Six Bags!

   With one week left, we're getting pretty creative with our packing. Here are clothes for Finn rolled up in my exercise mat and stuffed in part of our water filter.

                         

                         

Saudade...and TCK's

I recently read this article by a blogger, and thought the emotions I'm experiencing were described perfectly by it. I'm all wrapped up in happy/sad feelings. I'm excited to be so close to arriving in Japan but then there are times when I almost hurt physically from the sadness of leaving family/old friends/new friends here in Virginia.

Saudade is a word commonly associated with TCK's. Sometimes I feel guilty to submitting Finn to a lifetime of many transitions and tough good-byes. I'm leaning heavily on my heavenly Father during this time. I have to continuously remind myself that this calling is Finn's calling as well. To stay in America to shield him from the grief that is to come over the years would be to deny him living out that calling. Acts 17:26-27 tells us that God placed us each in our own particular time in history and places we live in order that we might seek Him.

Any parent's of TCK's out there want to chime in?

Tiny Mr. Finn - ready to reach the nations

We're Almost Done!

All I can say is "WOW!" I can't believe our training time is almost over! I distinctly remember thinking at the halfway point that we'd never be through.

It was hard on all of us at first. After several months of not being on a schedule, we had to adjust to getting up with an alarm clock and having almost every hour of our day planned for us. We also had the adjustment of childcare for Finn. We had a few rough days - possibly even harder for Mama than for Finn - but we were adjusted within a week. It's been fun to see Finn's social personality emerge. He loves his teacher's and hanging out with the other babies. Seeing him smile at a his teacher's and willingly allow himself to be handed over has set our parent's hearts at ease. Now that we've settled in we've enjoyed living in community with like-minded people. We definitely feel better prepared now than we did when we first arrived.

God has provided greatly for us. We now have visas, plane tickets, and more than likely, an apartment. It's so great to know we have a home waiting on us after being nomads for three months! We're definitely ready to settle in and put our hand to the plow. 

Brushing up on our Japanese.

Playing with henna - the story of the five loaves and two fish.