The Downside of "Overwhelmed"

I downloaded pictures from my phone last night - pictures from the last week or so - and it made me tired just looking at them! And, once again, it's hard to narrow my focus for posting here because so much has transpired in our lives these past few days.

But it seems to me that the word "overwhelmed" sums things up nicely! 

We tend to think of that word in negative terms - and we have been overwhelmed at times in a negative sense.  Packing boxes for ANY move is stressful, but this move is beyond anything we've ever experienced.  For each item we were asking:

How much does it weigh? (Because it will be $1.50 per pound to get it into Haiti.)

Is this something I might need but can't get in Haiti? (No Walmarts or Targets there! We've been told that even ordinary stuff like deodorant and toothpaste can be tricky to get ahold of.)

Can I bear the thought of this item being broken or stolen or lost in transit?  (As the mound of boxes grew, I kept envisioning the times I have entered the Cap Haitien airport with a carry-on and a single suitcase and yet struggled to hold onto them in the midst of the confusion of passing through customs and then entering a crowd of people so eager to help carry the luggage - for a price - that they will forcibly pull a bag out of your hands if able.  How likely is it that ALL of our hundred plus boxes will make it from Columbus, Indiana to the house in Vaudreuil without incident?)

At one point, the kids (bless their hearts!) nearly drove Melissa and me to insanity.  Beyond the basic toys and clothing already in tubs, we decided to allow the boys and the girls an extra box each - for keepsakes and books and crafts, etc.  All we accomplished was opening the door to a thousand questions.  Should I take THIS?  What about THAT?  Actual sample question in order for you to understand how this might get under a person's skin: "Should I pack this pencil?"

And the box the boys packed?  I mistook it for trash.  When I started poking around in the contents, I discovered a bag of rocks.  I confess that my announcement to Caleb that I was not paying a dollar fifty a pound to transport rocks to Haiti was severely lacking in grace. 

It took a day and a half beyond our target date to finish up all the packing.  We went through a lot of cardboard, tape and bubble wrap, but now it's all tucked into a 16 foot rental truck which, at this moment, is resting in the driveway of a beautiful little house on the bayou in Valparaiso, Florida - a house made available to us for a couple of days by some friends through One Mission Society.

Ready to roll - this past Thursday at 1:30 pm!

In the next post I will have to tell you about the upside of being overwhelmed (we have SO many people to thank!), but I don't have time at the moment.  It is Saturday, and we are headed to the beach for a fun family day.  Tomorrow after church we finish our drive to Fort Pierce, Florida (another 8 hours), on Monday we unload the truck at the airport and early morning on Tuesday is our flight!

^"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6-7)