We drove into Jackson, Michigan yesterday evening to a fairly quiet campus. One of the staff families invited us to have dinner with them (which was very (very) welcome), which we followed up with a whirlwind truck unloading party and an apartment full of boxes. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.
Yesterday all the natives were complaining about this wretched heat wave that just hit. It was 90 degrees. Fahrenheit. They were amazed that we didn’t mind unloading the truck in such extreme weather until we told them how hot it was when we were loading it in Texas. The high for the rest of this week might hit 85.
A 1400 mile drive provides one with ample time to think. Rachel and I had a lot of time to just think about how much God has blessed us this past year. It is almost overwhelming to consider where we were just a year ago and where we are right now. Even in the small things we see Him at work. A prime example of this is our rental truck. When we were comparing prices for trucks, we found that Budget was by far the cheapest, but they were even cheaper if we used Chicago as the destination instead of Jackson (or anywhere in Michigan). Of course that would mean we would have to drive almost 6 hours round trip to return the truck once we got everything unloaded, but we would have saved at least $150 (after gas) on the total. But almost before we were through Oklahoma, we were ready to pay any price to just leave the truck in Jackson. I called the friendly Budget people to ask about the cost difference to modify our destination.
“Sure, I can do that for you, but there will likely be an increase in the cost……oh, ok……it’ll cost $3.36.”
“Yes, I think I’ll do that.” [pause, crashing sound from poorly executed cartwheel]
Tomorrow we will take a break from unpacking to do some job hunting. Please pray that we would trust God in whatever he provides for us. I’ve heard that even with 15% unemployment there are jobs to be had, so we are eager to get out there before our orientation on Friday.
Once we get everything settled we’ll post some pictures of our apartment and the area.
Jim & Rachel 
I’m so glad to hear you guys have made it safe and sound and are able to endure that “extreme heat” of Michigan’s!
Texas just doesn’t feel the same without y’all here.
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