Good-bye PA, Hello IL

I haven't been posting much on here lately because moving is a lot of work. It is exhausting both emotionally and physically. On Saturday, July 27th, many of our friends from PA came and helped us load all our belongings into a U-Haul and clean our home. We are blessed with many friends in PA and are thankful for their love, encouragement, and friendship. 

On Sunday morning, the boys got in the U-Haul and the girls got in the van and we drove to Howe, IN to spend the night. The Lord blessed us with travelling mercies and good rest that night and the next morning (Monday) we woke up and drove the rest of the way to Machesney Park, IL. We were greeted with lots of warm and welcoming people to help us unload the truck.

We are living next door to the church in the parsonage. In the past, this home had only been used for Sunday school classes and it temporarily was an office for the North Central Baptist Association. Many church members worked long and hard hours preparing the home for our arrival. They cleaned, painted, made repairs, and landscaped. We were blown away by all the work they had done and are thankful for such a charming little home to live in as we adjust to our new surroundings and community.

The way the children have transitioned is all a testimony to how God is working in their lives. Sure, we still miss our friends in PA, but how can you stop missing people you dearly love? You can't. However, the Lord has already begun forming relationships here and we're already making memories and enjoying exploring our new area.

I am sticking to my original plan and not going to start our new school year until after Labor Day. We still have some organizing to do around our new home and none of us feel like we've had much of a summer vacation anyway, so we're going to take a couple more weeks to slow down and adjust before shifting into school mode.

I am going to share on Monday some of the fun things we've done since moving.