Departing in 3-2-1...

We actually don't leave until tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, but we started today with preparing the Grand Caravan for her big fall voyage.  Its no mean feat to prepare for visits in 11 states over 7 weeks encountering a wide variety of climates in the middle of seasonal change!  You would think by now we have a system for packing, but I'm still skeptical we can pack in a reasonable way.  We're just trying to travel as light as possible!

Nevertheless, while Nathan and I sorted and re-packed, Ellie and Reni's excitement grew.  After a couple of hours, they decided to just camp out in the van.  I think this is what feels the closest to 'home' for them while they are in America!

I wish packing for me was as simple as filling a backpack with books, snacks, games and a pillow/toy!

That's a fidget spinner in Ellie's hand

I hope they're still smiling this time tomorrow! :-)

Looks like Reni already snagged himself a cold drink!

We appreciate your prayers as we travel for the following:

• safety on the highways,
• a well-functioning vehicle so we don't miss any of the appointments on our tightly-packed schedule
• that we would be a blessing to those we meet
• a good time together as a family (roughly 100 hours in the car alone!)
• health in spite of encountering a lot of people
• good rest in spite of sleeping in a lot of different beds!
• productive appointments (the kids will be seeing all their doctors and getting new evaluations performed)

We are looking forward to seeing so many dear friends!  Follow along with our travels on instagram!

First up, we are going to our agency's home office for three days of debriefing and a time of renewal -- all of us!  While Nathan and I are in seminars, the kids will be in a program for them to give them the space to talk about what it's like to have two "home" cultures, and hang out with other kids just like them.