Now to Pray it MAKES it...

We certainly had a crazy few weeks!

Thinking we wouldn't have the opportunity to send things on a container to Zambia, we had packed many of our household things up to be used sometime in the future by our older children when they needed to set up an apartment. Things like 110v electric appliances that we couldn't use there anyhow, but also bake ware, dishes, serving pieces, household blinds, curtains, etc. All the things that nickel and dime you to death when you get a place! It was something that we figure they could take or leave when the time came

 Well... we were able to unpack and re-pack many of those boxes and seriously reduce the future angst of my children! I am sure they won't be thanking me when it comes time... but I am thrilled to have the chance to send some things to Zambia for us to use!

We were full speed ahead sorting and packing and putting into an 18' trailer to haul it to Alabama. Once we reached Alabama we were able to unload it into a warehouse where it was then palleted and wrapped and ready for the tractor trailer to arrive and be loaded, and then brought to a shipping vessel headed for Africa. This is seriously something far greater than anything we would ever want to undertake on our own- we are SO BLeSSeD to have been able to purchase pallet space from I AM and piggy back on a container they are sending. These are a few pics of the mess...! We are so thankful to many, many people who were and are instrumental in facilitating all of this! 

 Some of the neat things we were able to send, that were complete unexpected blessings, were a couch and loveseat. It looks like this...

My son said it looks like an old ladies couch... I didn't know if I should relate or be offended!!

Another thing that we were able to send was paint! I know it sounds like something terribly simple, but paint is pretty pricey there and having it available to use is great! We got two 5 gallon buckets, and then tested the patience of the Lowe's associate to his limits. John in Decatur will be getting a glowing letter of thanks from me to be sure! Seeing that we have 10 gallons of white paint at a great price, I was happy for the deal. But... I was completely unsettled with all white walls. I got 12 screw top plastic containers, and asked John to put the tint for one gallon of paint into each one in order to mix it in Zambia. And he did!! I have 12 little containers of tint that hopefully change the white paint to look fairly close to the swatch I chose! He did 10 containers of various tint... and then one black and one white. Just in case! We shall see!

Plus... another advantage of having a 5 gallon bucket at our convenience is, well... convenient!!

Sorry if that is TMI for a few of you...!

I was joking with a friend from Decatur that I was going to go to Radio Shack and purchase a GPS tracker that I would plant into one of the boxes we are sending. I am sure James Bond would have been of great assistance in my scheme as well. I thought if they can let every person on the internet check the status of nearly every plane in the sky... why couldn't I track the container??! I think it would be so cool to do a weekly tracker check on it! We could have made our own FB page, "Where in the world is my junk"!!  Wouldn't that have been FUN??!

Well, I didn't plant a tracker on it. I will have to just wait. Totally not fun!! I am hoping to get there shortly after my stuff arrives. Lord willing the container will be loaded onto a ship sometime this weekend or next week, and be ready to head over the Atlantic. Once it eventually reaches South Africa  it will be trucked on land up through the continent through South Africa, maybe Botswana, Zimbabwe, and then finally to Zambia.

Did you know Google maps works for Africa??! The land route is about 3300 km or 2050 miles. That is lots of miles! I have no idea how many border guards that will mean, or how many nights the poor driver will have to sleep in his truck or other undesirable location. I know I am glad it is someone other than my husband!

This route... however, is one we will be making several times to go fetch it all! There are other routes if we want to travel unpaved roads through wild animal territory. I think we will stick to the main roads!!

We will definitely be having a much greater interest in the weather int he Atlantic the next few weeks to be sure! Out of our hands, but we know in whose hands it all is!