Crating

When I moved into the mission house at the end of April, I honestly thought 2 months to crate would be plenty of time. I would have time to relax and take it easy for the time I was here, spending time with friends and making final preparations. It just hasn't quite worked out that way. From the never ceasing rain, to traveling home to be with my family, to working full time still at the church, I have fallen way behind on my schedule.

The IMB has given me 300 cubic feet to pack in. I have no idea what that means. Let me put it another way. I have approximately 7 ft by 7 ft by almost 4 ft. Someone told me to compare it to packing in a walk-in closet. I think that's a pretty appropriate comparison. I also asked several missionaries what to pack and for tips on packing. One that I appreciated the most was, "Pack like you're a drug dealer." I have. It's amazing what you can get to fit inside something if you have to.

Another great thing about crating is that you have to list every item that goes into your crate and not just every item, but specifically what box each item is in. So by the end of my crating experience, I will have an itemized list by box of everything that I have packed. Then my crate will be shipped off to stay in a port here until released, then off to a foreign port and finally to wherever I end up. Round trip approximately a year and a half or longer. In all of this, I have to think about what I need immediately to take with me and what I can live without for a year and a half.

The picture that I've attached is of the garage at the mission house where I am living. Not all of the stuff in the picture is mine there are some missionaries storing things at the mission house, but most of it in the middle actually is my stuff. Yes, 7 x7 x4 are the crating dimensions.

Oh, my. I have lots of work to do and little time to do it. I'll keep you posted.