Leaving Home

I've kept up with the blog as we've traveled, but I haven't had consistent access to wifi. I'll post what I've written even thought these days are past. Enjoy our journey with us!

 July 18, 2016

We're on our way! The past weeks have been a flurry of sorting, packing, cleaning, and saying goodbye. We could not have completed everything on our own; we owe a HUGE THANK YOU to so many people: parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors. We are OVERWHELMED by the time, energy and encouragement you shared with us to get us out the door! We love you all!

It's all packed!

 While we weren't able to say an official goodbye to everyone important to us, I was able to spend some time with a dear friend, Gijem. Gijem attends 1st CRC with us, and she was born in Indonesia. She taught me to cook an Indonesian dish a few years back (although I didn't make it nearly as often as I should have), and we take time to chat at church every Sunday. She called a few days before we took off and I will always treasure what she said: "You are very deep in my heart!" What a lovely sentiment! Gijem is also very deep in my heart!!!

Out for breakfast with Gijem.

The Smits family

We were able to spend some quality family time with the Smits and the Davies families over the last two weeks. Our kids are already mourning the loss of cousin play time over the next two years as well as the lack of time with grandparents--time we've taken for granted in the past. Fortunately, both sets of grandparents plan to trek across the world to visit us once we've settled in Indonesia. We're stretching our parents in more ways than one.

The Davies family

Naturally, our time at the airport was emotional this morning as family came to see us off. Goodbyes stink! We visited for a bit, took some last "together" pictures, and prayed together before we left for the security check point. It was the perfect send off. God continues to reveal himself to us. Some say the little things are just coincidences, but I believe God's hand is in each moment. When our family descended upon the airport in Grand Rapids, not a single person was there to check in. No one! Not even at a different counter! We walked right up to the Delta counter with our 20 pieces of luggage and checked in easily. Not a single box or suitcase was overweight, a feat the Delta agent said she's never seen before! (Kudos to Mom Davies for her help in that department!)

We spent some time with our parents and my Uncle Judd and Aunt Linda who had come to see us off, ending with prayer and tears. We then breezed through security where a kind and helpful TSA agent fixed our already broken carry-on luggage handle. Thank you, Lord! The flight to Detroit was a quick 30 minutes, but in that time we learned the new headphones I'd purchased for the kids didn't work very well. A gentleman sitting nearby overhead the disappointment and quickly offered his headphones to Koen.

We also met a young woman flying with her active two-year-old. She found out we were moving to Indonesia and her eyes lit up. She had grown up in South America from ages 5-7 and raved about living over seas as a child; she promised our kids would thank us for the experience later in life. I'm praying they'll be excited about the experience long before adulthood!

Waiting to take off!

The flight from Detroit to Tokyo lasted   f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but we survived the 12 hours to took to arrive in Asia. The only small issue occurred when Brielle's motion sickness presented itself in a very physical way toward the end of the flight. Thank goodness we had an extra dress packed away in her carry on! She handled the ordeal remarkably well, especially since her beloved blankie was soiled as a result. We bagged it all up and hoped for laundry in Singapore.

Snuggled and sleeping in style.

We arrived in Singapore ahead of schedule around 11pm on July 19. Carting our luggage through the airport in Singapore. God sent us an angel at midnight in the Singapore airport. Dnata, a Delta employee, trekked all over the airport helping us get our luggage in the right place to store overnight. We finally arrived at our hotel in Singapore around 2am local time. Bed for everyone! The hotel didn't have a room for five, though, so we divided up for the night. It was hard to believe we'd landed in Asia!

Navigating through the Singapore airport.