first to go, much more to follow

i'm learning that packing up to move abroad is very different from packing up to move to another city or state within the u.s. (except for maybe hawaii, which would be a little trickier, too, i'd think).  allan and i haven't done much packing yet, but next month we will be heading out to do a little house-hunting in china and we are planning to bring some things over with us as a way to ease the burden when we do our actual move.  our friends have graciously offered to let us store our things at their place until we move, and we are very grateful!  we've also talked to a few people who have given us tips on what to bring and what not to bring, but we are still a bit overwhelmed and intimidated.  we know that what we decide to bring will have to fit into a suitcase/bag, for the most part.  as i look around my house, many of our belongings will NOT fit into a suitcase.  duh.  two of my sweet friends have offered to hold a garage sale fundraiser for us to help with our move, which i'm really excited about.  but i started craigslisting some of the bigger items we know we will not be keeping, and we've gotten rid of two things already, yay!  lots more to go.  we americans sure own a lot of things!  truth be told, it's not totally easy to get rid of all of our stuff.  some things have sentimental value; some things we just really like and have use for and wish we could bring with us (like our mattress).  but we are trusting and relying on God through it all and in a way it feels good to purge.  it helps us to remember that we can't take any of it with us anyway.  as paul wrote to timothy, "but godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world." (1 Tim 6:6-7)  a very good reminder, indeed.  so, want to know what we sold?

it's official...

...we are moving to china!  this decision has not been an easy one for us, but we are SUPER excited about it!  of course, there are costs and sacrifices as well...our loving families (especially my sister and her family), our amazing friends, our wonderful home church, uprooting our kids, some much-enjoyed "american" comforts, and more, but we are ready and trusting God in this new adventure.  excited to share more as we continue on this journey!

wearing helmets and getting ready for the 

crazy bicyclists in china!  :)