Can’t believe it’s December already! Time is going by sooo fast; hard to believe we’ll be in Africa almost before we know it!

We finally got our shipping crate built, upping it from the original 4′ x 8′ to 6’x 8′. We can’t ship it until Marc’s (missionary) work permit is approved, though…and we have no idea when that will happen. Depends on the Kenyan government.

Have been taking care of some administrative odds and ends, like setting up a state-side P.O. Box, formalizing change of address, and setting up ads to try and find a renter for our house. Speaking of, we’re also continuing to clean stuff out; most recently, we sold our living room built-in shelving and our master bedroom set as well as some storage shelves. We have sold the boys’ bunk beds but need to get them picked up, and we need to get rid of our big freezer (it’s being given away, but we have to coordinate some help and transportation to move it). We are still trying to sell the girls’ triple bunks and we’ll probably end up giving away our 14-person conference room table (which we use as a kitchen table).

We’ve also spent some time updating things around our house (and at my father-in-law’s next door) to make sure everything is ready for rental. Panting, painting, and more painting, plus installing a couple of doors, caulking around sinks and tubs, and some other miscellaneous stuff. We’re going to have the kitchen and living room flooring replaced before we move, but that’s not a DIY job.

That’s what’s been going on here. Appreciate your prayers for tying up all the loose ends remaining…the work permit approval is a biggie and we sure would like a renter for our house. ALSO (don’t know how we missed this when we first booked our flight!) one of our layovers (in Switzerland) is only a 45-minute connection and I think we’ll even have to go through security (all 10 of us, plus 9 personal bags and 9 carry-on suitcases and 9 check-in totes)?! Definitely need the Lord’s timing on that one. Can’t imagine the chaos if we miss a flight. We had to book about 6 months in advance just to get us all seated near one another on the plane!

God is in control. 🙂 We press on…

Today I had to go to the bank and decided to stop at the park with the children. Their favorite equipment at our 70’s vintage town playground is the one we’ve officially dubbed “the death trap.” You probably know what I’m talking about:

As they spun themselves around again and again, I thought about how time has seemed be moving justthatfast lately. Having a new baby, gardening and freezing and canning, then starting up school again, and of course preparing to move to Kenya in February, it seems as if the kaleidoscope of time has been going non-stop.

So today I paused.

I mused out loud to the children,

“Do you realize that Enoch and Jubilee [who are 4 months and two years old, respectively] will probably never know–or remember–a Fall day like this one?” Kenya, at the equator, is remarkably constant: an average of 80-something degrees all year with sunrise at 6:30 AM and sunset at about 6:30 PM every day, seasons only marked by wetness or dryness, long rains and short rains…

Snow will be a foreign concept to them, known only from pictures and the rest of the family’s reminisces.

They won’t remember appliances like dishwashers and washing machines and dryers.

And a playground…?

We’re moving toward good things, but there’s a lot we’re leaving behind. I will miss being able to hop in the van and go to the park to enjoy a beautiful Fall day, listening to my children laugh and enjoy each other and God’s creation.

I’m thanking God for giving me {pause} today…

(This post is linked up with A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.)

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?