Some may say I am ahead of the game by starting to pack and downsize with 7 weeks before I move to Kenya, while I feel like I’m months behind. I finally had some time this week (and some awesome help from my sister Kori) to start downsizing and packing. For some reason I thought that this process would go a lot faster than it has…
I figured I would start with my desk because I thought this would be a small project and once I finished my desk I would have some motivation to continue. Two hours later, I realized that this small project was filled with memories that made it so difficult to just through into a box labeled, “Kenya”, “Trash” or “Parents house”. It wasn’t that I felt like a pack rat and I needed every piece of memory with me- but it was that I wanted to take the time to slow down- to read every letter, to remember every picture and to recall every moment.
Going through this desk made me realize a lot of things.
- I need a box of Kleenex
- I have an awesome support system of family & friends
- These memories, people and events have helped shape who I am today
- There is no doubt of my calling to Kenya
- I hope my next desk is a lot more organized!
As I read through old letters and cards from family and friends over the years I began to realize the depth of my calling to Kenya. I began to appreciate every trip I have taken to Kenya and how God has used that trip to prepare me for this move. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. While I may have thought that these trips were just preparing ME, I’ve seen that they have also been used to prepare so many people around me. For that, I’m grateful that God pays attention to every last detail in preparation for this move.
So as I continue to downsize and pack my closet, kitchen and bedroom, I’m thankful that I started with that desk. As it’s becoming harder to give away some of my favorite things that won’t be necessary in Kenya, I’m reminded of those encouraging letters, cards and memories I went through and that God has something bigger for me. God has designed this passion that burns in my heart, he has prepared me and called me to something that I feel so complete doing.
I’m ready to make Kenya my home. I’m ready and excited to make lifelong memories in Kenya, like I have done here. I’m ready for what God has for Fred & I as we continue to chase the fullness of Christ to the ends of the Earth.