for less than a year was that we had not had a chance to unpack our life completely. Most everything stayed in boxes for our first 6 months in the states while we bunked with our brother and sister-in-law. Once we relocated into our Dallas apartment, I had the task of locating all of our possessions, as our stuff was in 7 different locations - yeah, it was insane, and I do not recommend it for anyone! You live, you learn. Next came sorting through the many boxes, bags, and crates. I was amazed at how some things had held together, and other things looked as if they had been stored unkept for a century. Finally, I began repacking our assests for our next move, which we thought would be Denton. As some of you may know, our plan was to open a coffee shop with a unique component that would allow Bradley to utilize his talents, while we began the process to foster and hopefully adopt children. We hoped this business would allow us to someday assist with a foreign work either financially or personally... someday... like 5-10 years down the road. Silly me for making plans again!

Back to the undertaking of sorting. This project may have looked a little different had I known we would be leaving the country in the very near future. Still, since I had so recently sorted through our stuff I had a better idea of what I wanted to take with us. Since some friends in Korea had helped us look at apartment options, we had a pretty good idea of the type of place we wanted. Thus began the frantic and less organized packing process for our international relocation. Unlike Cambodia, I had requested that we have our stuff shipped to us. We still filled our suitcases, but instead of building and buying everything once we arrived to our new home, I took comfort knowing that my stuff would be coming to us soon. As a Christian, I know that stuff is physical, with no place in the afterlife, nor spiritual assistance in this one, but as a human, there are certain things that bring me comfort. Call me a Dharma Finklestein if you will, but my mood and peace of mind is greatly effected by my environment. I believe a lot of women are this way, hence the term "bachelor pad" referring to an often less cozy and inviting space. I am willing to fly all over the planet if my husband and Lord need me to do so... just please let me have some of my stuff, okay?

When moving across town, or even state to state, you can pretty much throw everything in boxes and still survive. For the most part, you can begin unpacking as soon as they arrive at your new home, and if you have labeled your boxes, then you can find anything necessary. Plus, if you really need something before you can locate it, you can always grab it from WalMart or Target. However, an international move, as I have learned, requires a little more precision. You have no guarantee when you will see your stuff again, nor do you know where you can purchase it in your new foreign home... assuming it is even available. With so little time and so much stuff, I knew I needed to be extremely organized in order to accomplish everything. Thankfully, one of my super powers is that of organization. HaHAAA! Taking a lesson from our first international move, I got to work immediately by creating groups. Some things would be stored, others shipped, packed for the plane ride, or donated to Goodwill. To help myself and Bradley in those moments we were stuck on what to do with an item, I created 3 group titles: Shipping, Packing, and Tasks. Each card had a statement to help us make a decision if we were unsure since such a decision can become slightly difficult at 2 in the morning. Although our 590 square foot apartment was tight, I managed to create 3 sections to sort all the boxes, furniture, et cetera. In anticipation of life being crazy during all of this, it was important to me to maintain a comfortable sleeping space in the hopes of preserving our sanity... or at least mine since Bradley handles the idea of change better than I do.

These cards were placed with their
corresponding sections.

Proof that we can get rid of stuff.

Our living room became the warehouse.

The packing station was in our bedroom.

Sweet retreat at the end of each
packing day. *sigh*

For the most part I was able to be optimistic that we would be ready come moving day, but some days I fought with an overwhelming sense of anxiety, barely able to focus on a single task. My hands were packing and storing things, but my brain was still trying to process the fact that we were moving out of the country again. I did not want to leave my friends and family again. I had just gotten them all back, and we were already saying goodbye. The night before the Uhaul was scheduled to arrive, I was packing in the kitchen, wrestling with a storage container that simply would not fit in the box, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Thankfully, I have a patient husband, and some amazing friends. Marissa and Krista responded to my "911" text to help us move the following morning, and I was able to get some sleep. With their help, and the assistance of a friend we had made in our apartment complex, we were able to finish packing and loading the Uhaul truck. We then proceeded to deliver everything to the warehouse where Sam would prepare it all for shipping. My mom and step-dad met us at the warehouse since some of the stuff in the Uhaul was for storage. They were kind enough to let us borrow some of their property to assemble a storage unit for our possessions.  It was a long day, but somehow, thanks to friends and family, we survived.

After dealing with our stuff, I can honestly say that I see the wisdom in minimalism, not that I ever saw it as foolishness. But, 'stuff' definitely makes you less able to pick up and go, and when your goal is to serve the Lord however He needs you, just the thought of a never-ending pile of boxes can be a deterrent. This entire process has taught me to be more diligent in my purchases, and less concerned about holding onto things that are not currently blessing us.

This was the beginning of our shipping process, and oh what a process it became! We could not have anticipated some of the ups and downs, but it is rarely the easy things in life that make for interesting conversation, right? And yes, I will be sharing our journey in the near future. It took over a year for us to finally be able to say "behold... my stuff!"

If you could only take 1 unnecessary item with you to a foreign land, what would it be and why?