Care Packages . . . .

We have all been on the receiving end of care packages.  Always makes you feel loved... Blessed... Encouraged.  Whether these are the fun candy bar with a post it note or a much more elaborate job, we are all blessed to be on the receiving end of a package.  When we lived in Mongolia, we were very blessed many times by various people sending us packages.  With a wide variety of contents.  My Dad and Mom loved packing these boxes and it was always a treat to open them and see what sort of treasures there would be.  When we were building our house - we got wire nuts - unheard of there.  Potty training when we only had an outhouse - we got a port-a-loo bucket kit.  There was always some sort of candy.  A fun Thomas the tank engine pieces for my son.  Good books. Some sort of spices.  A tool.  But these packages were always a wonderful treat!


Over the last few months Dustin has been accumulating items to go in a huge care package.  Not that we are financing this one, mostly people are shipping some of their own stuff to us to load although there are quite a few items that they have sent the list and the cash and asked us to find the items.  This all culminated last week when a 40 foot long shipping container showed up at our loading dock to be loaded.  Dustin was concerned that it all would not fit.  Instead the opposite was true - there was empty air space.  We don't want to send air, so lets try to fill the space.  This container has all sorts of things.  From farm equipment, seeds, plastic sheeting, greenhouse supplies, plant materials, 2 wood burning stoves, stove pipe, 2 pallets of dog food.  A trailer.  A baler. It has been a fun group activity filling this container.  The guys at the local building supply let me use their strapping material to tie the stuff together.  The guy who built our road came out with his little skid steer to help get stuff packed in.  Dustin loaded and stacked.  I helped.  I ran errands.  Picked up random pieces of stuff to go in the container.  Today was a funny day getting a last biggish item - a 4 wheeler.  A combination of lots of looking on craigslist.  Lots of phone calls. Texting. International calling.  And a "just in" trade in knowing a friend who knew a place to get a good deal.  Thank God for all the fun friendships we have made.  People who have helped us out.  People who have contributed to a work half way around the world to be a blessing.  To fill a big care package!  Thanks all!