We have just two weeks until we leave South Carolina, and there is so much to do. Thankfully we have a little "bumper time" in Minnesota, so if something doesn't get done, we'll still just be a few-days-by-mail away from South Carolina. I sometimes feel like everyone else is still living the life once paralleled to ours of church and family, and now we're veering off, taking that road LESS traveled...and yet not UNtraveled. We're jumping the track and entering into a life that is shared by missionaries everywhere. We went camping this past weekend and I met a former missionary to Peru and her daughter (who was born in Lima, Peru) in the bathrooms. She and her husband are now pastors of a church up the road from the state park where we were all camping. How providential! She was filled with encouraging words, and it was such a treasure to hear a little of their story. I came back to the campsite and told Justin all about our conversation and he asked, "How in the world did you talk about all that in the time it took you to go up to the bathroom and back?" There was just something about this former missionary that said, "Talk to me, I have a story." So she passed along some words of wisdom and gave us their family email address. God is just so good.
Now we come crashing back to reality. Justin was up and dressed by 6:45 this morning, having woken at 5:30, a full hour earlier than usual. He puttered around the house, went off to buy some milk, and then came back home and still had time to kill before going to work. I got up early too, unable to go back to sleep, and ready to “start the end of our time in South Carolina.” We have a lot to do - enough to fill every day until we leave. It won’t all get done, and if we weren’t such perfectionists, this would be a lot easier. I am also guilty of being a Type A personality – something God constantly has to give me an extra dose of grace to manage. I want it all neat and tidy. No loose ends, a perfect arrangement of information, and everything perfectly put together.
My Mom always said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff. And it’s all small stuff.” I have been guilty of putting too much thought into the small stuff, and by “stuff” I mean JUNK. I went through a phase this past spring, just before we sold our house, where every little item in our house had sentimental value and therefore had to be salvaged. Granted, we had already whittled away at our belongings, and I felt like we were down to “the bare minimum.” But as we threw everything together to get moved, I realized how much more we could stand to get rid of. Once we moved into our rental house we were able to do another round of whittling away at our belongings, and now as we are in the two-week home stretch of leaving South Carolina, and after a weekend of camping with truly “the bare minimum,” I now realize how much more we need to get rid of. What am I clinging to? Our family photos, our family videos, a few pieces of furniture, and our boys’ toys. The family photos and videos, okay, they might not come into perfect order, but no one ever gets that project fully completed- it’s like laundry. The moment you get caught up, you have another three loads to deal with. And the furniture…we’re keeping just a bedroom set and a couple of end tables, and a small bookcase. I think that’s forgivable, and the rest will be for sale when we leave our rental house (there isn’t much else, though).
But the boys’ toys. Ugh. It’s tough. Justin and I feel like we could pack a bag of clothes and be good for the journey, but to make that decision for our two boys is excruciating. Over the last year many toys have “disappeared.” Seldom are they missed, but Nathan went looking for a very specific truck today that is long gone. That broke my heart. I found an alternative, and he’s over it, but I’m not. I will be fine by this afternoon. I know from experience. Many toys, though, we have decided about WITH the boys, allowing them to make decisions about what’s important to them and what isn’t. It seemed help our oldest to have a little control over the move. He caught on that a few toys had gone missing, so rather than create turmoil, we let him in on the process. He’s staked out his treasured Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Legos, and a few other odds and ends. Our youngest is a little less aware, being on the verge of being just 4 years old, but he has caught on enough to occasionally announce that, “I will play with THIS in Peru,” as he holds up a treasured toy. I make mental notes of what has been slated as most precious, and move on. Kids Meal toys, however, BEWARE. I have no mercy for you.
In just two short weeks we will be on our way. Our weeks seem to fly by like days lately, so it feels more like we're leaving tomorrow and the pressure is ON to get things done. But here's the most important thing: we are trying to spend time with PEOPLE before we go. I will gladly leave my photos and videos in a managable mess if it means I get a little extra time with the people I have come to love so dearly in South Carolina and in Minnesota (my hometown). I can't believe how good people have been to us, helping us, encouraging us, and receiving so little in return. Thank You Father for your mercy and grace that are sufficient for today, for the people who want to see your work accomplished around the world, and for the blessings of "stuff" for it's evidence of your provision. Praise you for this ministry team that is GOING TO PERU! Amen!
- Now it's off to rid my home of Kids Meal toys.
In Christ's Name,
Gillian
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