Travel Map

Countdown

  The paper chain on the door is getting very short.  This is good.  This is sobering.  This is exhilerating!  We have yet to weigh the suitcases.  Life has kind of gotten in the way of taking preparations too seriously -- or at least as diligently as last time.  In fact, tonight, I just started tossing things into the suitcases willy nilly -- which, for those of you who know me well, is so not me.  I figured that things would look like that AFTER the voyage, so why fight it now?

I still need to get through two more days of work, yet at the same time prepping for my absence there -- which is no small feat, given that I will even miss my final exam.  My superiors have been nothing less than supportive, for which I'm very grateful.

While we're talking countdowns, another countdown is 7 days until our "Gotcha Day" for Jack.  As a song says, "We're counting down the days until we hold you close and say, "I love you!" (Steven Curtis Chapman, "When Love Takes You In")

Lastly, it's been a week of ups and downs in various ways around the house and with trip details.  Who really needs a 911 call at T minus 6?  But through it all we have been reminded of the faithful advocacy of our God.  We can embrace the words He spoke to one of His own many years ago: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee. Be not dismayed; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)

Look for one more post before take off! (PR)

Our help

I will lift up my eyes to the hills-From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth....The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. (Psalm 121:1, 8)

This verse has been meaningful to me this past week in particular.  I'm so grateful for His faithful help as we're in this stage of preparation for the journey. There is much to do, and at times this past week, I have felt as though I am in slow motion when I should be moving much more quickly! I am stocking our portable "pharmacy" and gathering our "7-Eleven" provisions :).  So far, most of the stuff in our basement loading dock is for Jack.  The rest of us had better get busy!  We will attempt to make some headway this weekend.  Thanks for your prayers for us, as always. (CR)

Room ready ? Check!

It feels good to get one more item checked off the To-Do list!  Jack now has a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, some toys to play with, and plenty of folks to love him.  In the coming days we will be shopping for several take-along items, including food and medicine.  And then there's packing -- but how do you put the clothes that you need to be wearing now in the suitcases?!? (PR)

16 days to go...

We have purchased our plane tickets and are entrusting the routes, timings, connections, etc to the One who is outside of time as we know it, the One who is Safety, and the One who is the Way. In this we rest. The task before us now is deceptively straightforward: pack! Today we weighed our various suitcases (all empty) so we could choose our best options. Several families are represented in our suitcase line-up -- thanks to all for the loaners! We will be glad to take "you" along with us! I'm sure that we will end up packing many times between now and May 2 when we depart.