Journaling Furlough- July 30-31

What a sweet night’s rest!  Our room was so spacious and while I was planning on sleeping in, I was wide awake well before 6 am.  Daniel and a few of the little ones got up not soon long afterwards and then we began the process of everyone getting showered and dressed.  One bathroom and 14 people to share it.  While I helped the younger ones find their clothes and get bathed, Daniel took groups of 3 or 4 at a time to go eat breakfast.  We spent some time having our quiet times with the Lord and then Daniel practiced with the children as they sang a couple of songs that they’ve learned.  We didn’t have to check out until Noon, so the children read while Daniel and I worked on paperwork/computer for a while.  It took us about a half an hour to load our things back into the trailer, put I have a plan to cut that time down significantly. :)  Now off to Walmart!

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Daniel and Timothy are inside Walmart paying for our purchase; the rest of us are buckled up all ready to head to Nevada.  A funny thing happened while I was shopping.  We try to get up to the states once or twice a year for supply shopping.  Shoes, clothes, toiletries, etc…  So much cheaper here in the states than down south, so when we make our bi-annual Walmart run, we leave with a full cart! 

Daniel had dropped Beka and I off at the door to start shopping while he parked the van.  We still have a 6 hour drive today and so were shopping quickly asking the Lord to help us find just what we needed for our trip.  We’d spent just over an hour, had our cart full, and just had to head over to get some hair clips and we’d be finished.  I’d put 2 wallets in the cart to surprise Timothy and Elijah and had decided to get Beka a purse too.  As we passed the purses, I asked her to take a look and see if there was one she liked.  We both had our back to our cart as we looked at purses.  After settling on one she liked, we turned around to put it into our cart and our entire cart had disappeared!  We walked all over looking and couldn’t find it!  We checked at customer service but it wasn’t there either.  Who would want a cart full of clothes and shoes for every size from 2T to 16? 

I found Daniel and the other children hoping  they’d played a joke on me and hidden it, but they hadn’t.  Timothy and Elijah went back with Beka and I to search.  After about 20 minutes, I was about to give up and was so disappointed as I knew there would be no time to re-shop and some of the items I’d found were the last in that size.  Suddenly, I heard Timothy say, “Mommy!  I found it!”  Sure enough, a worker had seen the cart, didn’t know it was ours thinking it was left over from the unwanted dressing room items, and was putting things away.  She was so sweet in helping me find what she’d put back as best as she could remember, and I was soooo thankful to find my cart! 

Daniel treated us to our first meal at McDonalds!  $1 double cheeseburgers!  Yum!

On our way now to Boulder City. 

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Sunday, July 31, 2011

We arrived here at Pastor Hampton’s home about 8:30 pm last night.  Sometimes, I get nervous going into someone’s home with 12 tired/energetic/vocal children in tow.  Will the home be filled with thousands of breakable trinkets each holding decades of sentimental value and memories?  What will the bathroom look like after my 9 boys have used it and can I get in there to check it/clean it before our hosts enter in?  Will the little ones cry during the night with wails loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood?

Well, lots of more good training/teaching opportunities!  Pastor and his wife were so kind in opening their home to us. They had the best dog...spot!  Big, black, energetic.  Reminded us so much our our Licorice back at home.  We slept like bricks Saturday night.  It’s  been such a long couple of weeks, and we’ve been

 exhausted each night.  What a wonderful feeling when your head finally hits the pillow and you such sweet sleep!

We had our first service yesterday.  It was a small church, yet they have such a heart for missions!  Daniel preached in all 3 services and we enjoyed a delicious meal together between  the second and third service.  American food is so rich!  Timothy told me that at home, he can eat 2 or 3 plates of beans/rice/tortillas, but just one plate here filled him up!  And, oh, the dessert!  Sooooo yummy!  I think every time we go up to the states for any amount of time, we come back a few pounds heavier! :-)  I think I’ll gain weight alone just because there is Dr. Pepper here!  The pastor’s wife surprised me and brought me a huge bottle of Dr. Pepper which I managed to finish in one afternoon ! 

Well, tomorrow we head to Arizona.  Next time I write, I’ll share about how it is to travel in a van with 12 children, one husband, one wife, and a gazillion suitcases. :)