"The Missionary Sit and Zip"

Moving homes can be both exhilarating and daunting, especially when it involves moving to a whole new country and trying to condense your entire life into a limited number of suitcases. Packing up everything we owned into just 10 suitcases was nothing short of a challenge. What ensued was a journey of emotional turmoil, creativity, and a newfound appreciation for minimalism.

The first hurdle was deciding what to take and what to leave behind. It's astonishing how attached we become to objects that hold sentimental value. Each item seemed to whisper a memory or evoke a feeling, making the decision to part with them agonizing.

We spent hours deliberating over old photographs, gifts from loved ones, and mementos from travels. Each piece carried a story, and letting go felt like closing a chapter of my life. Eventually, I realized that memories reside within us, not within objects. It was liberating to embrace the idea that I could carry these memories forward without the physical clutter.

With the emotional aspect somewhat settled, the practical challenge remained: fitting everything into 10 suitcases. This required a strategic approach and some unconventional packing techniques. Enter the "missionary sit and zip" method—a term coined by Clayton that involves missionary work where they have to pack efficiently due to limited luggage space.

This technique involves sitting on the suitcase to compress the contents and then hastily zipping it shut before it explodes open again. It's a delicate balance of organization and brute force, but surprisingly effective. I found myself giggling at Clayton's newfound ability to pack items like a professional Tetris player, utilizing every inch of space.

Each suitcase became a capsule of essentials—clothes, toiletries, a few cherished keepsakes—that represented a distilled version of our life. The weight of these suitcases was not just physical (50 lbs each)  but symbolic of the emotional weight we had shed by letting go.

We arrived at Lovefield Airport at 7:15am with 10 suitcases and 5 carry-on bags in tow. This required two cars and my amazing parents to get us there. Here we met up with a dear friend's daughter and a former student of mine (Carrie).  She was also heading to Costa Rica for a college trip to spay and neuter animals. It amazes me how the Lord works out all the details. She had never flown and was terrified to go alone. Our dates just happened to line up and it was a good thing! The night before our flight we met up with one of our partners for Costa Rica. They had a bag full of soccer jerseys and clothing to pass out to children in Costa Rica. We had NO room to take them and it was going to cost $100 for an additional bag. Turns out my former student had an extra bag allowance and we were able to take these things! Praise the Lord. It was also a blessing to have extra hands to haul all the bags. Even the smallest suitcase we had was too heavy for Carsyn to pull. The Lord knew our needs, even before we did and provided. 

As we embark on this new chapter, we carry with us not just suitcases but an excitement about how the Lord will bless these sacrifices. The pain of parting with sentimental items was tempered by the joy of following the call of the Lord and the satisfaction of mastering the "missionary sit and zip" technique. (I had to say it one more time, as in that moment we were stressed and it brought great comic relief.)

Coming up next...We arrived!