Not moving... just weird...

I know I mentioned it in the New House - WHAT??? post, but it really is strange trying to set up house based on the assumption that I'm not going to be moving in the next 12-24 months.

Example: I have four under-the-bed boxes that always get stored under my bed.
Box #1: Stationary, construction papers, markers, home-office-in-a-box.
Box #2: Picture albums, photo collections, scrapbooks, collage supplies.
Box #3: Favorite knick-knacks for decorating in general or for a specific holiday.
Box #4: Electronics, batteries, wires, toolbox, plug adapters, hardware.

They've lived in those same boxes since circa July 2005.  Each move, I haul them out from under my bed, stack them in the moving vehicle, and unload them under my bed in the new place. Worked great.

And it still works great.  Day 4 after move-in.  Boxes unpacked: 0.  Mr. A needed new AA batteries for his trimmer.  I pulled out the right box and located batteries in about 90 seconds.

Only problem.  Mr. A. doesn't know those boxes like I do.  Perhaps those things should have an actual home in our new house where everyone knows where to find them?  I've thought about creating a "battery box" on a certain shelf where all the batteries would be kept.  The only thing keeping me from doing it is the now-outdated "but-what-if-we-move-in-a-year-and-I-have-to-repack-everything" fear.

Crazy. I know.  So is the idea of living out of something besides a suitcase!

Moving Days

I know what the blog looked like.  Road trip, road trip, road trip,
s-i-l-e-n-c-e, NEW PLACE!  I think everyone knew that we'd been praying about a new HQ location for LightSys for the last two years, but the time of prayer and board recommendation in Dec/Jan went almost un-mentioned.

(Visiting supporters during the road trip.)

Colorado Springs has become our new home.  Greg and I and summer interns will headquarter here and our other staff will stop through on road trips.  (Note: the address for donations will remain in GA for the time -- no change there!!!)  We've been blessed with an adorable apartment, a shared office with ministry partners, and the love and encouragement of spiritual mentors here in the area.

This is permanent (well, until the Lord changes things...). We are changing our drivers licenses, getting new tags for the van, and praying about buying a house.  And we might only travel 30% of the year instead of 70% of the year!  (We'll see...)

But here's a few moving pics for you! :)

The living room in Kansas while I was packing.  I should have snapped another photo after the boxes were stacked ceiling high!

Greg and the moving truck.  We reserved a 16' truck and they ended up charging us for a 10' truck and giving us a 24' truck!  Talk about room - we almost could have put our van inside instead of driving the van to CO!

 Our moving crew after loading the truck.  Thanks, Dennis and Kent and L and Mother and Dad! Yes, that's the truck fully loaded.  Ever seen a moving truck so empty?

The moving truck and the Kansas sunset.  Greg and I (and my sister L) left for Colorado the next morning with the van.  My parents followed the next day with the moving truck.

Getting to say good-bye to Grandma Grace before we left.  She's smiling for the picture. :)  And she prayed with us.  It was a good good-bye.

Moving Day

Things Done (Praise God!)

Thanks for your prayers! By God's grace, a lot of things got done today. Morning worship went well (praise God!), IT training was completed (and properly appreciated), login and training for the new students happened (almost flawlessly), and the utility disconnects at the old house were all scheduled.

Gen and I were still waiting for a key that was supposed to arrive in the mail to the rental place we were going to examine. It still didn't come today, but someone else managed to get a hold of a key, so we went to check the place out. We loved it! So starting March 1st, Gen and I will be splitting a three bedroom/three bath condo about one-half mile from the office. It's furnished and gorgeous, so you'll have to come visit us - we even have an extra bed for you to sleep in. It's an awesome God-story of provision, so you'll have to ask when you come. So exciting!

My parents arrived this evening and they'll help me move the stuff from one garage to another tomorrow morning. I'm so thankful for my parents. And my sister L. She's asleep on a sleeping bag on my bedroom floor right now. I think I'll go join her.

(Jen and Aaron - you guys were on my prayer list today. No more being sick!)

Tomorrow's To-Do List

Tonight's songs at prayer meeting were all about God's faithfulness. I needed that. I think tomorrow's going to be busy. I was busy during the ice storm catching up on sleep. Perhaps I should have been working on some of this instead...

• Prep songs for morning worship
• Final check of new student logins and permissions
• Complete Thursday Morning IT Training documentation
• Prep tickets for two new volunteers starting next week
• Find key arriving in mail for potential housing rental for Gen and me
• Having found key, call landlord and see if then is a good time to visit the rental
  
• Visit the rental.
• Make a decision on the rental
• Do initial login and training for new students (1:00 pm)
• Arrange for moving truck
  
• Move furniture from old house garage into new house garage (can be done Friday AM if need be)
• Turn off utilities at old house
• Chiropractor appointment
• Parents and L. arrive for visit.
• Oh... and regular helpdesk responsibilities.

It's promising to be a crazy day. I'm off to bed to get ready for it. You can pray for me. And pray for the housing/rental decisions. God has opened so many doors for this that I'm looking forward to what He does tomorrow. :)

And, in return... how can I be praying for you? If you don't want to post it in the comment, my email address is on my blog. Or just email me. Or send me a facebook message. I'll gladly add you to my prayer list. (Jaime, you and Andrew were on my list today...)

Directed Steps

About two weeks ago, I put on my Outlook calendar for Wednesday the 21st, Invite C-Family to Supper???. My schedule was busy and I never got around to inviting them or working out the details of how it would happen. So Tuesday morning, I deleted the appointment. Tuesday evening, Mrs. C approached me at prayer and asked how I was. Short conversation later, I had invited her and the family to help me clean my rental house and have supper with me on Wednesday.

