2 Week Countdown!

Time is moving along at a frantic pace these days! We have a timeline of events that are happening to mark our move. Our furniture is being taken apart and wrapped in plastic to help it last through "just one more move." (Lets face it, our stuff is cheap. What can we expect when we bought it all at IKEA?) (Plus, this is more than likely NOT our last move.) All of our furniture has been sold, except the couches. We will probably end up taking them with us, since they are in fine condition, and it would be pretty wasteful to just toss them in the dumpster. We are living out of suitcases, and I haven't been to the grocery store for stocking up purposes in over 2 months! The kids are doing much better with the idea of leaving, and I think that we are all becoming more excited than dreadful of the unknown.

Some fun facts about Denver, Colorado: There are at least 80 different neighborhoods in Denver, and no two neighborhoods are characterized in the same way. On top of these neighborhoods there are 200 parks in the city. (As of 2006) and the huge city park in 314 acres! It is the 24th most populous city in the USA, is about 70% white, and 30% hispanic. The average age of the Denver population is 33 years old. 10% of families are below the poverty line. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_CO) (There is much, much more info on Denver in this article, if you want to know more about where we are going)
Crime in Denver is high. A person's chance of becoming a victim of either violent crime, or property crime is 1 in 16. However, this is low compared to other cities whose size is similar to Denver. (A person's chance of becoming a victim of violent crime is 1 in 123, and property crime is 1 in 16) (according to this website http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/co/denver/crime/)

We are excited to get to this city and begin to get to know its people... we are still searching for a home, and a job, but we are peaceful and trusting of the Lord's provisions. We hope to find a community that is primarily low income families (and hopefully high crime rates) so that we can reach them with Hope Eternal... and offer them the Life-Giving blood of Christ.

As a final note, I have begun to read to the kiddos from Proverbs every day. I write a few verses down on a paper in kid language, and am making a little book of them. This morning, as I was paraphrasing Proverbs 2: 6 (For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.) I was reminded of James 1:5. (If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault.) Please pray for us to continue to surrender our lives completely to the Lord, and if any of you are having trouble understanding our move, and our motivation, please ask the Lord to reveal His heart, and our hearts to you. Also pray for the precious souls in Denver, Colorado, to be prepared and ready to recieve The Word in Flesh!

Just some ramblings and updates...

So, the countdown to Colorado has begun. After a valiant search on the part of every single person in this house we found a calendar. (Nobody had ANY in our area) (Mommy was going crazy without a way to track my days.... I was about to start carving tally marks in the wall.) Its Zhu-Zhu pets, the latest craze among the three oldest McClure children. Today is the 9th, (right?) So we're leaving in just a month! So far, all the ducks are in order. Except, um, a place to live and an income. Here I am, FREAKING OUT. Peter is so calm on the outside, (probably not on the inside) and I know that no matter what happens the Lord is in control, but this is just dumb. I feel lame, every moment of the day living in prayer, saying to God "Please give us a job and a place to live." Because logic would dictate that we will not move until this is taken care of. But, like Pastor John preached yesterday "Do you choose this, and do you choose to be all in?" We are choosing this, and we are all in, and we are going! Our hotels are booked, most of our things are packed, we will book a moving company by the end of the week. (Don't even get me started on that fiasco.) And I have directions to all of our stops. We have also bought each of the girls a book about moving to a new place, and have some new toys/car activities to bring along. We also have numerous contacts in Denver so that we've got homies watchin' our backs when we get there. Next will be to download an e-book with all the rest stops along our route, and to make a list of grocery stores and pharmacies in each of our destinations. We are barely bringing anything in our car with us... just about enough clothes to last us about half of our drive and the food we need to get us there. (I'm insisting on stopping at a restaurant in New Mexico though. Can you say "Yum!")

Some things to pray for:

Lilah is having a really, really hard time with moving. So am I. Thankfully I am an adult and understand that my things will be there, but Sweet Delilah is quite upset every time I pack a box...

Organization and clarity. It is super hard for me to think while things are so disorganized. I thought that we were moving this month, so a lot of things that would have been useful are packed, not to mention having no specific place for things that we are still using.

Moving expenses/budget: We have been blessed with a significant amount of money for this move, and are cutting as many corners as we can, but we are having a hard time coming in under-budget, and we would really, really like to have a small cushion for after we get to Colorado.

As a side note: Sarah thinks this is an adventure and fun! She helps us to stay positive, and is really helping her brother and sister see the positive side of all of this. She is such a super helper, and I am so proud of her sunshiny self!