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Sziasztok! (Hello to more than one person),

Time is counting down very quickly, we leave Colorado for our family time/break in California in a week and a half - less by the time you read this most likely. And our God being the prankster He is, our perfectly set plans are being shaken up a bit. We're excited for the changes in our plans - but the actual work to make it happen is a bit nuts and prayers are much appreciated. We will not be shipping a container with all our stuff/furniture. Instead we will store everything, taking with us an extra suitcase each and shipping a small crate (that they put inside a container, but way smaller). Leaving our 'stuff' in storage will give us a chance to not miss it. ;-) And to see what we really can use in Hungary, what we don't miss, etc… And then next summer when we come back we can figure what goes and what doesn't and then fill the container. The why is twofold: money, and a growing conviction to get away from our 'stuff' for a season. We are so proud of our kids, and their positive reaction to not getting all their stuff with them, it really helped confirm that this is the path God wants for us right now. So all this is good.

But there is a crazy aspect to it all. Our previous plans involved a moving company that would be arriving next Monday to pack and fill their container - due to customs they need to know what is in all the boxes, and thus they pack it all. I had this week to finish packing the household stuff we were not going to ship, to pack it for storage or take it to Goodwill. Instead, I will have this week to pack everything to store, as well as determining what few things we'll really want in the coming year and set them aside for the small crate - and to pack extra suitcases of our belongings. My head is sort of swimming. Prayers are super appreciated. I would also love a packing helper or two if anyone is willing and has the time. Monday will be my day to determine what we want to go with us this year and set them aside - so that everything else can be packed. So anytime Tuesday and/or Thursday or Wednesday afternoon would be great days for extra help. I may even feed you, or rather, let you eat whatever you find in our pantry and fridge. ;-)

I also see God's hand in keeping me so busy and frazzled this week there will be little time for tears. The kids had their Goodbye party on Friday, and we had our own family Farewell Party tonight. It's been so special to spend time with beloved friends. I'm meeting with some special ladies on Wednesday and a best friend on Friday. We'll be prayed over and officially sent out next Sunday at church. So while the tears have not begun yet, I cannot guarantee to make it through this week without any. But while the goodbyes are hard, as any are, we are also getting more and more excited about what God has in store for us. And there is such a powerful Peace in following His guiding and seeing more confirmations along the way. I guess you could say our emotions are all over the place! But it is very comforting too, as we bid farewells, to know we are coming back in just one year - we've never had that in any other big move before.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Sziasztok friends and family!

I hope some of you saw my few updates on Facebook. We arrived safely, with all our luggage - even the extra one we got to buy at the airport to distribute some carry-on items into, as Luftansa now weighs carry-ons and ours were all way over their limit. It was an extra expense, we also had to send one carry-on through as checked, so had to pay for two suitcases beyond our limit - but it all worked out and everything arrived fine. There were some tense moments as we had redistributed all we could and everything was still too heavy, I texted some friends for prayers, and the lady soon thereafter told us we could remove all our laptops, weigh the bags, and then replace the laptops later - which worked. Your prayers really did work, thank you! The dogs were basically perfect, and ended up the least of our issues for the whole flight experience. I began to feel a cold coming on the morning we left, which did, sadly, progress during the flight. A spilled coke in my lap only topped off a rather miserable experience, so very thankful for the change of clothing in my carry-on that I did not allow to get switched to the extra suitcase! Maybe someday the actual traveling part will be fun again, but we are so very thankful to be here, regardless of how we got here.

We borrowed some bedding from Norbert's mom and have been sleeping in our little house since we arrived. Who gets which room was quickly settled and, miracle of miracles, each kid is very happy with their allotted room. Anna and Siah have the two rooms on the 2nd floor, and Joshi has the finished attic bedroom. Siah may be the only one not wanting to paint his room - it's already orange, his favorite color. Shopping for bedding and getting bus passes were the jobs for day one - Anna found a horse bed set and Joshi and Star Wars one, they are, needless to say, very happy. Pillows, hangers, trash cans, all those necessary household items have been bought and we are getting settled into our new place, discovering its quirks and bright sides. Figuring out how to best get around town - we just today figured it's only a 20 minute walk to a nearby Tesco (British Wal-Mart) , Obi (Home Depot) and a cool little mini-mall. We took the bus there before, and that took basically as long if not longer. It could be a five minute bike ride someday (as in, once we have bikes again! :). My cold is getting much better, but did really knock me out our first day here. Our internet has also been intermittent, we have a temporary mobile broadband stick to survive on until they can come out and officially hook us up (within two weeks), and it has had good days and mostly bad days. Norbert has had to go over to his mom's to get work done, so we are praying for some more good days. I have put a few pictures up on Facebook, and will add more as the internet connection allows - I also hope to update our website within the next week or so, but that may also need to wait until we are better connected.

I guess I mostly wanted to let you all know we are here, we are getting settled, and it feels so amazing to be unpacking and starting our new adventure here as a family. The kids have been so great, we have been blessed by their attitudes, all of them.

From Szeged, Hungary….