Winter tires..
Somewhere in December, we will be away from PL for a few days for some rest and to put the annual plans for 2024 on paper. Emmy is a Dutch foundation with ANBI status (donations are therefore tax-deductible in the Netherlands) and one of the things that comes with this, is that you make a clear plan about what you have done as a foundation and what you will do in the coming period.
And yes, that seems like an annoying job, but on the other hand, it helps you enormously to really think about who “you” are, what you do, for whom, and why you do it that way. It has helped us enormously in the past period to hold on and not to “wander around”.
The need for help on this side is enormous and if you are not careful, you are quickly tempted to do 4 things 25% well, instead of doing one thing 100% really well. Taking someone “25% off the street” will not help, and “giving someone 25% therapy” will not help either. Telling someone 25% of the gospel is also not an option.
Anyway, before we can leave, there is still “something” that needs to be done. The easiest thing to do is to put the winter tires on Lars (our van), but also consider rescheduling or scheduling appointments when we are not in Poland, make emergency procedures with people when we are not in here, preparing everything for when we return (as soon as we return the Christmas events we run will start) and way, way more. The request for help does not stop when we are away, and we would like (as far as possible) to provide everyone with a tidy “house” before we leave.
And yes, that is quite a job, but more than worth it. Not only do we want to be safe on the road, literally, but also figuratively. And not just for us, but also for the people we help. It has to be safe.
Good preparation is needed.
And? What are your plans for the coming year? Who are you going to help, how and why? And if you think about that, we have a top tip: make it concrete for yourself (what exactly are we talking about?), measurable (put it in your agenda for instance) and achievable. (shooting the breeze will not work)
Come on! What are you going to do for someone else? Not only in 2024, but also today? Will you join us?
