Starting Over Again. Yup Again.

The craziness of packing, cleaning, sorting, more packing, and somehow stuffing our lives into perfectly sized 50 lbs boxes is well under way.  We are days away.  No longer months, only days.

In a matter of days we start over again...again.

Often I find myself overwhelmed with the thought of trying to end a life in Cambodia.  Finishing our jobs well, saying all the hard good-byes, and wrapping up all the logistics needed to move across the planet.  But I have to remind myself I have been here before.  We've been days away from an international move, and we survived...somehow.  We have been days away from our whole life packed in 50 lbs boxes, and days away from leaving one home in hopes of finding a new one.

We did this three years ago.  Friends and family came to a 5K race and paid a stupid amount of money to run around Denver in the freezing rain so we could get to Cambodia to start our work with Asian Hope.  (p.s. we totally suckered you into that, it was so cold that morning.)

But we were leveled by love, floored by the generosity of our family, friends, coworkers, and strangers who sent us off over 3 years ago.  And now we do it again, this Saturday we sell off the rest of our belongings in hopes to use that money to start over in America.  People will buy our Christmas tree, our safe, and our photo frames, and we will take that money to buy jeans (something we will need and wear again), pay rent, and buy sugar and flour once again.  We will be starting over again, again.

But, we really truly believe that God has been grooming us to be an influence in the public school system and to enter the world of formal counseling.  So we move, again.  We really truly believe that God has big plans for us in Denver at Manual and the influence we can and will have in a community. So we move, again. And we really truly believe that God is at work in our hearts, and that these new ministries have been laid upon our spirit. So we move, again.

So we ask for your prayers. That Chris and I can make this insane transition.  That we can land in Denver and start over. Buy a phone, get car, find a home, and re-enter into American life.  That we can do this in a glorifying way, and not in some crazed fashion because we only have 2 weeks before Chris will start work on July 8th.

We ask you pray for our last meals, moto rides, and lunches with our respective staffs.  For our last service at church, and for our highs and lows we experience each day.

Last weekend we said bye to the Khmer church that partners with us in Prek Pneu.  They showered us with love, thanks, and gifts.  We were able to join hands one last time and pray for one another, pray for the communities we will live and work in, and sing one last Khmer worship song together.

This week Chris will teach his last class at Logos, give his last final, and attend his last chapel at this wonderful school.

Jesus Loves You Church in Prek Pneu

The Khmer Church Pastor and the Leadership