Day 14 - Hey Ray - Should We Leave? Wife Thinks So!

I got an email from an old friend of mine with a big concern. His wife believes they need to get the heck out of dodge and pronto. He on the other hand as not felt such an urgency.

I wanted to take the time to really answer his question give him something to chew on. 

Now I want to preface this in saying that I am writing this response from a biblical point of view and from the aspect of a biblical marriage.

To introduce my friends, I have changed their names to protect the innocent. So, lets call my friends "Bob" and his wife "Nancy."

Here is how the email started...

Ray - Nancy  is convinced that we need to leave the country... But I'm not so convinced. I'm not arguing with her but don't feel the same urge right now...I don't wan to be foolish with my family but would God have us divided on a issue like this? Interested what your thoughts are. -- Bob

Hi ya Bob --

Something that I have learned in my years of marriage is to lean on Tracye when it comes to her "gut feeling." God gave women a 6th sense in just knowing when something bad or their security is in danger.

Tracye was the one who's red flags were getting raised and she began pushing us moving as well. I balanced out her "we need to get the heck out now" with my "lets remain calm, collected and get out of here in the best manner possible."

We both made sure we did our due diligence and made sure God was in it.

Here are some good marching orders....

1 - If you go to my blog " Unpacking Costa Rica" there is a good article by Michael Snyder titled " Should You Move To Another Country To Escape The Collapse Of America? 10 Questions To Ask Yourself First "

Both you and Nancy please read this article.

After that, I just wrote a response to this and I answered the 10 questions publicly. Read that as well. 

See where you guys are after reading these.

2 - If you do not have your passports, get them now. Make this a top priority. As things get bad, more people are going to flee. Getting ones passport will become harder and will take longer to get. Right now the waiting time is about 3-4 weeks to process.

3 - Take a trip to see where you want to relocate. You guys are more than welcome to come down and stay with us. We can pick you up, show you around, etc etc. We can also talk to you about the ins and outs of living here.

If Costa Rica does not fit, check out Belize. I have a good network of people there that can help you. I also have a great contact with a person who is helping Christians get out of the US. He is selling half acre plots with gardens, livestock, ect on the property. All one has to do is pack the bags and show up. Here is his website -- http://www.biospharms.com/ Darin Smith is his name and he is doing some great things down there in Belize. I already have 3 readers who have set up shop thanks to Darin.

4- This is probably the most important. Start creating a means to earn income over the Internet. Next to getting a passport, this needs to be your top priority. Try to figure out something that you can do to garner an income. Do something where you are providing information, writing a blog and getting affiliate dollars, Google advertising, etc

KEY POINT - No matter where you go, you will not be able to work on the local economy till you gain residency.

In Panama you can dump $7K in the bank for you and your wife, do paperwork and you are pretty much residents.

In Belize, you need to live there for a year and then you can apply. You can gain instant residency also by dumping some $$ in the bank as well. I am not sure the amount, but with that, you get a passport too. So I think it is expensive.

Costa Rica is easy yet hard. There are three means where you can start residency. Two official, one un-official.

Pension - retiree.. You need to have $1K coming in monthly for the rest of your life. Be it Social Security, Annuity or trust fund. If you can show this. You can qualify. No age requirement.

Rentista - you need to deposit $60K in the bank and then do paperwork for residency. It takes two years to do this and they will dole out your 60K back to you $2500 a month. Once you do your two years, you can then apply for residency and get it sometime in the third year. Once you have full residency you can work on the economy.

Tourista - perpetual tourist - There are a LOT of people doing this in Costa Rica. You have to leave the country every 90 days, spend 3.5 hours outside the country and then come back in. They stamp your passport for another 90 days and you do it all over again.

This is what Tracye and I are going to do in the beginning as we try to earn / save the 60K. IF you have a home to sell, you can take your earning from your home and you have the 60K., That is if you are not upside down. Tracye and I rent so we do not have a home to sell. This is why we have to save up for it.

Thing is Bob is that no matter what, things are going from bad to worse.

I know you see the writing on the wall.

What I see is history repeating itself. The days today remind me of Europe prior to WWII, Christians and Jews were getting out as fast as they were able in three distinctive phases of exodus.

Those phases are taking place right now.

