after all, it's just a refrigerator

4 years ago this month, Matt and I moved to this city. We had just finished a great year in the States, and we were eager to get settled into our new home. Only problem was, we didn't have a home.

One night in early June (for some reason, I think it was the 7th, but I'm not sure), we landed at the airport, hauled our 4 pieces of luggage to a friend's house and crashed for the evening (our friends were out of town for the summer, and had loaned us their apartment as a temporary residence). The next morning, we walked outside into the sunlight, got our bearings and headed out to hunt for a place to call 'home'.

Matt, as some of you know, is an amazingly content kind of guy. It didn't take long to realize that his idea of a "suitable" apartment was pretty much anything with four walls and a front door that locked- if I hadn't been with him, he probably would have signed the lease on the first thing he saw. [I also consider myself to be fairly low-maintenance and easy to please, but I do have standards that are a tad bit higher than Matt's!]

So, off the two of us went.... I think it took us about three days to find the perfect little apartment. We lived there for three years and I still smile when I remember it :) I loved it - perfect size, terrific location, everything. But, terrific as it was, it was empty when we signed the lease. And remember, we had arrived with four pieces of luggage - that wasn't going to furnish an empty apartment!

But it was clear that God had prepared everything ahead of our arrival. Some friends of friends put us in touch with a guy who was leaving to head back to the States. He sold us tons of his stuff - furniture, appliances, .... I even bought his pots and pans, silverware, mixing bowls, the works.

We went to a discount furniture mart and picked up a cheap sectional sofa that we later discovered could seat an infinite number of Chinese students - it seemed like there was always room for one more on that sofa... (until the night we heard one of the wooden support beams crack, but that's a whole 'nother story).

We still have a lot of the things that we purchased those first few weeks we were here - but last week we said goodbye to one of my favorites, our little green refrigerator. How many times a day did I open that thing? How many meals have I cooked while pulling ingredients out of it? How many times did it hold a piece of homemade key lime pie to sustain me through my late night pregnancy snack-attacks?

But it was just getting too small for our growing family. Once Lydia joined the ranks of those of us who eat solid foods, there just never seemed to be enough space in that little fridge. I arranged and re-arranged. I knew just where certain pieces of tupperware would fit. I squeezed and stuffed and crammed.... But the fridge would not hold it all.

So we bought a spiffy new (used) refrigerator from our friend Brian who is moving back to America. And said good-bye to our little green fridge.

And here's the new fridge...I originally thought that we might get a photo with all three of us looking at the camera, but it's harder than it sounds! And this one really captures the moment anyways :)


I know it's just a refrigerator. But I was a little sad to see it go. It was a sweet reminder of the way God provides everything we need. And a little connection to our first apartment here. I was a bit nostalgic as the movers carried it out the door.

But I am loving all the space our new fridge provides. It seems like the door shelves alone can hold the entire contents of our old refrigerator! And I no longer spend five minutes at the end of each meal re-squeezing and re-stuffing all the items back into the fridge :)