10 Suitcases in the Living Room

Family and Friends,

What weighs 450 pounds?

           A.  one sumo wrestler
           B.  one small motorcycle
           C.  one adult male gorilla
           D.  four Miss America contestants
           E.  the stuff we packed into 10 suitcases (with 50 lb. per bag airline limit)
           F.  All of the above

I think you know the answer.  Today we took the big pile of food, school supplies, and other misc. items in the middle of the living room and attempted to fit them into 10 suitcases laid out around the outside of the room.  It went pretty well, but we had to make some choices.  The size of the suitcase doesn't restrict you as much as the weight limit imposed by the airlines.  It is amazing how quickly cans of chicken, books, dish detergent, and jars of peanut butter can add up to fifty pounds. 

Yes, we are getting ready to go back to Haiti!  What an exciting time.  We can honestly say that we are 100% certain about returning for another term, however long that might be.  We have a deep sense of peace about continuing this Haiti adventure for the foreseeable future.  And to finish that previous sentence/thought, we don't know exactly how long it will be until we come back on another break.  As we have been telling people lately, we felt like being gone for the whole summer was too long.  Also, Mike and Pam (Mission Haiti Directors) have encouraged us to just take breaks as needed instead of imposing a strict plan on ourselves way ahead of time.  We feel that is a wise plan.

We have also been taking time recently to do some fun things (especially activities we can't do in Haiti) with the kids before going back...

Vacation in Minnesota

Goofing around at a park in Sioux Falls

Cory and Kester's annual trip to see the Twins (lost to Yankees 8-4)

Getting ready for "Fun Day with Dad"...Lynn went with her parents to Sioux Falls for the day to get supplies from Sam's club and other places.

"Fun Day" stop #1:  Wayside Chapel on highway 75 near Sioux Center.  Okay, we admit only missionary kids would have fun here, probably, but we sang a song, told a story, goofed around, etc...

"Fun Day" stop #2:  Candy factory outlet in Hull, Ia.

Inside the store Elizabeth feeds her baby lion (named "noil") from a candy bottle.

"Fun Day" stop #3:  Bowling in Hull, IA...no kids' shoes available.  No problem!  Bowl barefoot!

"Fun Day" stop #4:  Verlyn and Nancy Raak's (of rural Sioux Center) prayer labyrinth...the kids walked around praying for everyone in Haiti they could think of...they did a really good job.

Fish pond in the prayer labyrinth.

Raak's cornfield...this photo would truly amaze Haitian farmers if they saw it. 

A cat jumped off that post and under the eave of the barn. (still at Raak's farm)

We found her kittens inside the barn.

"Fun Day" stop #5:  Culver's...don't worry, mom, we did eat more than just ketchup. 

 We also enjoyed "Fun Day" stop #6:  Swimming at the local pool...no pictures available, so you have to use your imagination.  The kids are having fun here, but they are also excited to get back on the airplane and head home to Haiti to see our dog Cookie, their friends in the orphanage, and to begin a new year in school.

Please pray for Haiti as they deal with another tropical storm this week. 

May Your Adventure today be filled with 450 pounds of fun!
-the Grimm Family Adventurers