It’s scheduled to arrive there on August 16 – just 10 days after we are.  But wait; there’s more.  We’re also mailing books and DVDs in a book bag via the US Postal Service.  So many people have asked me what made the difference, why we had so much more, what is in the 6 tubs.  There are a lot of children’s ministry supplies, extra clothes, Grace’s toys, some kitchen supplies and a few extra things.  You’d be surprised how much you can collect in a year!

Yesterday, the crate was filled and we waited for them to pick it up.

Mike looked a little like Handy Manny while getting the crate completed.

When it was picked up, I told Mike that it went pretty easily.  Then I remembered all the work it took to get to that point.  My observation then became, “After all the hard work to get to this point, that went easily.”

We love doing this and are doing it more as a family now that Grace is a little older.  She helps us by doing her character, Smiley Iris and by singing with us during the services also.

Now, we’re down to 23 days before leaving.  We still have 6 services in Texas and Arkansas before we leave.  Our crate is being made that will carry some of our things via a ship, and our suitcases are pretty much packed.  We are truly living out of our suitcases now.  Someone asked me recently where I am from.  That’s a long question to answer usually, but now, we don’t really have a home until we’re back in The Netherlands.  I’m ready to go home!

We have ordered our tickets.  Our travel agent is amazing!  She found us tickets for less than half of what we had found.  If you have a chance to use Great Southern Travel in Springfield, MO, I would definitely recommend them!  We leave on August 6 and will arrive in Amsterdam around noon on the 7th.

So, we are totally moved out of our apartment.  We had to repack everything because we will be shipping a small crate via a ship.  That helps us because we cannot get everything into our bags.  So, we had to repack.  Here’s what my inlaws’ living room looked like while we were working on it.  (This isn’t the worst that it became either.)

Packing in our apartment

What does our schedule look like for the remainder of the time here in America?  We speak at a camp in Arkansas, have 9 other services, spend time with family and try to tie up loose ends.  It should be fun!

Speaking at the Fort Worth Metro Camp

That camp ended on June 15.  After those kids left, the next group of kids arrived for North Texas District camp.  We were shocked to find out that about 950 kids were at this camp.  That’s A LOT of kids!  It was also an awesome camp.  We had an awesome time and got to hang out with lots of friends.

Grace was able to do her first character during the services, Smiley Iris.  She did a great job.   She really enjoyed being able to be more a part of our services.

Grace as Smiley Iris

Tonight, we start a kids crusade in Archer City, TX and have a kids camp in Arkansas the first week of July.  Fun, fun, fun!

I can’t tell you how many lists I have going right now.  I have the “things to do before leaving” list.  I have the “what I need to buy before leaving” list.  I have the “things to buy other people” list.  We’re speaking at three camps and one kids’ crusade this summer, so you can imagine the lists for that.  Since we’re leaving in less than two months, we decided to make a list of things we wanted to do before leaving.

We each have a list.  My list includes getting a manicure/pedicure, eating at Taco Bell and, hopefully, getting a massage.  Mike’s list is to eat a good steak dinner, see a baseball game, a date night with me (that sadly doesn’t happen often) and eat at Mamma’s Pizza.  We actually ate there last night, so we can mark that one off the list.  Grace’s list is to go back to Gattitown and have Lucky Charms.  That’s not too tall of an order.  As you can see, we keep marking things off our list.

Grace - eating Lucky Charms

I have a working list of things we need to do before heading back to The Netherlands.  I have a separate list of things to buy to take with us.  We need to replace much of Grace’s clothes.  The problem is that we will need warmer clothes, and they’re not available.  Yesterday, when I was shopping, I found something on my list though – winter pajamas.  I was so excited and even more excited to see that they were only $2.  So, until we leave to go back, we keep on working and marking things off our list.

Thank you to all of you who are praying with us that we get back on time.  We now lack $840 in monthly support.  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Now we are anticipating going back to The Netherlands.  We are planning on returning on August 6.  This is exciting for us, because we have missed our friends and the work we do there.  We get to return to the International Church of Leiden and the children’s ministry there.  We also get to begin training children’s workers at a new church plant in The Hague.  Then we will begin Kid’s Club Leiden, a club to tell children in Leiden about Jesus.

We still need around $975 in monthly support before we can go.  Please pray for us and the churches we will be in the next 3 months so we can raise the support to return.

When we first moved back to the States, I absolutely hated being in the car.  The Netherlands is such a small country that we rarely sit in the car for more than 30 minutes.  Just a few days after our arrival, I asked my brother where a Payless shoe store was.  He wasn’t sure, so I looked up the directions online.  It was 10 miles away.  I said, “10 miles!  I don’t want to go 10 miles for some shoes.  That’s ridiculous!”  Now, it seems like all I do is sit in a car.  Like I said, distance is relative.

In the time before we leave, we’re speaking at three camps and doing a kids crusade as well as trying to spend some time with our families.  Besides having a very full calendar on Sundays and Wednesdays, we’re trying to schedule dinners/times to meet with friends.  I have a feeling that these last few months are going to fly by!

Waffle in the shape of the state of Texas

On our way to Giddings, TX this weekend, we passed a gas station.  Listed on the outside were three qualities that are selling points.  Here they are:

• Friendly
• Clean
• Texan

Yesterday after church we went with the pastor to eat.  Giddings, TX has one of the most unique restaurants I’ve ever eaten in.

Donuts and Seafood Restaurant in Giddings, Texas

Yes, you are reading this correctly.  We had two donuts as appetizers and then had seafood.  You’ve gotta love Texas!