My Under All Circomstances Plan

The first few times we traveled for a longer time with kids, it stressed me out quite a bit. Our boys did not want to eat, we all got sick a lot, it was overwhelmingly hot, and I did not know what to do since our regular schedule was off the charch. The kids were crying, I was crying, and even though we had some good moments overall, there was a lot of improvement to be made.

That is when I discovered my 'Under All Circumstances Plan'. It helps me to take care of the basics while in another country. It is my to-do list for when everything is new, and to check of everything that I normally take for granted at home. Note: what they say is true; from an empty cup you can not pour, and what you don't have you can not give. So, even though taking care of the kids is the highest priority, taking care of mom helps too.

For mom:

- Drink water

- Read your Bible and pray (even just a few sentences will do)

- Try to eat healthy and regular

- Go to bed around 10 pm

- Move your boomsey (walk, run, swim, dance, home workout, anything to move)

- Find a teacher to teach basics in the local language

- Find a church/ community/project to visit regularly and become a part off

- Go for a walk to check out the neighbourhood and make friends

- Check out where to find the market, hospital, bank and phone shop

- Find out how the local travic system works; bajaj? Motor? Bolt? Train? Metro? Taxi? Walking?

For the kids

- Get outside

- Go to playgrounds, footballfields, places with other kids

- Make a plan for the day and ask the kids what they would like to do, but keep some form of a routine

- Involve them in learning the language/ make homework

As you can see, the plan is short but effective. The first few weeks it is the hardest, and the focus is on where to sleep and what to eat. After that, it gets easier, and mom can relax more while the kids play with their friends. After the basics of food, sleeping place, friends and community are set, you can focus outward and do what you came to do; help out, contribute to the world and leave a little light on the places you visited. Children adapt very easily and are very open to other people. The beauty of traveling with kids is that it shows them the world.

Some of our favorite stories we still talk about as a family are the moments that came spontaneously. That one time we had a snake in our garden and Táta had to kill it with a knife on a stick because it was poisenous. Another story is that time we opened our gates, and many kids came every day to play in our garden and eat watermelon. I will never forget the time when a few women came to my house in the middle of the night, they asked for pads. I realized they needed sanitary pads for their time of the month. Or when the electricity was off for about two weeks. Our 6 and 4-year-old neighbour girls taught us how to do laundry by hand, and their mom taught us to cook on a gas bomb. There are so many stories of the kindness of the people and their curiosity. If there is one thing I learned, it is that I can make all the plans I want, but when life happens, adventure begins. Also, I thought I would come to help but, the people we met, even though they have a much harder life, have given me so much more then I could ever bring to them.

So, if you make your own UACP; keep it short and count a lot of flexibility in.

Another thing I would like to add is that just like at home, there are good and bad days just like at home. Especially when there is a big change, everybody needs to adjust, so the best you can do is just stay calm and go with the flow. There was a time when I was scared a lot. I was afraid people would break into the house and hurt us. We did get robbed and got sick a lot. When Vojta was gone I would take our mattresses to the bathroom and keep all the lights on just to feel safe. In the beginning, I would be angry with God about this kind of things. We were doing something good and now bad things happen to us. I had a lot of doubts and guilt about taking the kids to places that made them sick or miss their friends. People would tell us we were crazy to travel with the kids. But you know, everywhere we went, God provided all we needed: people, stuff, food, medicines, good doctors, a guard, a dog. Everywhere we went, there was another older wise lady to guide me to guide the kids. We met other families that had the same heart as us and young kids who gave us some tips and tricks. We learned about natural medicines, gardening, languages, nature, cultures and people.

Good and bad things happen to good and bad people; it is important how you respond on it. Sometimes something bad happens and you can not share a testimony yet because you need to wrestle it out with God. Ask Him; God, what happened? How to move on from this?

It is hard to stay stuck when you have to take care of little kids but it is important to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving in life and trusting God that He is good and His plan is good, go back to the Bible, whatever happens. That is why I made the UACP: to keep moving even when life is crazy and I have no control over it. 

Even though now I am now focused on the hard part of traveling as a family and doing mission work while keeping everyone's needs met, there are so many more awesome parts about this lifestyle that I would not want to trade for anything in the world. Because, after all; we are called to go into the world and share the good news :D

Mark 16:15 And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

​To preach the good news, means to do it, to live it and to preach it!

Love,

Jeska

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