We are currently in what I call "phase one" of the exodus. Those in phase one have the time to get out, take their belonging, and do it comfortably.

Phase two are those people who will get out only with  their suitcases in hand.

Phase three are those who get out with the clothes on their back. Things will be very bad by this phase and the exodus will be at a critical mass at this point. It is this critical mass that you want to avoid because that is when things will get locked down tighter than a drum.

More and more people are starting to exodus out of the US. It has not hit critical mass yet, but it is getting there. As things get worse, more and more people will look to get out.

What you need to ask yourself is what phase do you want to be part of?

Like it or not, sooner or later persecution will come to this country. You know and I know that the fema camps being built are not just for looks. They will be used to house and detain people. Most likely folks like us.

We can learn from history and bail out like the Jews and Christians did prior to WWII Germany or we can hang around and see what happens.

Even MTV has been waking up to the fact -- WATCH NOW >>> http://youtu.be/P2ZhQrWQj7k

God put our wives in our lives for a reason. They are our helpmates. A lot of times our own pride causes us to not to listen to the wisdom God gave them to help protect the family.

Over the years I have learned to listen to Tracye when she has her radar on high. She has it on high for a reason.

Nancy is the same way. God has blessed Godly women with this ability. We as Godly men need to heed it. In the end the responsibility falls on our shoulders because we are the leader of the family and we will stand before God for the decision or lack there of that we made on behalf of our family.

Often God answers my prayers through Tracye. She confirms what I have asked for or asked wisdom in.

In our relocation I was praying hard.

God used Tracye to confirm an answer and a direction we should go. This is how a marriage works. Kind of like a form of check and balance.

Work diligently on what I have given you. Even if you do not move, it is a wise thing to do because it will help you and your family survive the coming storm and give you things to fall back on.

If you guys want, get on the phone with us and we will be more than happy to help you guys with some answers.

Day 19 - Guest Post - Should You Move To Another Country To Escape The Collapse Of America? 10 Questions To Ask Yourself First

 By Michael Snyder

Why are so many people leaving the United States right now?  Over the past couple of years, an increasing number of Americans have decided that moving to another country is the best way to prepare for the collapse of America. 

According to the U.S. State Department, an all-time record of more than 6 million Americans are now working or studying overseas.  Of course many of those that have left the country do not believe that the U.S. economy is going to collapse, but without a doubt there are an increasing number of preppers that believe that now is the time to "escape from America" while they still can.  And certainly there are a lot of reasons why the U.S. is becoming less appealing with each passing day.  

In addition to our economic problems, crime is on the rise in our cities, our liberties and freedoms are being eroded at a frightening pace, political correctness is wildly out of control, and our corrupt politicians continue to make things even worse.  But is life really that much better in the rest of the world?  The sad truth is that life in most other nations is more difficult than it is in the United States.  Yes, there are some nations that are relatively stable and that look promising at first glance, but the truth is that moving to another country is never easy.  If you plan to do it, there are some hard questions that you need to ask yourself first.

If you plan to move permanently to another nation, it would be wise to visit first.  The way that things work in a foreign country is often very, very different from how things work in the United States.  If you are not accustomed to being in a foreign culture, it can feel like your whole world is being turned upside down.

But of course it is definitely possible to make a successful transition to another culture.  Millions of Americans have done it.  The following is from a recent RT article...

Ever dream of leaving it all behind and heading out of America? You’re not the only one. A new study shows that more US citizens than ever before are living outside of the country.
According to statistics from the US State Department, around 6.4 million Americans are either working or studying overseas, which Gallup says is the largest number ever for such statistic.
The polling organization came across the number after conducting surveys in 135 outside nations and the information behind the numbers reveal that this isn’t exactly a longtime coming either — numbers have skyrocketed only in recent years. In the 24 months before polling began, the number of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 living abroad managed to surge from barely 1 percent to over 5.1 percent. For those under the age span wishing to move overseas, the percentage has jumped in the same amount of time from 15 percent to 40.

But picking up and moving to a foreign nation is not something to be done lightly.

The following are 10 questions to ask yourself before you decide to move to another country...

Do You Speak The Language?  If Not, How Will You Function?

