WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

So what does the next bit of our life look like as we prepare for moving to Swaziland?

We now have 21 days left til Jim and the 5 youngest kids board the plane that will fly us away from Mississippi. Anna and Betsie will have left just 3 days before. They are going over early to help get some things ready for our arrival and also add some time to their trip on the front-end since they'll have to be leaving just a week or so after we arrive to get Betsie back in time for the beginning of her new semester. Anna doesn't start quite so soon but we wanted them to be together on what will most likely be an emotional journey.

How will we spend these last few weeks? Well here goes:

This week we must finish up our packing. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be full-on effort as the shipping container comes this Friday. We are packing up some of our furniture, most of our books, some of the kids toys, lots of photos and sentimental stuff, Christmas ornaments, and other things that we want for our new home but can wait the month or two or three or more til it arrives. The things we will need right away, such as clothes and homeschool books, will go into suitcases. If you would like to come help us pack, it would be super, super appreciated. I might be willing to even name my first born African pet after you.

Anna and Betsie are taking finals this coming week and then will come home on Friday or Saturday morning. Just in time to miss all the purging and packing. Aren't they lucky?

Patrick's 15th birthday is Monday so we might give him a slight reprieve for a minute or two. I think we'll have to make it up for him in some way. Maybe no dishwashing that day?

Next Saturday, the 14th, are two going-away parties. The first is from 2 to 4:30 here at We Will Go. If you wanna come, shoot me a comment or find me on Facebook and I will tell you the details. We would love to have as many of our friends and family there as possible. As I said in the last blog post, leaving behind loved ones is definitely the hardest part about moving to Africa. The second party is being thrown by our Restoration Church family. It will be a time set aside to just love on our spiritual family and get loved on by them. They have been so incredibly supportive of us along this journey.

The next week it really gets crazy. Even crazy by our standards.

What we want for Africa but didn't ship will be all in suitcases and taken over to Base 2 at We Will Go where we will be staying in one of the guest houses. Monday through Wednesday, the 16th - 17th, will be spent getting rid of all the stuff that we are not taking. We will be opening the house up and having a giant moving sale. The pots and pans, furniture, school supplies, knick-knacks, house plants, and all the other stuff will be sold or given away to whoever wants it. Spread the word if you know of someone in need or want of what we've got! On that Thursday, some friends are coming to box up and take away all the stuff that is left. And then that afternoon or Friday morning, we'll give the mostly empty house a good cleaning.

On Friday, December 20, we'll be driving to the Gulf Coast where we will spend time with family and more friends. That Sunday, the 22nd, my mom is hosting an Open House for us from 2 to 5:00. If you live down there and want to come, again, shoot me a comment or Facebook message and I'll give you the details. Before that, we'll be lunching with the Harvey side of the family.

Monday, December 23, we'll go up to Hattiesburg to see Jim's sister's family and parents one last time.

Then Christmas Eve, the Macs will be participating in the First Baptist Gautier worship service. We'll also go there the Sunday before. Hope to see many of my sweet FBC friends then. Maybe some old friends will be home for the holidays.

Christmas Day will be spent at my mom's and at my brother's.

Boxing Day we will take Anna and Betsie to the New Orleans airport then drive back to Jackson.

Saturday, December 28 is the annual W-friends get-together at Keifer's. You know the routine by now if you wanna be there.

And our last day, Sunday the 29th, will find us at Restoration for church in the morning, at We Will Go for the first 20 minutes or so of the afternoon service, and then it will be time to fly out. Our plane takes off at 6:30.

We will travel for two days with a layover in London that will allow us some sight-seeing time.

The last day of December will see us landing in Johannesburg, South Africa. We will catch a shuttle (with our 21 suitcases and 18 carryon pieces) to Swaziland where Anna and Betsie will be waiting for us. We will spend New Year's Eve in our new home even if we are eating off of Styrofoam plates and sleeping on air mattresses. Then the very first day of 2014 will find us waking up in our Manzini home.

So that's it! That's what the next few weeks hold for the MacMinions.

We'd love to see you between now and departure date if possible. If you can't make the official functions, we are definitely open to lunch dates and supper invitations.

And you know I'm not going to turn down offers to come help pack.

