The Fortnight of Moving, Part 1

It’s here!  The fortnight of moving.  Because of the way our tickets fell on a Monday, and the need to spend time visiting everyone and saying goodbyes, we ended up with what I have dubbed the “fortnight of moving.”
We’ve planned these weeks for 6 months now, and it feels surreal to be in the middle of them. I’ve been taking lots of photos!  I want to document this time for my children, and the family and friends that are interested.  If you’re not so interested, feel free to skip this series of posts.
Part 1 of the fortnight was June 22.  It started with the happy-and-relieved discovery of Don’s FBI Clearance in the mailbox.  Whew!  Really should have taken a photo of that, and of my poor, overloaded car on the way to Illinois.  We had several more items to deliver to their storage places with family and friend, plus luggage for the trip.  Let’s just say that the car and the roof rack were full. 
We arrived on Saturday afternoon at Don’s parents home.  The kids were thrilled, as always, to see Grandparents and other family members.

Ice cones with Grandma McGrew = summer delight.

Saturday evening, Milena was surprised with an early birthday party.  Actually, surprised was an understatement.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so shocked!  I knew she had been admiring a rainbow cake on Pinterest, so I slipped the recipe to Do’s sister Judy.  Milena was thrilled with the results!


On Sunday, we were happy to be able to attend a family reunion. We’ve missed this one for several years, so it was perfect time to catch up with family and enjoy way too much great food.

Debby and the cutest little dude at the party: 

Such a great helper!  Milena helped tirelessly in the kitchen during the reunion.  Most of her favorite people were in there too, and she enjoys working alongside her grandma and aunts.

Elijah and Uncle Dan keeping a balloon in the air:

Aunt Judy visited several times, and on Monday she brought this:

Not just a little fun, let me tell you.  This one was played with over, and over.  And OVER.  I don’t think the marbles were ever actually cleaned up for the next 48 hours.  They were always in motion.  Good times!
We left Don’s parents Wednesday morning with a tearful farewell.  We’re not so fond of all the goodbyes, that is certain.  We’re already looking forward to visiting in 10 months or so!
Part 2 coming soon…

Verses for Now

I know, from touring the Blogosphere, that there are many other families in similar situations to the one we are in.  We are waiting (again) for a document to arrive, one that should have been here a week ago, one that will delay our departure if it does not arrive quickly. 

It’s hard, this waiting.  The not knowing is the worst.  Will we be delayed?  What preparations do we need to make just in case?  It would be easier to have everything 100% ready, to be able to emotionally prepare, one way or another. 

But, clearly, there is something to be learned in this season.  Whether waiting for a new assignment, a document to arrive, or learning a flight has been delayed, there are many uncertainties in the lives of nomad families.  The issue is learning to deal with these uncertainties without giving fear and worry a foothold.

I will be the first to admit that I have not conquered these lessons just yet.  I have been learning to turn to Scripture more quickly, as a first response, rather then after 8 hours of ulcer-inducing worry.

And because I know that there are so many others in this same situation, I thought perhaps it would encourage someone else if I posted a list of the verses I am reciting over and over these days.  The added benefit is that I can pull up this list myself as needed.  So, here is my list.

1 John 4:18- There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Matthew 6:25- Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food and the body then clothing?

Matthew 6: 33-34 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

John 14:1- Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, trust also in me.

Psalm 32:10- Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

Psalm 33:20-21 – We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

Psalm 34:4- I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 42:8- By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life.

Which verses do you stand on in trouble times?  I’d love a few to add to my list!

Travel Plans

 

We are now in the final stages of preparations!  We are praising the Lord that Alyssa's background check came back, just in the nick of time.  We will now be able to send all of our visa-related paperwork to our Immigration attorney, so that it can be translated into Bulgarian and the proper forms can be completed for our arrival.  What a relief to have all of that nearly taken care of!
We will be leaving Indiana on July 5, and heading to Chicago for a family weekend before flying out of O'Hare Airport at 5pm on July 8th.  Please keep us in your prayers as we travel on July 8th and 9th.
On July 11th, we will be spending the day looking at, and hopefully selecting, an apartment in Sofia.  Please pray that our real estate agent selects exactly the right properties for us to view, and that we have wisdom in choosing the best one for our family.   We will send photos of our new place as soon as possible!

Partnership Update

We are so THANKFUL to be able to report that we now have all of the funds needed for departure.  In addition, we have nearly $1,000 in monthly support.  At the moment, our biggest financial need is to increase this monthly support by another $1,200 per month.   This will not only cover our monthly expenses, but allow us to save for expenses like our return trip tickets.  Thank you for your support!

If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org/donations and select our names from the list.  The system can process USA & International cards.  You can also set-up automatic Monthly gifts if you choose the "Monthly" option.  Or simply mail your check to:  World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Don and Alyssa McGrew #214.

With Love,
Don & Alyssa

Taming the Beast

Recently, we purchased this:

 

It’s a Voltage Converter, designed to keep our electronics safe when we plug them into at 220 V electrical system.  It weighs 22 lbs, and I not-so-affectionately call it The Beast.

