We are drowning in a sea of last-minute details! We've changed our retirement funds, set up accounts for handling our working fund, canceled some accounts, opened up new ones, made sure our life insurance is good overseas, set up car insurance for our son, and on and on. The current hurdle is health insurance. We investigated insurance for missionaries months ago and located two plans. We had an insurance person look at both of them and make a recommendation. Then we had to wait, because you can't apply for international coverage until 30 days before you leave. So, we applied to our chosen company on May 21--and were denied. Seems that although we think we are very healthy, we have pre-existing conditions that this company didn't want to cover. On to plan B. We were accepted for this one, but no coverage for pre-existing conditions for two years, then a limited coverage per year. They also provided a long list of conditions for which there is no coverage for the first six months on the policy. We started looking for plan C. The C company has had our application for over a week. They want doctor's statements before they decide what they will and won't cover. Just in case, I'm looking for plan D. We can also Cobra our current policy if all else fails. It all seemed so simple a few months ago!
Friday night I had a long phone conversation with my roommate from college. She and her husband have been missionaries in Cameroun for 30 years. We commiserated about health insurance, leaving our kids behind, and other missionary issues. I also talked to her husband a few minutes. I mentioned to him that someone needs to write a book about how to get ready to go to the mission field. He laughingly replied that his wife forbids him to write such a book. She tells him that if he did, no one would ever want to go.
David found a wonderful saying years ago that keeps us calm and grounded in these days of dealing with details: Focus on the goal, not the price. We choose to think about the wonderful opportunities God has laid out before us in Zambia, not on the bothersome details of the next few days.
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David and Linda, everyone at Brentwood Oaks is thankful for your safe travel. Sounds as if you got busy immediately with your new responsibilities. On the topic of last minute details, David, Dan Bonner told me you did find a new toolbox -- even though Home Depot didn't have what you wanted. I couldn't believe I ran into you at the hardware store on the day you were to depart to Africa! God bless you both.
Robert Bluethman
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