"COUNTDOWN TO SWAZILAND" UPDATE

So we got back from Swaziland about four weeks ago and since then, it as though someone put time on fast forward. It is absolutely insane how fast these weeks have flown and we still have so much to do before we pile into that plane on December 29.

I thought I'd give my faithful readers and friends a quick overview of what's happened since we returned and what's facing us in the days ahead.

We arrived back from Africa on Saturday, November 16 and had our ordination service at Restoration Church the next day. My mom was already here taking care of the kids but my brother and a nephew drove up for the service and Jim's parents came down from Columbus. We also had an abundance of sweet friends there to support us including the majority of the We Will Go missionary family and some of Betsie's Troubadour sisters.

With the departure date quickly approaching, we've been doing lots of packing and getting rid of stuff. A sweet gal at church put on two rummage sales for our benefit. We provided lots of things to sale and she did most of the work. It was a huge, huge blessing.

Amidst all the purging, packing, and tying up loose ends, we've taken time to do fun things, such as go to the Doctor Who movie.

Eat out with friends, like my Troubadour sister Audra.

Take the kids skating with the homeschool group.

Walking on the beach with the big girls.

Visiting Delta State with David so Jim could see it for himself.

And continue to enjoy the every day life here at We Will Go, whether that's serving in the clothes ministry or celebrating a birthday.

We also spent a few days over the Thanksgiving week with Jim's family up in Columbus and then my family on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

And now we're right smack dab in the middle of final preparations for Swaziland while also juggling Christmas activities (obviously pared down) and spending as much time with friends and family as possible.

Pray for us, PLEASE! We have got so much to do in the next 23 days.  We have to finish packing, make a thousand decisions about things we never even thought about before, move out of our house, visit family and friends, throw a going-away party, and on and on.

I will post more about this in my next post and give y'all some dates. 

This really is the biggest, craziest thing we've ever done. And that's saying a lot for this family.

ROADTRIPPIN' AGAIN

Last week we road tripped to Memphis to take Anna to the MegaBus pick-up spot, tonight we drove back and got her.

A milkshake and onion rings from Steak 'n Shake were needed to sustain the parents along the way.

But the smiles of our beautiful girl were enough to make the long ride there and back worth it for sure.

MORE FROM MEMPHIS

As I posted last night, yesterday the five youngest kids and I drove up to Memphis with Anna. She was catching her first MegaBus for a jaunt to Chicago where she was meeting up with her friend Megan Stover before heading to the wedding of one of her African Expedition teammates.

Since we were in the city, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to take the kids to the Memphis Zoo. Ever since I had found out that they had pandas there, I had wanted us to visit it. After all, it isn't everyday you get the chance to see these rare and amazing animals and with us moving to Africa in two months and eleven days --- have I mentioned that we're moving to Africa? --- they chance that my kids will get to see them again anytime soon is quite slim.

With that said, after seeing her safely on her way in the giant orange and blue bus, we were off for a full-day of zoo-doing.

David and Patrick had been before as wee lads when we had met relatives up there for a family outing during the Gammill Cousins baptismal weekend. They were still in diapers (though maybe David was in pull-ups by that point) so they zoo was basically new for all the kids. A lot of it was new for me, too, as much improvement and additions have been made over the last dozen or so years. I had remembered it as much smaller and didn't anticipate that it would take us a full 7 hours to see it all. It did but it was time well spent.

Besides the pandas, there were many animals we'd never seen before or not very often such as the polar bear who seemed stuck in a repeat back-and-forth range-of-motion close to the observation windows and the green mamba snake. I for one, would be very, very, VERY happy if that snake, which is native to Swaziland, is the last of its type I ever come face-to-face with.

We all really enjoyed the sea lion performance that was fun as well as very educational. Made me want to take the MacMunchkins even more to the Sea World in Durban, South Africa.

We ate lunch at the Cat House Café where the prices were a bit pricey but not too crazy considering it was zoo fare. The extra couple of bucks were worth the atmosphere, though, as the gibbons area was right outside the dining room and they frequently peered in the windows or went galloping past in their playful antics.

It was fun seeing the African penguins. I think I had seen them when I visited Cape Town, South Africa, with my friend Margie Hynd a million years ago during my Journeyman years. The kids really like the idea of penguins sharing a beach with them so maybe one year we can take them there as well.

