The Silver Lining

Well, we're doing it again. We're packing up our whole house... because we have move dates! And just a side note: it never gets easier. It's not so emotionally difficult this time, but the actual logistics of packing an entire house into a set amount of space is stressful as ever. This comes from a girl who hates packing for trips. See my dilemma?

Anyway, Chandler, my go-getter, get it done, stress about it in the meantime better half, has been in direct contact with all of the necessary people. Our timeline looks something like this:

Thursday, June 27 - crate clears customs

Monday, July 1 - crate is put on a truck and drives to Tana

At some point that week, the movers will pick up our appliances in Tana and begin driving south

Thursday, July 4 - Chandler begins the drive to Ft Dauphin

Saturday, July 6 - Kelli and Waverly fly to Ft Dauphin

Monday, July 8 - truck arrives in Ft Dauphin! 

Keep in mind: This is Africa. So all of the dates set by the moving company are flexible and subject to change. Regardless, Chandler, Waverly, and I will leave for Ft Dauphin on our set dates. 

Here is how we pray now:

1. Pray that everything goes as planned. There are a lot of moving parts in this situation and any number of things could change at any given time. 

     a. If our schedule changes, please pray that we will have patience! 

2. Pray for safety for everyone traveling.
     Chandler will be driving our truck, filled with our stuff we brought with us from America; as well as, anything acquired during our time in Antsirabe. Our nearly 100 lb dog will be in the back seat and our language tutor's husband, Gody, will be his traveling companion. Gody is also a southerner and travels to Ft Dauphin about 4 times a year. He is very familiar with the roads and southern dialect, so it is a HUGE blessing that he is able to travel with Chandler. This trip will take up to three days through territory that no one in our company has yet traversed.
     Probably going the same route, right down the middle of Tandroy land, will be our truck carrying our crate and appliances. These roads are terrible. Like, unpaved, riddled with car-eating potholes, and bumpy to boot. We would love for our things to make it to the south all in one piece; there is a strong possibility that they won't.
     With all of that being said, I have to ask for prayer in a specific way. The road that Chandler and our crate are traveling, through Tandroy land, is also through the heart of the cattle thieves. While we don't have cattle, a truck and semi carrying many things could arouse some attention. While we are not concerned or afraid, we still want to ask prayer for safety from any potential negative situation. With a dog the size of a small horse, terrifying simply because of his stature, and Gody, a good friend and national who is familiar with the culture of the south and the route they will be taking, we are confident that they will be safe. It still can't hurt to pray! :)
     Waverly and I will stay in Antsirabe by ourselves for a couple of days before driving up to the capital and catching our early morning flight. We are thankful to have teammates here in town who are willing to drive us to Tana and to the airport. What a blessing! Our flight will take just a couple of hours, but I do not enjoy traveling without my aforementioned better half.

Thank you all for your prayers to this point! Although they haven't been answered exactly as we had hoped, we understand that the Lord is sovereign and none of this is a hiccup in His plan. We look forward to showing you our new home in Ft Dauphin!

     

And We Pray.

We're praying for big things here, so buckle up.

There is confirmation that our crate from America has landed on this island. This is a praise. We haven't seen anything in that crate since the day we packed it on July 20. When we moved to Madagascar, we landed in our current city of Antsirabe, about three hours south of the capital and a three day's drive to our final destination, Ft Dauphin. For almost nine months, now, we have lived in a house provided by and completely furnished by our sending agency (Lottie Moon, y'all!). Our house in Ft Dauphin is still provided by our sending agency, but it will be completely furnished by us. So, in July of 2012, after selling or storing 90% of our possessions, we packed up the rest to, one day, meet us here. Well, friends, that day is quickly approaching. I can practically feel the comfort of maternity pants and our fabulous Tempurpedic mattress. I can practically feel the satisfaction of a whirring stand mixer and see the joy on Waverly's face when we open toys she hasn't seen in ages. This country is about to feel like home and I just can't hardly handle it.

So, here's our request: it could take up to 7 days for our crate to clear customs. It could take only 1 day! That is, if the customs agents see no need to go through our crate. Obviously, we haven't packed anything questionable, but who knows what would compel them to open it. So, we pray.

Pray that our crate spends just one day in customs.

After customs, our 500 cubic foot crate will be loaded on a truck, swing through the capital, Antananarivo, pick up our appliances, and start heading south. When this happens, we start our own journey south.

Pray for safe travels. Waverly and I will be flying, Chandler and the dog will be driving. This could be a 2 to 3 day trip for him on the worst roads on the island, probably in most of Africa.

Listen, we love Antsirabe. It has been such a blessing for us to spend time here learning the language and easing into the Malagasy culture. We are blessed with leadership who have provided us with housing and furnishings. We are blessed with friends in this town and guards whom we love dearly. I wouldn't change this nine months for anything.

But it's time to go. We can't wait to settle into our beautiful new home with OUR STUFF and begin our ministry to the Antandroy people.

Pray that the Lord graciously answers our prayers as we hope.

"... The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit."
James 5:16b-18