The ten day forecast range has passed me by.
We leave tomorrow.
In the most dramatic understatement I can muster, there is much to be done.
How do you pack for three months in a country where, comparable to here, it is currently freezing? But by the time you leave, you’ll be warm again.
There are also many things to be purchased in the States–namely clothes that will fit better and last longer [in styles we appreciate]. To leave room for these things to return, we are attempting to pack lightly on the way over. But three months of “light” packing seems difficult.
And, we made it our oh-so-ambitious goal to not pack clothes with holes or stains. And looking through our wardrobes, this is a very high order. This country wears out your clothes, and in the end I packed five shirts that met this qualification.
I am having flashbacks of my childhood, hearing my mom tell one of my sisters that she had to throw away all of her bras and underwear with holes in them and buy new ones; it was a requirement. Apparently her thrifty approach had gotten out of hand. While I have the excuse of living in Thailand, it doesn’t extend much beyond that.
How do we bring our jobs to a good resting point for three months?
How do we put our lives on hold here–leading worship at home church, football games, bible studies, Saturdays playing with dolls, trainings and travels, and daily bandages for the neighbor kids–and try to slip into a life there, where one really doesn’t exist for us?
I have no idea. But we’re going to give it a go in just a few hours.