Preparing for the Big Move

23 Days until the big move!

Family and Friends,

Just a few weeks until we depart, and yet there are many hurdles to overcome before we board that plane in Omaha on the 9th.  We would appreciate your prayers on some of these current concerns listed below.  We hope you had a wonderful Sunday!

1.  Alexandra diagnosed with a heart murmur-  We have been getting our physicals and vaccinations lately, and a few days ago our Doctor told us Alexandra (our youngest daughter, age 3) has a heart murmur.  Most of the time this doesn't turn out to be a problem for people, but we will consult a cardiologist for two reasons...Alexandra never had this before that we know of, and we are moving to Haiti.  On the 29th we have an appointment to find out more.  We'll keep you updated.

2.  Packing-  We are trying to fit almost everything we will need for the next 7 months in 10 suitcases.  On international flights you can each check two 50 lb. bags, so we can fill those with clothes, books, computers, pots and pans, and whatever else we need.  It should be interesting.  We might be able to send a few suitcases later with Pam and a mission team, but we are focusing on fitting what we can for now.

3.  The House-  This is probably our biggest source of stress right now.  We tried for a long time to sell it...then we switched to trying to rent it.  In both cases no one seems to be interested.  So we are waiting on God for wisdom in this situation.  Cory spent time last week and will continue this week to fast and pray about the house.  Our first choice would still be to sell it, and at this point we would be willing to take a large loss just to simplify our lives.  We've been told we should contact all the farmers we know and tell them we have a nice double-wide manufactured home they can move to their property!  We trust God has this situation under control and is planning to show up big time to help us with a solution.

4.  Saying "Good-bye"-  We attended our home church this week, Good News Reformed in Sioux Falls.  We don't get to do that so much anymore because Cory is usually either gone to Haiti or speaking in some other church.  We looked around and saw many friends we hadn't seen for awhile, and it made us realize we will soon say "good-bye" to everyone, and we probably won't have time to say a proper "good-bye" to most of you.  Next weekend Cory will lead worship at Good News, the following weekend we will visit the Grimm side in Newton, and the final weekend before we go we will spend with Lynn's side, the Bleekers.  In between we will squeeze in other little get-togethers to say "good-bye."  So if you are reading this, and it seems like we rush off without talking to you personally, we apologize!  Just know we are thinking about you and praying for you and will always be an e-mail away...

5.  Other Preparations-  The check-list is still long with other preparations for moving.  We need to move everything from our house (minus 10 suitcases!) into storage, set up bills and mailings to be handled from Haiti, and finish vaccinations and arrangements with the airline.  In Haiti we will need to quickly set up everything we need shortly after arriving.  One big issue will be internet availability.  It has been spotty at best so far, yet there is supposedly a better system available...but at a high cost.  We will assess those options when we get there as well as purchasing beds, appliances, food, etc...

Thanks as always for joining us on this adventure through prayer, financial contributions, and other forms of encouragement.  We are extremely excited and optimistic about everything God is doing in our lives these days.  They say the first year is the hardest when you move to another culture, and we look forward to leaning on God's power and the reassuring words of family and friends as we attempt to navigate that period of time in Haiti.

God Bless,

The Grimms