Greying hair.
We have this convention on the Pacific coast this weekend about five hours away. People in our church love this trip and a few years ago, for the first time in the 15+ year history of this church, we started chartering a bus to take the people who wanted to go. Great. No problem. There's a contract involved and about a thousand dollar commitment. No problem. We've always been able to fill up the bus, at least the three or four previous years to this one. This year, however, has been a huge headache. We're leaving tomorrow morning at 5am, and as late as Wednesday evening, we still needed ten passengers in order to pay the full contract. It's an unwritten law that some people have to wait until the very last minute to make up their minds they're going. Honestly, I think they already know what they're going to do. They just like to watch me sweat. So, here we are just few hours shy of our departure and some people still have not confirmed. Set a deadline, you say? It doesn't work, because I need people to buy tickets. So, if they want to get in at the last minute, I have to let them.
However, I did have an idea recently. Next year, I'm not signing any contract until I have the bus full. Period. If we don't get what we need by one month before the departure, we aren't going. Period. I think it will work.
On a side note, somehow the fact that people seem to not have money to go is my fault. Go figure. I start getting stuff like, "Well, why don't you start taking money early in the year and just write it down and keep track of who gave what so that they can have their ticket paid for early?" "Why don't you propose they give twenty pesos a week starting in January, so that when November gets here there's no rush or pressure?" See the natural implication? That is a bookkeeping nightmare. Twenty pesos a week from forty-five people? And, we, of course, have to keep track of it. Twenty pesos at a time. Do you know what twenty pesos are worth at today's prices? $1.54 US. No way.
Part of my job here is to teach financial responsibility. I'm not doing any one any favors by accommodating this twisted idea that somehow I'm responsible for making sure they have money to go on an outing. I actually told one lady on Wednesday, "It's not my responsibility to take care of all of that."
OK, this appears to have turned into a rant. Sorry, guys.

All aboard!!! Actually, our bus isn't quite this nice, but close.