It was especially fun seeing a few of the mothers with their babies. This mother in particular was fiercely protective of her young offspring.

At the zoo, they have a section featuring a handful of old-fashioned rides. Patrick, Merry, Laura, and Travis, and I rode one for a dollar a piece. It wasn't the fanciest ride around but it was worth the dollar. I rarely ride with the kids at the state fair as it is so expensive so it was nice to have this chance to just be goofy with them.

Near the rides is the farm animal petting area. One of the features is a model train display featuring a small town set-up.

We watched it for a few minutes between petting sheep, commenting on the smelliness of certain animals, and taking lots of goofy pictures of the kids climbing on the cow statue.

Near the end of our zoo visit, we finally made it to the star attraction, the pandas.

I think all the kids were surprised at how adorable and interesting they were. I had seen them years ago at the Atlanta Zoo but had also forgotten how charming they truly are. We had fun looking at them and had as much fun playing with all the panda stuff in the gift shop. Travis picked out a guitar-playing Panda shirt and spent the last of his birthday money. Merry picked out a stuffed animal panda that will be put up for a Christmas gift.

David and Laura spent their money on a camel ride. Their ride was much more pleasant than my camel ride in Israel. I'm thinking it was all in the seat. Mine made me feel like I was about to fall off at any given moment.

The Tetons Lodge and surrounding area was brand new for all of us. Besides a spectacular lodge with man-made geysers in front, there were swimming grizzly bears, wolves, and elk.

After such a long day of walking, climbing, laughing, and playing, we were pretty darn hungry and Steak 'n Shake was just what the mama ordered.

It was Patrick and David's first time to eat at one of these awesome diners but the rest of us were experts in the fabulousness of the place. We all indulged in burgers and shakes, and since all I'd eaten all day was a granola bar and salad, I relished mine with absolutely no guilt. Okay, maybe just an ounce or two, but all that walking made this foodie mama ready for some high calorie indulgence.

After our appetites were satisfied, we drove on home. I got fuzzy-eyed about two hours down the road so my dependable sixteen year old took over and got us all home safely around 10:30. Anna also got safely to Chicago and Jim was sound asleep after working a dam emergency for the past 24 plus hours.

Today has been a day of sleeping-in, getting the house cleaned this afternoon, washing clothes, and doing school. Tonight will be more family fun as we head to a We Will Go cook-out at the home of a dear friend, Renae Thompson. Tomorrow will be the weekly serve time on Saturday morning followed by a birthday party in the afternoon and four of my kids' friends sleeping over that night.

A mama's work, and fun, is never done. And that's just the way I like it. Well, most of the time. I also really relish my sleep.

BETSIE IS FABULOUS

Many people have asked how Betsie is doing up at college. The answer is fabulous!

She lives with great, amazing, Jesus-loving girls. She likes her classes and professors even if she is having to study and work really hard. She is running for Student Government freshman senator-in-training. She's been visiting First Baptist Church of Columbus and attending on-campus ministry activities, especially at the Wesley Foundation. She is making wonderful and funny friends. And she is happy, though it isn't always easy being away from your family when you know they are leaving for Africa in less than 4 months.

Today, Betsie and many of her classmates started social club recruitment at MUW. She attended numerous parties (don't worry, the non-alcoholic variety) and will do so all weekend before being picked up as a pledge on Monday. Betsie wasn't sure when she first started at The W if she'd pledge a club, at least not right away. But what she's come to realize is that a social club is a family that will be here for her when we're a long way from her.

See, Betsie is fabulous. But even fabulous girls miss their mamas and daddies and siblings. Even fabulous girls sometimes wish that God's plans didn't mean that their family had to be quite so far-flung. But praise God, He realizes that these fabulous girls need Him to send some provison in the form of other people.

 

And is her Heavenly Father ever providing for this need in truly incredible ways.

THE ACTUAL LABOR DAY

And here are some shots from the actual day:

A Lego cousin conclave.

Betsie decides who of the cousins wins the jumping competition.

My boys, fierce competitors.  Really.

Grandmommy comforts Libby after the boys "helped" her join in on the jumping contest.