As many of you know, we've been praying for a couple of years now about relocating to Hawaii to help with a new church plant (click on the pink flower for more info). This summer, by God's grace, we took our next step to bring us closer. We sold most of our worldly goods and only kept what we needed...with a few extras like my hubby's crossbow...
**side note: the crossbow isn't exactly a need, it's just very sentimental***
...OK back to my point...
We went through EVERYTHING, clothing, furniture, pens, papers, cooking utensils, plates. When I say "EVERYTHING" I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! It took us about 2 months to do all this. In the end we can fit what we'll be bringing to Hawaii in a 9x7x7 crate (we're planning on sharing a 20' crate, Lord willing).
So you could imagine what type of organization was required to take on such a task! I pulled out my trusty "Hawaii Relocation" binder (I'll have to take pictures and post it later on) and got down and dirty.
Here are some tips & tricks I've learned along the way. Please note these are not all my original ideas. I got some of these ideas from websites, blogs & wise counsel from other godly women.
**before you even attempt this task, spend some time in prayer and ask God to give you wisdom to keep only the things that is needed and strength to let go of things that..aren't**
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously..."
(James 1:4-6)
#1 - Put a binder together so that you can keep all your important papers together.
#2 - In that binder keep a record of what is in each box by...
#3 - Label each box with a number, 1, 2, 3, etc., rather than it's contents. That way "uninvited eyes" won't know that you packed "Nana's antique silver".
#4 - COLOR code your boxes. Since we're going to be sharing a crate with another family, we're putting RED duct tape over our boxes so ours will be easily distinguishable.
#5 - (this probably doesn't have to be done if you're just moving across town) Disassemble chairs, small tables, dressers if possible to maximize space. Lucky for us we have alot of Ikea furniture.
#6 - Don't forget to put COLORED tape on your "wrapped" furniture, sterilite containers and anything else that's not in a box.
#7 - (a big THANK YOU to Amel & Vange for this tip!) Tape off a section in your house the size of the crate (if you're going to pack into a crate or storage facility) to ensure that everything you want to bring will fit.
So that's it for now. If I think of anymore then I'll post them.
HAPPY PACKING!
2 comments:
Chone! You guys are taking serious steps toward Hawaii - how very scary and thrilling! I'm excited to see how God will work in your family as you continue in obedience to Him. Will be praying for you as you prepare your family. We'll have to try and get together before you head to the islands!! :-)
we've got to take serious steps if we take God's work seriously, right? We're excited to see how God is going to work too! Thanks so much for your prayers. Girl, we need to put a date in our calendars soon! It's going to start getting busy again with the holidays fast approaching.
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