Bare(ly) Necessities

It doesn't seem possible that we're only 6 months away from saying "goodbye" to our awesome little house in Holliston and "hello" to life in Lilongwe, Malawi.  Some days I feel like it's right around the corner and other days it feels like it's never going to arrive. 
Sarah and I once again did our New Year Daniel fast for the first 3 weeks of 2011.  It ended yesterday and to be honest, we barely made it.  We love the concept and many facets of the fast (more regular prayer times together, more intentional focus on spiritual things, etc...) but we didn't really think through the fact that January was our time to ramp back up the support raising after putting it aside for the Holidays.  It was a tremendous joy to sit across from Sarah during many evenings of our fast and watch her hold Beth - God's beautiful answer to the time we did this exactly one year ago. 
More and more our thoughts are turning to the looming reality of packing.  Both Sarah and I are thankful that neither of us are "pack rats".  We are quick to throw things out that we don't need and we avoid "chachkas" like the plague. And while we're doing our best to streamline what we take with us, the pile is already big enough to feel a little overwhelming. 
Last weekend I got to spend 2 days in Manhattan scouting out neighborhoods with my friend Brian who will be moving there with his family in a couple months.  Despite the arctic temps we threw in a little sight-seeing as well.  One of the stops was Ellis Island where they've made a beautiful museum out of the buildings where hundreds of thousands of immigrants first arrived on American soil.  As you walk through the front doors one of the first things you see are photographs of the new arrivals standing in long lines holding all their worldly possessions.  Never, in any of those pictures, do you see someone wheeling a pushcart brimming with luggage.  It seemed like almost everyone was either holding one or two simple bags or a child and that was it.  And when I say "bags" I'm not talking about mega duffles on wheels.  Most of the bags I saw were about the same size as the bag I packed for 2 days in Manhattan. 
Sometimes it feels like we're trying to re-create our Holliston lives in Lilongwe and it's a little frustrating.
I guess it comes from the same part of me that always admired the desert fathers and their minimalistic approach to life.  I know I'm saved by grace and that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17) but I confess that I'm also conflicted by the question that says, "I know I can live with less but since I don't have to, why should I?"  We're packing our luggage into a container which is twice the size of the average Malawian house! 
Mark 6:8-9 is a passage where Jesus is sending out His disciples to go and do ministry.  He says to them: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt."  Who was responsible for the pack-n-play?  Where did the Kitchen Aid mixer fit in?  How do you expect me to tote my collection of "Lord of the Rings" DVD's?  Is it possible to still be radical for Jesus and lug around all this stuff?