Get Out of Bed!

Hmmm, where to start... where .. to .. start…

And by that I don’t mean where to start this blog.  I mean where to start this new life.

Do I find a place to live, open a bank account (which I have to have in South Africa in order to obtain a lot of the other things on this list), get a PO box, get a Work Visa, get a driver’s license, get health insurance, get my student loan payments reduced since I have no income, update my resume/CV, write a mission statement, write a business plan, register new business name in South Africa and Arizona, file for nonprofit status in South Africa and Arizona, find board members in South Africa and USA, get logo and webpage, research grants available, write letters for corporate funding, get out of bed, make an appointment with a mental health professional?

You might think I put getting out of bed on the list just so I could have something to cross off each day.  Right now that is the hardest thing on the list!  Especially when it is snowing in Pretoria, the floors of my tiny studio are icy and there is no heat.  So just getting out of bed takes herculean effort.  First step, buy small rug for floor next to bed to encourage getting out of it.  Check.  

But to be honest, the list overwhelms me and I don’t know where to start because each and every item seems like the most important and should be done first.

New life plan:  Get out of bed, cross one thing off list, thank God, ask for guidance for next step, do it, thank God, repeat cycle…

Not only am I starting a business from scratch, something I’ve never done before, but I am starting two, and I am doing it in a foreign country, with no resources.  Cosmo quiz:  Lisa Poll is  a) an over achiever  b) certifiably insane  c) underqualified but willing to go where He leads  d) necessarily all of the above.

Right now, it’s just me and Ebenezer, Benny for short.  Benny the Bakkie.  Bakkie means truck and Ebenezer means “the Lord has helped me this far.”  This will be a reminder of all He has accomplished in my life this far.  My last week as I was leaving the security net of AFnet, two people stepped forward saying they felt led to help me get started.  Benny's rusty bed got rubberized and a camper shell.  HE is providing already – this gives me confidence for the future – to take Benny and head for the country!  The country where I will be bringing the children to PLAY – Purpose Leadership Adventure for Youth….