Yesterday was the end. I have been thinking about this in terms of being the end of a chapter in a great story. Renee' spoke of a better analogy this afternoon. It is really more like the end of Book two of 'The Trilogy' (or what is it when there are four, five or six books in a series? I'll have to look that one up … ). Yesterday we cleaned out our house of five years. We put a large mass of our belongings into storage at both of our parent's houses. We put even more belongings into the garage to be sold or given away. A smaller portion were put into boxes and shipped to Mongolia late Wednesday night. (I am confident that both the woman behind the counter and the people who were unfortunate enough to get in line behind me all pretty much hate me.) The rest are in Jonathan's old room, stacked in the corner, waiting to be whittled down a little more. We need what's left to fit into eight suitcases; weighing 23 kilograms a piece (translate that to 50 pounds). We cleaned the house. We said goodbye to our dog and took him to his wonderful new home (Thanks Brad and Melanie and Cody for letting Chipper live with you now!). We vacuumed and cried and turned out the lights; locked the door and flew to Chicago.
It is indeed the end of this book. I don't really know what book number we're on - Book II? Book III? Which ever it may be, it is indeed the end. But with every end, there is always a beginning. We are beginning to walk in that right now. Renee' and I are at Wheaton College to participate in pre-field orientation (read: "How to be an Alliance Missionary" - actually it has been helpful so far. We have enjoyed getting to know IM leadership other new missionary families). Next week we begin a Summer course here at Wheaton called Second Language Acquisition - which is a part of Wheaton's ICCT (International Cross-Cultural Training) program.
So in as much as yesterday was an end, so I know that today is a beginning. I don't have any real expectations. As I sit and listen to the numerous trains that pass by our little apartment I am reminded of what I know: God is faithful. He is enough. He is good. And He will ultimately make His name famous in all of the earth. The fact that my family can play some small role in making His name famous is thrilling and humbling, indeed.
