Three weeks before our departure from Cambodia in early June, we received a phone call that no one wants to hear. A dear family member just passed away and the family is gathering together. "We know you will be here soon, so no need to come back now", "Will the tears ever stop...", "We don't know what to do without her...", "You are here in thought, even though you can't be here in person", these and many other similar things were said and thought by us and our family. After some time of prayer, talking to others and a few miracles thrown in, we quickly changed our plans and returned to the USA to be with family during this terrible time. Within the span of 48 hours we had changed our return tickets, packed up our apartment, received a negative COVID test (along with 4+ hours waiting in lines), said our goodbyes to Cambodia and boarded a plane. It was absolutely the right decision and we are so grateful for the many people that helped us make the decision, pack up and receive us when we landed.
Community Helped...
During times of tragedy, the importance of community shines bright. There would have been no way we could have transitioned back to the USA for this season without the community that God has provided for us. In our Cambodian community, we shed tears of goodbye with those that we loved and lived life with, then with our family we shed tears of sorrow as we each said goodbye to our aunt, mom, sister, or wife. Our church community provided abundantly as we established ourselves in California for this upcoming year. They provided a place for our family, a vehicle, welcoming hugs and great encouragement. In smaller settings with close friends, we have been able to catch up on life, pray for one another and learn from others who are going through similar situations.
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15
These verses require community and cannot happen on your own. We are so grateful for the relationships we have and the community that God has provided for us. We hope and pray that you will also have a wonderful community around you to help in times of need, times of tragedy and times of transition. If you ever need someone, please reach out. We would love to be a part of your community as you go through these challenging times!
Going forward...
This upcoming year is a precious gift that we have been given. I (Chad) have never had a Sabbatical and now after working for over 35 year have been given a year to reflect, slow down and prepare for our return to Cambodia next summer. It is an exciting opportunity that I don't take lightly. During this year, I will still be working at EMI in my role of Regional Director, but doing so on a limited basis. I will be working 1 day a week and traveling 1 week a month.
We have also decided to focus on 4 main things for our personal lives:
- Slowing down
- No drive through, taking the long way home, going for walks, spending time together
- Extended family
- Missing birthdays, holidays and life events for the last 4 years has been hard. We are going to enjoy these things again!
- Launching kids
- Our children are at very key points in the transition from teen to adult and we are grateful to be present in their lives as they go through these important milestones.
- Nature
- National parks, forests, camping, hiking and bike riding are things that we missed while living overseas and want to soak up as much as possible.
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