When you only have 50 lbs per suitcase, and you are moving your family overseas, this 22 lb. beast is a little stress-inducing.  It’s making me think creatively about packing, and that’s probably a good thing.  Because, after all, creativity is a necessity when you are moving your family overseas.  In more ways then one.

The Beast is a necessity.  It keeps things working.  Necessary things like phones and laptops, and helpful things like walkie-talkies and MP3 players.  I’m fighting the beast, wrestling it into a suitcase, because we need it.

I’m fighting other beasts these days as well.  Beasts like sadness, grief, and a need for more faith.  I’d rather fight The Beast.  It stays where I put it.

Fighting beasts like sadness and neediness is hard…  but even more necessary.  The difficulty, for me, is that they often don’t stay down, even when I flatten them to the floor. 

But fighting these beasts is a necessity too.   These are the battles that bring me to my knees, and closer to my Savior. 

They put me in my place.

My place is close to my Heavenly Father.  My place is where I can hear His voice and I choose to obey.  Fighting these beasts forces me to move to that place. 

This morning, I won.  I spent an hour with God and the beasts ended up on the floor. 

Tomorrow, they may be back.  If they are, their presence means I’m out of place again. 

So, while I am wrestling with The Beast and our 12 suitcases, I’m trying to remember to stay put, in this place where I belong.  It’s the only way to keep the beasts one the ground… and everyone exactly where they belong.

What are your frequent beastly visitors and how do you tame them?  Got any verses or advice to share?

Practicing.

The countdown (49 days!) has really hit home, and I’ve been motivated like never before to continue my 2-year-old-level of Bulgarian language learning.  For example, my newest accomplishment:

Здравейте. Аз съм Алиса, това е Дон. Това са моите деца, Милена и Илия. Ние се движим в София, България през юли. Ние сме щастливи да бъдем тук днес.

I can now introduce my family in Bulgarian.  Baby steps.  Literally.

Progress is progress, right?

50 Days!

We will be leaving Indiana in just 50 days… surreal.  Here are a few quick updates.

• We all went to the optometrist last week.  The kids love it!  I think they are always hoping they "get" to wear glasses, but no such luck.  Don, however, got his first pair of reading glasses.  Check one more item off the To-Do list!
• We had to take both of our cars in for repairs, and BOTH bills were 30-50% LESS then estimated!  Can you believe it?  Another blessing.
• We are selling a few final items.  If you need a grill, a Plasma TV, or a Blu-Ray Player, let us know.  
• The kids have just 5 days of school left, and they are looking forward to the weeks of freedom ahead- and so is their teacher!

Partnership Update:

Thank you to everyone who has committed to supporting us!  We are so blessed to have each of you as ministry partners.  Here's where we currently stand.  We have raised about $23,000 of the total $80,000.  This leaves about $8,000 in one-time gifts, as well as $2,000 more in monthly support needed to fully fund all of our ministry and living expenses.  If you would like more details about our budget or expenses, please feel free to ask.  Here's a quick peek at some of our expenses for the first 60 days:

• Visas $10,000
• Airfare $5,000
• Insurance $2,000
• Living Expenses $3,000 (60-90 days)
• Apartment Deposit and Set-up $2,000

If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org/donations and select our names from the list.  The system can process USA & International cards.  You can also set-up automatic Monthly gifts if you choose the "Monthly" option.  Or simply mail your check to:  World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Don and Alyssa McGrew #214.

More soon!

~Alyssa~

Too Great A Compliment?

I’ve been reading the Bible recently in a bit of a different way, mixing it up a little, as it were.  I’ve been using my Bible App to search a specific word or phrase and reading through all the related passages.  Most recently, I’ve been reading through references for the word “decide.”

The first passage that really caught my attention was Exodus 18.  This is the chapter that tells of Jethro’s visit to Moses, and his subsequent advice to Moses to appoint judges to serve under him and relieve him of some of his duties.  There is a lot of good stuff in this passage, but there was one thing that really jumped out at me.  Check out this quote from Matthew Henry’s commentary on Exodus 18:

“Necessary business must always take place of ceremonious attentions. It is too great a compliment to our friends to prefer the enjoyment of their company before our duty to God, which ought to be done, while yet the other is not left undone.” – Matthew Henry

Huh.  We are in a season right now of trying to squeeze in as many visits with friends, trips to favorite places, and meals at favorite restaurants as possible before our departure.  Sometimes, that becomes a very high priority.  And, there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

Bu in pondering this, thinking about Jethro’s visit to Moses (which, by the way, was made to return Moses’ family to him following their extended visit with Jethro), something really stood out to me.  Moses could have easily used the visit as justification for laying aside his work and staying home.  And he did, to a certain extent.  But as Matthew Henry so eloquently points out, he did not do so to the detriment of his duty to God.

In the most unexpected of chapters, then, I find this reminder to reevaluate, reconsider, and realign my priorities.  It’s time to once again make sure that the main things are the main things… 

I’m sure that will be the last time that we, as a missionary family, will have to do this prioritizing.

Or not.

How do you prioritize items on your list?  How do you keep your duties to God in the “top positions?”