We are on schedule to leave Chicago on or around September 4th and it is such an exhilarating feeling mixed in with relief and a small dose of healthy fear and anticipation. Many details are coming together – we are at 98% pledged, we have secured housing in Annecy, we have put our deposit on our French school, etc, etc. We have landed safely in Chicago after our last three trips that spanned 9 weeks and roughly 15 states and two countries. We are tired! Yes, even exhausted some days! Which is why we have taken four weeks off from travel for ministry. Besides one vacation from July 10-17, we will be in Chicago resting and it is a great feeling. I’m taking the girls to parks and libraries, bumping into old friends from when I used to live in this area, Fabio and I are trying to give each other a little bit of down time each day, and little by little, we are creating a routine that is starting to work. (Just grinding beans in the machine and making myself coffee every morning is a delightful way to start the day!)
Our apartment is prepared for us by our organization, Serve Globally. And it is gorgeous! Spacious, clean, updated within the last few years, it is a place to truly rest. It is even quite baby-proof as an added bonus!
The only thing that continues to be a struggle, and not a small one, is that J doesn’t sleep through the night even though she’s 17 months. We’re exploring options to solve this and have been for months, but still looking for the right solution. Because of this, we are more exhausted than normal and long for a night where she sleeps more than 5 hours in a row. I get all worked up about it, but then I meet another parent with kids who have other sleep or health issues and suddenly, my lot in life doesn’t seem so bad. But we appreciate the prayers as we press on closer to having more of a routine in France. It has been a full ten months of traveling through many cities, meeting lots of new people, and growing as a family in patience and perseverance. “All is grace.” “God has been faithful and will be again.” Now off to bed I go…
