A New Season

My favorite tree

So, I think a lot about trees these days. Their seasons and lifecycles, their flowers and fruit, their imperceptible growth over time. We've planted a lot of trees over the last four years at Happy Home. I've watched all the trees at our home grow and develop, but especially this one. It's fascinating to observe its seasonal cycles. In the winter months it loses almost all of its leaves; it's barren, flowerless, fruitless, and looks almost dead. Every year I wonder if it will revive, or if maybe this is the year it will die. But without fail, as winter turns spring, new leaves bud, its flowers bloom, and it produces its fruit; and it is bigger, stronger, and more beautiful than any year before. I wanted to cut down this tree when I first moved to the Home in December 2008 because I thought it was dead. I'm so thankful I didn't.

Some of our other trees seem to have no seasons or cycles at all, but slowly, steadily, imperceptibly they grow. It's impossible to actually sit and watch them grow, but when I look at them now they are at least twice as tall as when I first arrived. Some of the trees that were the smallest then are the tallest now. And I didn't even realize they were growing.


The Bible has many analogies comparing our life of faith and walk with God to the growth of trees (Ps 1, John 15, Matt 7). And like trees, our lives also have seasons (Eccl 3, Ps 1), both fruitful and barren. I entered a new season of my life with God when I came to Cambodia. And in the four years I've been here, there have been seasons I experienced the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit, and seasons I felt spiritually dry and barren. But through these seasons I must believe there has been growth. Not that I'm aware of it, nor can I even recognize it. Not that I've contributed much toward it, and may have, in fact, hindered it. But I don't cause my own growth any more than a tree does. It is God, my Father, the faithful Vinedresser, who "gives the increase." Slow. Imperceptible. Growth.

With fellow nurse Gretchen in Poipet 

Now, I'm entering another season of my life with God. At the beginning of July I'll be returning to the States full-time to re-enter the field of nursing, Lord willing.  More than ten years ago, the Lord answered my prayer for direction in my life and led me to become a nurse. I love being a nurse. And have missed being a nurse. And now, I believe it is time for me to return to nursing.  This hasn't been a quick or easy decision, but is something I've been praying about for a couple of years and for which I only recently received peace and confirmation. My plans, tentatively, are to visit my family in Missouri first, spend some time studying and getting refreshed, then hopefully return to nursing in Oregon. So, while I'm excited about entering this new season, I'm also saddened at the thought of leaving the current season and everyone I've met, served with, and become family with during this time.  I wonder if trees experience growing pains at the change of seasons also? 

Sheri and Darrell Wilson

You may be wondering about the Home and kids. Rose will continue to lead the Home in Poipet, splitting her time between Cambodia and Thailand.  A new couple serving with MMF, Darrell and Sheri Wilson, will be living here at the Home full-time and assisting Rose with daily oversight and administration.  I'm very thankful the Lord has raised-up new servants for the work of the ministry.  Please pray for them, the staff, and the kids, for this transition to go smoothly, and for God's grace and peace to cover them all.






I know it's been a long, long time since I sent an update, and I can't possibly update you on a whole year's activities, so I've included some pictures below to give you a glimpse into our last year.  Enjoy:


Kiddos:
  

First day of Kindergarten

Little kids garden

BBQ!!

Singing competition

Cool chick champions!

Drama competition

Dayhike with a view.

Picknicking in the park.

Merry Christmas...... 

....and Happy New Year!

Girls soccer team - 3rd place!

Mummy fun!

Birthday fun!

Our new swimmin' hole.

Vaccinations are going well.....

....mostly.  Ooucchh!!

Staff:

Sung, little girls' housemom, got married!

Chanly joined us as the new housemom.

Maria, little boys' housemom, got engaged!

Staff retreat in Thailand

Said Goodbye to Witt, Mom and Tanya as they left for Bible College

Guests:

Project Compassion medical team clinics.

CC Pacific Hills - painted murals in girls' houses.

My Mom visited.  Everyone's excited!

Mom and me touring Thailand.

Well, that about wraps it up.  In closing, I just want to say Thank You and God Bless You to everyone for your encouragement, prayers, and support over the last four years. You  don't know how much you've helped me along the way.  I ask that you would continue to pray for the Home and for me as well.  I'm a little nervous about returning to the States, but I know the Lord will be with me as always.  With much love, Patty

"To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Home sweet home.

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share a quick update on my trip to the States in March and April.  I had such a great time it brings a big smile to my face when I think back on it!  I truly feel blessed to have “family” in so many different places and to feel at home in each place.  It is good to be part of God’s family!

Back on the farm.

I spent the first four weeks of my trip with my God-given family in Missouri.  My folks still live a simple life on the farm where I was raised, so it is a wonderful place to transition from life in Cambodia to life in the States.  I’m so thankful to the Lord for the loving, close-knit, and supportive family He has given me and for the time I had to share with them.  Love you guys LOTS!  We didn’t do much other than share meals and enjoy each other’s company, which was exactly what I wanted to do.  

Little Hunter Brown

I did enjoy the special gift of spending time with my new great-nephew, Hunter, who was born just a week before I came home.  Isn’t he handsome?!

LaJolla from the Gliderport

I then traveled to Southern California where I spent about 10 days visiting friends and my ministry family - those I’ve met through the ministry and who have supported our Home and children in Cambodia.  A lot of teams and guests visit our Home in Poipet, most of whom I never get to see again.  But my time in SoCal was like a family reunion with long-lost relatives.  It was wonderful to reunite with so many who have visited us, supported us, and loved our kids!  Thank you for the opportunities to share about the ministry and for offering so much encouragement to me personally.  I was overwhelmed!