If you do not speak the language of the country that you are moving to, that can create a huge problem.  Just going to the store and buying some food will become a challenge.  Every interaction that you have with anyone in that society will be strained, and your ability to integrate into the culture around you will be greatly limited.

How Will You Make A Living?

Unless you are independently wealthy, you will need to make money.  In a foreign nation, it may be very difficult for you to find a job - especially one that pays as much as you are accustomed to making in the United States.

Will You Be Okay Without Your Family And Friends?

Being thousands of miles away from all of your family and friends can be extremely difficult.  Will you be okay without them?  And it can be difficult to survive in a foreign culture without any kind of a support system.  Sometimes the people that most successfully move out of the country are those that do it as part of a larger group.

Have You Factored In Weather Patterns And Geological Instability?

As the globe becomes increasingly unstable, weather patterns and natural disasters are going to become a bigger factor in deciding where to live.  For example, right now India is suffering through the worst drought that it has experienced in nearly 50 years.  It would be very difficult to thrive in the middle of such an environment.

Many of those that are encouraging people to "escape from America" are pointing to Chile as an ideal place to relocate to.  But there are thousands of significant earthquakes in Chile each year, and the entire nation lies directly along the "Ring of Fire" which is becoming increasingly unstable.  That is something to keep in mind.

What Will You Do For Medical Care?

If you or someone in your family had a serious medical problem in the United States, you would know what to do.  Yes, our health care system is incredibly messed up, but at least you would know that you could get the care that you needed if an emergency arose.  Would the same be true in a foreign nation?

Are You Moving Into A High Crime Area?

Yes, crime is definitely on the rise in the United States.  But in other areas where many preppers are moving to, crime is even worse.  Mexico and certain areas of Central America are two examples of this.  And in many foreign nations, the police are far more corrupt than they generally are in the United States.

In addition, many other nations have far stricter gun laws than the United States does, so your ability to defend your family may be greatly restricted.

So will your family truly be safe in the nation that you plan to take them to?

Are You Prepared For "Culture Shock"?

Moving to another country can be like moving to a different planet.  After all, they don't call it "culture shock" for nothing.

If you do move to another country, you may quickly find that thousands of little things that you once took for granted in the U.S. are now very different.

And there is a very good chance that many of the "amenities" that you are accustomed to in the U.S. will not be available in a foreign nation and that your standard of living will go down.

So if you are thinking of moving somewhere else, you may want to visit first just to get an idea of what life would be like if you made the move.

What Freedoms and Liberties Will You Lose By Moving?

Yes, our liberties and our freedoms are being rapidly eroded in the United States.  But in many other nations around the world things are much worse.  You may find that there is no such thing as "freedom of speech" or "freedom of religion" in the country that you have decided to move to.

Is There A Possibility That The Country You Plan To Escape To Could Be Involved In A War At Some Point?

We are moving into a time of great geopolitical instability.  If you move right into the middle of a future war zone, you might really regret it.  If you do plan to move, try to find a country that is likely to avoid war for the foreseeable future.

When The Global Economy Collapses, Will You And Your Family Be Okay For Food?

What good will it be to leave the United States if you and your family run out of food?

Today, we are on the verge of a major global food crisis.  Global food reserves are at their lowest level in nearly 40 years, and shifting global weather patterns are certainly not helping things.

And the global elite are rapidly getting more control over the global food supply.  Today, between 75 and 90 percent of all international trade in grain is controlled by just four gigantic multinational food corporations.

But grain is not the only thing that the food giants control.  Just check out the following statistics from a recent Natural News article...

The paper said three mega-multinationals now control better than 40 percent of global coffee sales, for example. Eight companies control the supply of cocoa and chocolate. Seven control the lion's share - 85 percent - of tea production. Five multinationals control three-quarters of the world banana trade. And the largest half-dozen sugar traders account for about 66 percent of world trade, the new report by the Fairtrade Foundation said.

The elite are also buying up food producing real estate all over the globe.  That is why farmland prices in the United States have been absolutely skyrocketing lately.

The people that run the world are rapidly getting a stranglehold over the global food supply.

So wherever you end up - whether it is in the United States or in another country - you will need to make sure that you can provide enough food for you and your family to live on independently of the system.

These are all things to think about when considering whether or not to move out of the United States.