We are...moving

Carmen reading a book to Zoya.  He actually was pretty accurate!

You know, moving was never a big deal.  We have been here 3 years in April and it's the longest Curt and I have ever lived somewhere together.  Every time we moved, we would sell/donate everything and walk away with whatever we could carry.  It had to fit under airline guidelines or in a car.  And now...we have to move a house.  A house full of stuff!  How do people do it?  Curt talks about how, when he was a kid, his parents would hire a moving company who would come in and pack everything, move it and unpack it at the next location.  What a dream!  I, meanwhile, have already started packing and selling stuff.  The house is starting to feel a bit empty.  And I can't believe how much we have collected.
Pray for us.  Flagstaff has a wonderful home that really can't be duplicated.  We live in the woods where I run and mountain bike with the hundreds of available trails.  The girls have friends, and even an art class!, in the neighborhood.  We are well-connected with neighbors that we hangout with and the girls baby-sit and dog-sit for.  We have perfect weather: 80's in the summer and snow in the winter.  Everyone knows everyone and our neighborhood is safe.  Town is close and is so small that we can count the stoplights on our hands.  We have no traffic.  We are close to climbing, hiking, skiing.
As I write this, I wonder if we are crazy to move.  Why are we doing it?  Well, God's hand has been evident in wanting us to go.  Lifelines NAU has closed down.  We do not have a job for next year.  We prayed about staying on with some other position but really see God's hand in wanting us to go.  We will be going to a one-year, short-term project in Orlando.  From there, we will make a more permanent (can I say that with our lives?) move with our six kids.

• Pray for our kids.  They will have LOTS of Crusade staff kids where we are going that they can interact with.  Most of them are kids transitioning from overseas.  What an awesome opportunity for some great friendships.  But pray for their hearts that they would feel at home and comfortable quickly in their new environment.  They seem excited to move but I know it will be sad for all of us.  
• Pray for the things we need to sell.  We need to get rid of stuff at a good price so that we can be compensated.  
• Pray for our moving costs.  It's gonna take a good bit of cash to rent a truck, pay for gas and get us all across the country.  

Thanks for praying for us!  More to come!