So...Mrs. C helped me finish packing up the kitchen and then we had supper - praise God for the crockpot and rice cooker. We didn't have time to mint-stick the brownies, but we did have ice cream on the WARM brownies. YUM, YUM! (Yes, Gen, there are leftovers and yes, you can eat them!)

I could tell that Mrs. C and the girls were tired, but they still came back to the house and helped me clean for another hour. Now the dusting is done, the master bathroom is done, the secondary bathroom is done, the boxes are all taped and labeled and in the garage, my car is loaded for the next trip to Johnsons, and my spirits are lifted.

Mrs. C had been reading Proverbs recently and shared with me from Prov 20:24 the promise that our steps are directed by the Lord. We really felt that tonight was a living example.

I don't think I've ever had a better time scrubbing a tub than I did tonight as Mrs. C was exulting over the things the Lord was showing her through the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn.

I praise God for you guys!

Heading to New House

We just finished moving the S of D stuff to the new house. I still have stuff to pack and move, but... tonight will be my first official night with my new family - the J-Fam! I'm renting a bedroom from them for a month or two and see where God takes me from there. But yay for the J-Fam! I've still got a busy schedule for the next several days and the J-Fam is heading to California for a support trip on Saturday, so I'll be at an empty house. But newly-arrived GFA staff member Gen is going to stay with me. So I won't be lonely. But I'll still get to have quiet time. If I can slow myself down enough. And get my old house cleaned.

Tomato what?

KT stopped by between work and prayer meeting and we made tomato soup. We both had things on our mind, so it was fun to just mix tomato stuff and milk and use my garage sale whisk to mix it all up. Except we boiled it a little too long because my kitchen timer is already packed. So I think it's tomato glop instead. I haven't checked to see.

Jes is still staying with me at our old house. She'll be here until the 17th as she is helping our donor services department finish all the year end processing. Oh, and Renee (another recently graduated student) is also staying with us until she leaves the 17th. And Gen is a new staff person arriving on Thursday, but she doesn't have an apt yet, so she'll stay with us for the first week or so.

But they're moving the furniture out of the house on the 12th. or the 14th. We're not sure yet. Beds. Refridgerator. Chairs.

Lots of fun. Lots of packing between now and then. Anyone up for a packing party?

Moving, but not.

With the arrival of an ICCM friend into town, the IT guys got my bedroom furniture moved to my new house with the J-Fam. I think we mostly stood around and watched while Greg did all the work. Make yourself too useful, Greg, and we might have to keep you around. We finished up the evening with supper and fellowship at Domain Admin's house. Network Admin and his family came too. (I love mint stick brownies!)

I'm still at the old house for another couple weeks. Jes is returning to GFA to help until mid-January, so we'll stay here at the house together. Right now I'm debating whether to go find clean sheets and make up an empty bed or to curl up in my sleeping bag. I think I'll go find my sleeping bag. Brrr....

Last week of S of D

It's the last week of the School of Discipleship year. Jes and Cas graduate on Friday, head home on Saturday, and then start their support raising to come on staff. It's been a busy last two weeks, but the pressure has been off a little bit this week since I'll be staying here at the same address for another three weeks before I have the annual-dorinda-move-a-thon. So...I don't have to have all of my stuff packed this week.

Thanks for all your prayers - PLEASE keep praying for us as we finish this week. All of us are tired. We have evaluations this week, GFA Christmas party, S of D graduation, final house cleaning, final Bible study. Cas is tying up work details so her coordinator can know where the projects are after she leaves. Jes is swamped as her department is sorting and processing all the Christmas Catalog forms.

Pray that our hearts and words and attitudes would reflect Christ's love to each other and the people around us.

Kitchen unpacked

The kitchen has been unpacked and the couch cover is in the dryer. I planned on unpacking my bedroom tonight too, but it will have to wait.

PRAY for my three new interns that arrive in 10 days. Each of them are going through unique challenges as they raise support and prepare to say goodbye to their families.

There was a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan this morning. It makes it all the more real when someone you care about is over there. Silly college roommate keeps traveling the globe - Pakistan, Guatemala, and now Afghanistan. :) I'm sure she'd appreciate your prayers too.

Stop by the GFA website and see the latest on the Orissa persecution. One of our pastors and his family have lost the church, their home, and all their possessions. PLEASE pray for them as they seek the Lord. The pastor needs healing after multiple beatings.

95 churches burned.

My bed is made and spread with the quilt made for me by my grandmother. And my computer training is ready for tomorrow morning.

The violence is dying down in Orissa, India, but the tension is still there. Compass Direct reports more than 800 attacks in Orissa state during the Christmas season. This Muslim paper quotes Dr. Joseph D'Souza saying that at least 4 Christians have been killed, 700+ houses destroyed, and 95 churches burned. Pray for the believers and the tribal people in this Indian state.

Quote for the evening: God is looking for broken people, not able people. -Brother K.P.

Today's Celebration

I found the box that had my toothpaste packed in it!

My welcome or my toothpaste?

So I'm in the middle of swapping houses. I've turned in the keys on my old rental house, but we're still waiting for the carpet to dry so we can move the furniture in on my new rental house. I've been camped on a friend's couch in my sleeping bag the last two nights.

I was on the way to brush my teeth this evening (at my friend's house) and noticed the minute amount of toothpaste left in my "trial size" that I had been carrying with me since the start of Christmas vacation.

"It's a close race!" I called to my friend upstairs. "Which will I run out of first? My welcome or my toothpaste?"

The answer came back immediately: "Your toothpaste!"

I have a wonderful friend!