In preparation for moving to Kenya in February, we’re having a massive yard sale over Labor Day weekend. Today I supervised the children as they went through all of their possessions. Their instructions: Make a pile for yard sale or giveaway, fill their backpack of things they want to bring, and throw away the rest. It’s interesting to see what each of them finds important enough to make the trip. (Note: books and clothes are being packed separately as necessities; they’re just packing their personal items.)

Isaiah (age 12)

He’s my “engineer-in-training.” Always working on a project. So in addition to his Bible, notebooks, watch, solar-powered battery charger, and a few small toys, here’s his “stash”:

He showed me everything in his backpack, ending with, “Soooo….that’s my life in a bag.” A sobering thought, indeed. It brought to mind this verse:

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14)

Jonah (age 10)

Our budding naturalist who still very much likes to play!:

Rebekah (age eight)

Likes to read, write, and do arts and crafts:

Stuffed animals are one thing I’ve long discouraged the children from owning. I’ve never seen them do much but collect dust and get thrown around. However, they each have one or two that are special for one reason or another. Bekah’s teddy bear is no exception. When she got some money for Christmas last year, she really wanted to buy a special stuffed animal for herself. I told her that it was her money to spend, but encouraged her to do so wisely and through prayer. After a week or so of praying about it, she said, “I do want a stuffed animal, but only if God wants me to have one.” That day we needed to go to the Post Office, and oddly enough, there was a box full of stuffed animals there. The post master said that they were left over from some outreach that they had done over the holidays and we could pick up a few if we wanted them. That night, Rebekah wrote about it in her “Praise Book” journal of answered prayers and said she would save her money to buy a Bible. For her birthday shortly after, she received a Bible as a gift from her Auntie. That made her praise book , too! 🙂 Now both of those items are in her Kenya bag.

Deborah (age 7)

Deborah is a real collector of “stuff.” Here’s what she narrowed it down to:

Hannah (age 5)

You know the expression, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?” Somehow Hannah ends up with the stuff no one else wants, and she thinks it’s treasure, indeed. Any time she gets anything new for herself, she usually ends up giving it away. She’s a sweet soul.

Micah (age 4)

He wants to bring everything to Kenya! It took a lot of work to narrow it down so that everyone was happy.

Jubilee (2) loves her new “pack” and is wearing it around the house, perfectly empty and happy as a clam.

What would your “life in a bag” look like?