Transitioning

In four and a half weeks, our family will begin a transition that will not actually end until we are on the other side of the Atlantic. On May 20th, we will move out of the apartment complex we have called home for almost 4 years. We will be moving to a house temporarily for a few months, while we finish raising the remaining monthly support needed to minister full-time to Italians. On Saturday, we began the monumental task of trying to decide what things we will need until our departure in the fall, which of our belongings will be packed for shipping to Italy, and what can be donated or sold now. 

Hoping to get the kids excited about moving, I decided to start with their room, specifically their closet. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in just a few years and the toys especially were overflowing! I knew that I had to get some control over the amount of toys that will go to Italy with us. With that in mind, I bought two 45 gallon storage tubs in different colors so we could tell them apart. I told Bryson and Laynie to fill their tub with the toys that were most important to them. If it fits, it ships! If not, it will be donated to some friends who are opening a thrift store to benefit widows and orphans in Uganda.   

Surprising, the kids jumped right in and began to fill their tubs! They easily made decisions about what would stay and what would be given away. Within just a few hours, we had tamed the jungle they called a closet into the neat organized space shown above. It's a miracle! Regretably, I did not think to take a "before" picture, but to give you an idea, below is a picture of the pile of stuff that used to live in the closet. 

Now for the rest of the apartment...