With the departure of some American friends heading out to Burkina Faso with 3 children and 14 pieces of luggage today, the palms of my hands are starting to get a little sweaty.

Moving to Dallas and getting rid of all our knick-knacks was one thing.  Moving to France and downsizing yet again to 8 pieces of luggage was another thing.  But moving to an African country for a good stretch of time before returning to all that we know, is a whole different story.

The first half of the year went by so quickly I can’t quite believe it.  I’m sure the second half will go by just as fast.  Henry’s first Birthday is coming up, then it’ll be the arrival of my second niece (insert giddy giggle here), then dark nights and cold weather will be upon us once again.  And before you know it, Christmas will be just around the corner and the new year brings one long flight to our new home.

So forgive me if I’m starting to think about how in the world you pack for this kind of move.

Fear not, breathe a sigh of relief because there is help at hand.  The Wycliffe website gives some advice….take chocolate!   🙂

My older sister lives in Zambia.  She says “you can buy clothes over there, but you won’t want to wear them”.  I’m told stuff isn’t great quality and if it is then its crazy expensive, so if you want durability then you’re wise to take certain things with you.  The same goes for knives (I hear you chuckle but I’m serious).  I’ve been advised to take a good quality set of knives, and I thank that person for giving me that gem of advice because that’s the kind of info I’m looking for right now.

Another piece of advice I heard the other day was, “don’t take anything with you that you can’t walk away from”.  Yikes!    So now I’m thinking of having sentimental stuff sent back to America to store for the future.

I’ve just made friends with a lovely lady who is over in Cameroon right now with her family.  She has two girls of 2 and 4 years and I’m about to bug the socks off her with my detailed questions.  I already know that nappies are twice as expensive as they are here.

Thankfully I have 5 months to get everything organized.  On my list is the big stash of cloth nappies I have sitting at my in-laws house in America.

There are great opportunities around here to think all these things through.  Beautiful sunny evenings for example, spent in a local park, or in the tranquil gardens of a historic church.  Plenty of time while riding wooden horses or chasing after little feet 🙂