This past Sunday was our last Sunday at our church in Saom Kaning until we return mid-August. We leave for our 6-month furlough this coming Monday night (actually the plane takes off at 12:20am Tuesday morning).

Sunday evening the leaders of the church had a goodbye meal for us with all the people who serve in the church. We were greatly encouraged by their show of love for our family. People who have never said a word to me were all teary eyed at our departure. For them 6-months is a long time. It’s long for us too, but we’ll be so busy it will fly by for us.

In some ways I feel like leaving our home here is harder than when we left the States to come live in Cambodia. We have grown to love these people. They are our friends. Our children have friends. This is our home. I’m so thankful we get to come back.

One of the sweetest things as we drove away that night was our kids’ love for our church. Isaiah put it like this, “If we could take our church to America, it would be the best.”

Thanks be to God that He has bound our hearts together with our Jarai brothers and sisters. How we will miss them. We have truly seen Jesus’ words, “