The Mears Family: December 2015

Arrival day at our new home in the DC area!

Dear Friends & Family,

We moved to the Washington DC area, specifically northern Virginia! We've had lots of changes in the past few months, so here is a quick recap...

Farewell party in Rwanda

In May, Lane accepted a new position with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which entailed moving to Washington DC for 12-18 months of training and prep before being sent out overseas again. So, after living in Rwanda for almost 5 years, we said goodbye. Having lived in Rwanda for this long, you can imagine it was difficult to leave, as it had become our home. We grieved leaving our friends at International Justice Mission and the USA Embassy in Kigali (where Lane worked), Bill Bennett Consulting (where Anna worked last year doing database development) and Kigali International Community School (where the kids attended our entire time in Rwanda). We loved so many things about Rwanda and developed so many dear friendships over the years - deep friendships with Rwandans and many others from around the world. There will always be a special place in our heart for this season of our life. (We miss you all!!)

Abby with the moving truck

In June, we arrived back in Texas and spent time with both of our families in the Dallas area. We also visited our hometown of Austin (where we met, married, had 3 kids & lived for 10 years) to see friends and our church, Hope in the City.

In July, Lane moved up to DC to start orientation for his new position while Anna & the kids stayed in Texas. Caleb went to a Boy Scout camp in Bastrop while Abby & Luke attended Pine Cove's Camp in the City. They all loved it! They also spent time with Anna's grandmother in Baytown. Following a death in the extended family, we attended a funeral in Lufkin & The Woodlands.

At the beginning of August, we packed up our long-term storage unit stuff into a moving truck and drove two long days across the country through Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia to arrive at our new home in Fairfax, Virginia. Anna's sister Kelley, her husband David & their baby Faith who live in the DC area, welcomed us and have been a huge help to us since.

First time to ride a school bus!

In September, the kids started new schools (their first experience of US public schools). To make things really busy, we let each of them (except Jo-Jo) pick one extracurricular activity each. Caleb chose Boy Scouts; Abigail played soccer; and Luke played baseball.

In October, Lane spent 3 weeks back in Rwanda working on a USAID project and seeing lots of folks!

In November, Anna turned 40 and our youngest, Joshua turned a big 4 years old. Our shipment of household items arrived from Rwanda, which meant lots of boxes and well missed items! Anna's family came from Texas to visit for the week of Thanksgiving - our first Thanksgiving in America in several years!

US Capitol with cousins!

It's now December and little by little we are getting settled and enjoying all that this part of the country has to offer, like the changing leaves of autumn. We are trying to be intentional about showing the kids the important landmarks in the Capital of the United States while we are living in this area, such as the Smithsonian Museums, U.S. Capitol building, Arlington Cemetery, Washington & Lincoln Memorials, etc. The kids are also really looking forward to seeing snow for the first time this winter.

Thanks to the many of you who have helped us or prayed for us through this transition. We are forever grateful!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

The Mears Family
Lane & Anna
Caleb (12), Abigail (10), Luke (7), Joshua (4)

P.S. Enjoy a few pictures of our journey to Washington DC!