all my bags are packed...again

is it blurry or is it just that early in the morning?

This was the pile at 4:30 this morning as Jonathan prepared to load up for the return to Nicaragua. I know some of you must be wondering--after all the yard sales and give-aways and shipping containers--how could there still be so much stuff?!

Of course, others of you who know Jonathan well, know that most of the items in these containers are for other people. I think it's a beautiful mark of the family feeling among all the staff at the mission and those they work with.

You know the drill-- calling home before you leave the grocery store to be sure there is nothing else you should pick up while you're out. Only the items are things that have been anticipated much more anxiously than milk and dish soap. The mission directors commented recently upon their return from Managua with some "wished for" items--"It's so fun, it feels like Christmas when we drive up!"

I know Jonathan is looking very forward to that thrill of delivery, and that many folks in Nicaragua will be delighted to receive their long awaited orders as well as some un-hoped for surprises.

You are a part of that! We are, all of us, connected in the joys this pile of luggage represents. The $$ that pays the plane ticket, the donated supplies, the encouraging letters that motivate us to heed that early morning alarm--you may not get to see each expression of excitement, relief, or pleasure--but those smiles are for you.

Isn't all of this part of "the joy of the Lord?"