Doing the Math

If someone were to listen in on our conversations these days, he or she might find them rather odd. Unless perhaps he or she was a missionary!

You see, we've started "doing the math" ... that is, planning ahead four years. For instance, last night my mom and I were talking about the stuffed animals the girls had made at Build-a-Bear and were taking with them to Chile. We were discussing that Owen didn't have one yet and I said, "That's okay, he can just make one when we come back on furlough." In response to which, Mom mentally did the math and replied, "Yes, he'll be six by then and will probably enjoy it more that he would at two!" as if a four-year gap in her grandchild's life was quite normal.

The other form of "doing the math" is by making mental notes of all the "lasts." For example, last night I pulled the last can of root beer out of the refrigerator and realized I'd better enjoy it because I won't drink it again for four years (root beer is not a soda of choice in Chile!) Today at lunch, we ordered Philly cheese steaks and subs from our family's long-time favorite deli, Casapulla's, and I checked off another "last."

On the positive side, however, we have SO many "firsts" to look forward to! The first time we step onto Chilean soil as a family, the first time Eva gets to try her long-anticipated Chilean breads (she loves bread!), the first time we attend a church service in Chile, the first time Pedro preaches in Chile, the first time we hear our kids speaking Spanish ... the list just goes on and on!