Packing & Answered Prayer

We have finally made it to the end of Ryan's medical school classes. The next two years of clinical rotations in NJ will complete his degree, and then he will begin residency. Only two final exams remain (Monday and Thursday), then a few days of relaxation and a long day of flying before we arrive back in the States. The Lord has been so good to us over these last several years. And I am particularly thankful for the way He has worked in specific areas these past couple weeks.

As I mentioned last time, we've been getting things ready to sell before we leave and starting to pack a few suitcases. We had a few options available to us as we listed items for sale. There is a campus-wide online post, a separate Facebook group for spouses of medical students, and a few yard sales on the soccer field. We began by listing our items on the online marketplaces. We sold several smaller things and began to clear out some of our extra clutter.

Then last week, Ryan and I spent Wednesday morning sitting under a crowded tent with most of our belongings spread out on a sheet. Yard sales in Grenada are an interesting experience. The students that come by are generally knowledgable about an item's value and might negotiate down a few dollars or ask to combine items for a discount. The locals, however, are a different story. It is not uncommon for a Grenadian to offer less than half the asking price, and then walk away in disgust when you counter with a more reasonable offer. Once we figured out the best way to deal with all our customers, the rest of the day was quite productive. We returned home that afternoon with only a small bag of miscellaneous items remaining.

Now the tricky thing about trying to sell everything you are using is that some things you need right up until the last day. For example, we need to sell our dishes, silverware, cookware, cell phones, Brita water filter, and mattress topper. But we'd like to still be able to eat meals and call each other and sleep comfortably for the next couple weeks. We began praying that the Lord would provide buyers for those items and that the buyers would be leaving the island around the same time or later than us. As of last night, the Lord has answered that prayer! We will sell our phones and Brita on Monday, our dishes, silverware, and mattress topper on Tuesday, and fly home early Wednesday morning. The timing could not have been better!

I have planned our meals for our remaining days here, using up as much of the food we have on hand as possible. We are selling our toaster oven this Wednesday, so I will bake a lasagna and a meatloaf to eat during our last week. Ryan was kind enough to make one final grocery run with me last night. I'll have to make a small trip next week for milk and a salad to go with the lasagna. But the days of carrying 5 or 6 bags (each) on a crowded bus and walking up the steep hill to our room are over! I will be so thankful to have a car for grocery shopping once we get home again. Plus, I'm starting to have trouble fitting down the narrow aisles on the bus with all my bags and my big stomach.

This week I plan to get as much packing done as possible so Ryan and I can enjoy our last few days in Grenada once he completes his finals. We are planning lots of afternoons at the pool, dinners with friends, and one final excursion downtown. In the meantime, Ryan will be diligently studying for his exams, and I will be counting down the days until we are home!