Preparing our crew to serve.

We packed up our cars and headed out with two goals in our minds. Spend more time as our core family unit was our first main goal.  Just get into a solid routine of just having our crew together to depend on.  It may seem a little strange, but with our crew we usually have everybody moving in a different direction most all of the time.  Being on the road and staying so close would keep us moving in the same direction.  At least for a few days.  We knew that a road trip would bring us lessons on about being a cohesive unity that our family will need to prepare us for His Cherished Ones in Kenya.  The second goal was exactly that, pray that situations along the trip would prepare each of us for the travels yet to come.  There are four of our children that have not done much traveling especially long trips.

We travelled the first day into Chicago, nice and easy.  Ventured into Millennium Park late to find the kids a place to stretch after our first drive. Sadly, the playground was closed, but the rest of the park was hopping. Nothing like a blurry family photo to show our progress. Walked around for about an hour doing the tourist shuffle. Found a budget chain hotel just north of the downtown area.

Our first night of the trip was uneventful and in the bag, done. That next morning our crew explored the Navy Pier. Who knew the color of Lake Michigan was so blue. We joked several times, so this is the color of blue that every Home owners association and theme park strives to dye the putrid water retention pond by their entrances.  On the family side we saw glimpses of our crew working on connections and trusting each other more than the day before.  We rolled out of Chicago with our next overnight booked in the Starlite Budget Inn in Mackinaw City, Michigan.  But a long the way Rachel insisted we stop at Indiana Dunes State Park.

By this point in the journey the crew was beginning to work together at each stop. Whether for gas, or lunch we were seeing the connections and support increase. This crazy idea might be working, would be the prayer in our hearts.  The dunes we visited are shockingly beautiful. The sand felt like a bag of play sand from the hardware store, not bad for a crew from SE Texas.  The climbing and exploration by the older boys together at the top of the dunes, worth every second to get there.  Climbing the dune up from the beach side is a test for strength of will. Every step up feels more like about half a step back down as the hot sand begins to scorch your feet and ankles. However, the view from the top back down at the beach and the expanse of Lake Michigan with Chicago visible on the other side of the lake made the effort worthy. Driving to Mackinaw City went well with the Inn manager calling to check on arrival time.

Ferry rides to Mackinac Island depart every 20 minutes or so.  Shuttling tourists referred to as "fudgies" back and forth all day long.  We rode bikes, waded into the cool water of Straits of Mackinac. If you ever venture there, find your way off the ring road, get up into the hills.

After being on the Island for a couple of hours we had another family similar to ours approach us to discuss the who we are and what we do. Families like ours tend to attract others, even on the tip top of the Michigan "oven mitt". For a quick bite, the Chuckwagon was a quaint griddle service joint that catered to our crew rather nicely.

The next day we drove on to Newton Falls, Ohio. A short distance from a special meeting with Wren's brother.  He was born a couple years before Wren with huge medical obstacles. Today he is on the top of the list organ reception list, as in number one.  It was moving to watch Wren run off with her brother playing at the park for a couple hours. We had a picnic with his foster family who are taking great care of several sweet children with special medical needs.

 That afternoon we made the short drive to our nation's capitol. We rented a vrbo with a few caveats. First, the home had just been remodeled, but does not yet have bedroom furniture.  Air mattresses for all of us a few nights won't hurt us, right? Second, it wasn't right on the Metro, a bus ride and train to the National mall will be fun, right? We enjoyed D.C. and the sights. You always learn something new. Day one in D.C. was Air and Space, Art Gallery and National Archives. Day two was Botanical gardens, Capital building, Natural History, National History and Arlington. We were all worn out by the time we made it home. Turns out a party of 10 costs about $40 each way on the Metro, so it was much easier and saved us time to just drive and park.

We keep praying the Lord will use this time to prepare us for Kenya.  Well, careful how and what you pray for.  Upon checking into the rental we found out the caretaker for the property lived in the basement level of the home.  Turns out he was an incredibly sweet gentleman who would reset the table in the backyard every morning and afternoon for us to eat outside.  It was unsettling to the children to think about someone staying in the home. We had door locks and he had an exterior door to come and go. The electrical power kept tripping and the hot water did not work for two days at the rental.  Then we all had the pleasure of emptying our pockets and being searched at entry of just about every location we entered on the national mall.  Everyone of us was forced to cope with so many small things that were outside our comfort level.  Preparing us to cope as a family when things we cannot control happen and roll with the punches. We learned more in the last week about being a family on mission than we would have thought possible.  No classroom or lecture can prepare your family to adjust, meet and love on those around you like living it out together.

Then we drove 18 hours straight to Kansas City from Washington D.C. Want to prepare your kids for international travel, that will do it. Drove through intense storm in Illinois to receive this gift.  We made it back to a 'home base', but the journey was better than we could have planned for the hearts and minds of our family.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

The Rosenbaum's