Change is in the Air

Yesterday the last of our summer volunteers drove out of our driveway. The day before a group of five volunteers walked down the dusty road to catch the bus that would take them home to college and jobs.

The house is quiet now. All summer we've had seven or more volunteers at a time and it has been busy around here. Between the construction projects, the overly excited kids, and the evening games and fun it was a mad house at times.

Now it is almost unnaturally quiet. Well, as quiet as a household with 23 children can be that is.

A big change is that Timmy is in the States now. He left here in March, but I was with him and by the time I came back the house was bustling with visitors for the summer so his presence was less missed. Don't get me wrong--he was sorely missed. I think his special brand of humor could have done us all a lot of good several times this summer--but now that everyone has gone and we only have two of our big children left with us, it is a weird feeling.

Tom and I started out our family with twins, and 20 months later had our third child, quickly followed 16 months later by our fourth, and so on and so forth. What I meant to say with that awkward sentence is that we've really never had a 'small' family. 

This is going to take some getting used to.

Another change is getting back into a groove of teaching the kids. Both my big ones and the little ones need to have classes each day. I need to come up with a plan for a one-room school room until more help arrives. Jasmine will be my teacher's aide, but it's still going to be a big task.

We have some staffing issues that are bringing big changes, but I'll have to write about that at a later time.....

And, the boy's cottage is moving right along so we'll soon be taking our older boys through a big change there as well.

Lots of changes around. 

Change is good. I assured my aunt of this just the other day when she mentioned it on Facebook. I also told her to ignore the fingernail marks of the floor of my life--I've been dragged through Change's doorway many a time. 

Please pray for me as I adjust and organize myself. I have a bad habit of taking on too many projects and then I wonder why everything is all topsy turvy. Pray that I can focus on what is most important and that as I do all that needs to  be done that I will show grace under fire and be a loving wife, mother and boss to those around me. Thanks!

Exactly One Year Ago: On the Road Again

Exactly Two Years Ago: Fab Friday Foto--Baobab Tree