Week 1 In Allendale

From left to right: Mason, Sender, Elijah, Dan, Wes, Marvin

It has been a good first week for our family in Allendale. We had some great friends help Joanna move stuff down last weekend. Plus some guys who were already down here helped prepare the house for the move in, like moving furniture, scrubbing baseboards and blinds, and vacuuming. So thankful for the body of Christ!

We've known for the last few months that the transition would be difficult, from both a physical and an emotional standpoint. Physically, we (especially Joanna) have worked hard to get the family packed up and moved. Emotionally, it was hard to be apart for 13 weeks(!), and it is hard to leave so many great friends and an incredible church.

As far as the after school program where I work, we need to be gearing up for the summer at this time. But as far as our family, we want to get settled in before the summer. We have new carpet, interior painting, and a refrigerator (all courtesy of folks from Grace Church). We are not yet completely moved, and we are trying to figure out when and how to get the rest of what we need down here. We have some furniture in our rental house from the owner (I'll talk more about our place next week), but we took this week to figure out what we need and don't need.

Not only has it been great for Joanna and I to be together during the week, but I love that the kids at after school see us working together for the same purpose. The vast majority of them do not have parents who are unified, or even live together.

All three kids have enjoyed their time at home (including sharing a bedroom), around town, and in the program. Hannah has met some girls, and we are trying to see if any of the 4th grade girls want to join her (and Joanna) at Grace Church's Elementary Camp. Not only would it be a chance to build and solidify friendships, but it would be a great opportunity for a child from here to visit a new part of the state.

Elijah has had an enjoyable time, much better than his rough first day. He has connected with some other boys, played soccer, and showed off his paper airplane making skills.

Kids of all ages at the after school program constantly ask and look for Sender. He is like our fun-loving mascot.

We are glad to be back in the upstate for over a week, including Easter (with friends at Grace getting baptized) and HOG Day (with folks from Allendale coming up to pitch in). Besides a couple of meetings, we are looking forward to some downtime and a little more "civilization" (like Chick-fil-A, Target, and Woodruff Road traffic).


Related Link:

• The End of the School Year