Well, we've had a busy few months preparing for our move, but we finally arrived safely in Stuttgart, Germany. We were met by our German friend, Thomas, and a co-worker of Andrew's. Between the two of them we were able to transport all our stuff that we had brought to our temporary lodging.
It's amazing how smoothly everything has gone so far & what an easy transition it has been for us. The only explanation we have is that we know so many of our friends & family have been praying for us throughout this whole journey, and because of this, God has been blessing us by heeding these prayers and granting us favor each step of the way.
We are not saying that there weren't challenges along the way: a downpour on a bunch of our boxes that were outside awaiting loading; a water leak in a closet ceiling discovered right before we left; realizing that one of the workers who packed up our kitchen items needed some extra training in packing (we ended up having to repack several of our boxes because of this); our house still having not sold, etc. It can sometimes be easy to fall into frustration or anxiousness about the unexpected things that happen in life. We have come to realize, though, that we need to always keep the perspective that God is in control, no matter what happens. And if we remember to turn to Him during our trials, He will gentle our hearts with peace:
"...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ" Philippians 4:6,7
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Here are some pictures of our journey thus far:
Here are a few of our boxes lined up along the driveway ready to be loaded into wooden crates on the moving truck. The front part of the truck had already been loaded with our household goods. When we saw all our things packed up into boxes it felt like we owned too much stuff even though we are constantly trying to pare down. We are very "rich" compared to many in this world.
We were amazed that all the items we were taking with us onto the airplane actually fit into our
van. We had several Rubber Maid totes in which we drilled holes through the top & bottom edges. We then slipped
zip ties through the holes to secure the items in each box. This has
worked well for us in the past to securely transport our stuff (we put
extra zip ties in a bag inside each box in case airport security needed
to inspect any of the boxes, which they did).
A bunch of people connecting to some sort of electronic media hub at Newark airport.
This is something I've never seen before...a "Mediation Room" at Newark airport. When I peeked in through the glass, it looked like it had some sort of chapel, along with other "mediation
Each seat on the airplane had a small media display screen built into the seat in front in which you could watch movies, listen to music, play games & such, but could also follow the flight path that we were taking. The flight pattern was continually updated. It was fun to follow. Here are a few screen shots. Here we are flying over the UK:
A few more screen shots from onboard the plane:
Flying into Stuttgart, Germany:
As we came in for landing, we were surrounded by farm land. It looked like we were going to land in a field.
Our German friend, Thomas, thought Andrew was just coming for a short business trip to Germany. What a surprise to him when he found out the three of us were all there at the airport in Stuttgart & we were staying for 3 years!
Here is a parking sign in Germany. We have to learn what signs like this mean:
More signs in German:
More to come later.
~ Janet
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