Bend and 3 Sisters Mountains

From SoCal, I traveled to Bend Oregon to spend a week with my church family at Calvary Chapel of Bend.  It is very exciting to see the missions ministry growing at CCB and so many interested in the work in Cambodia.  Thank you for opening your homes for me to share and your hearts to learn more about the ministry.  I look forward to seeing how the Lord may use this in the future!

Another highlight of my time in the States was simply enjoying the beauty of God’s creation:

The rolling green hills and farmland of Missouri... 

The snow-capped Rockies as I flew to California....

The ocean and beaches of San Diego....

The waterfalls and mountains of Oregon.   




I had forgotten how beautiful America is!  Although the country has its share of challenges and problems, it still bears the evidence of God’s goodness and favor.  I encourage you to get out and enjoy it!  And remember to be thankful for the small blessings that are so easy to take for granted in life…… clean paved streets without piles of garbage; safe, drinkable water from the faucet; grocery stores with refrigerated meats and dairy; a society where people know how to wait in line; traffic laws; flush toilets; etc.  I could go on and on! 

After a few last wonderful days, including Easter, in San Diego, I returned to my family in Cambodia.  It’s great to be back with the kids and staff, and it’s amazing how much some of the kids have grown in just two months!  I want to put a big book on their heads to stop them from growing!  

New Sport Court

Seems everyone here was busy with both work and play while I was gone.  In March, everyone pitched in to help with the construction of the long-awaited sport court in the front yard.  It’s huge!  And awesome!  The kids love it!  They’re starting to learn the basics of basketball and the court will provide a clean dry place for the kids to play outside during the muddy rainy season, which is now upon us. 

Mobile water fights

In April, the kids had several weeks off school for Khmer New Year, the biggest holiday in Cambodia.  Many kids were able to go home to visit family.  Some kids went home with staff members for the week.  And others remained at the Home.  But everyone enjoyed a special week of fun and water fights. 

Mom & Witt's bundle of joy

In other exciting news, Mom and Witt delivered their first baby by C-section on May 15^th in Thailand.  They had a healthy bouncing baby girl weighing 9.2lbs and measuring 22 inches long.  They are all doing well!

Well, that’s about all the news for now.  Thanks again to everyone who helped make my visit to the States so memorable and refreshing!  And a special thanks to Wayne and Sigrid, Steve and Kathy, and Burt and Suzi for your gracious hospitality!  Many blessings!

Ointment and perfume delight the heart, 

And the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel.  

Proverbs 27:9

(Belated) Happy Holidays!

I know, I know!  Just when you’ve finally recovered from the holidays, I have to go and bring them up again!  But we had such a blessed, joyful holiday season at Christian Happy Home I still want to tell you about them, albeit a little late!

For me, the holidays again started with a bountiful Thanksgiving feast with friends and fellow missionaries at the home of Dr. Kent and his family.  If possible, I think this year’s feast even surpassed last year’s as roasted goose and pumpkin pie were added to the menu!  I can’t tell you what a treat this feast was, here in the land of perpetual rice!  There was not a single grain to be seen that day!

Feasting and fellowship!

In early December, the Christmas festivities began, starting with a home decorating party.  All the kids had a job, putting up the tree, making snowflakes, stringing lights and garland, or hanging our new stockings (Thanks Sigrid!).  The home really looked great this year!

The boys hanging lights.

Tree trimmers Pinu and Srey Mao

The second week of December, I drove with Mom, Witt, and eight of the big kids across the country to the southern part of Cambodia to do an outreach at Mom’s hometown church where her father serves as pastor.  We first helped clean and decorate the little church…….. 

Laen decorating the church.

...then, the following day, Mom, Witt and the kids hosted a Christmas program for the church members, families, and many neighbors invited from the community, about 120 people altogether.  The program was very good and included, songs, skits, testimonies, games, and sharing of the gospel.  I was so proud of them!  The kids are really growing up! 

Christmas program outreach

We even squeezed in a little time to visit the beach in Sihanoukville, which was the first time several of the kids had ever seen the ocean!  We thank God for this opportunity to have served Him and to minister to fellow Christians in Cambodia. 

Chanthorn enjoying the ocean!

When we returned from the outreach, it was time for me to get serious about some Christmas shopping!  The staff gave me the task of shopping for ALL the kids this year, that’s 40 kids!  On top of this was my own Christmas shopping for the staff, helping the kids to buy gifts for their houseparents, and preparing gift bags for two more outreaches.  Altogether I figured I purchased gifts for about 110 people this year!  Oiy!  And you thought your list was long!  It was actually a lot of fun, and I’m so thankful to the Lord for our ministry friends and partners who gave special gifts to make all of this possible!  Thank you!

An abundant Christmas!

As Christmas neared, we did another small outreach to about 30 poor children in a feeding program at our local church……..

Praying for kids at the outreach.

…….and went caroling around the community to spread a little Christmas joy!

Joy to the World!

Finally, Christmas day arrived.  What a wonderful day we had!  In the morning, the kids did yet another outreach, this time to their friends from school, sharing the nativity story as well as the gospel, building relationships and planting seeds……

Outreach to kids' friends.

The afternoon was filled with fun and games……..

Fierce competition

And in the evening was our own family Christmas with more skits, songs, and opening of presents.  In the Cambodian culture, it is tradition for the birthday person gives gifts to others, rather than receiving gifts for himself.  So we all thanked Jesus for the gifts He gave us on His birthday, and especially for the most precious gift of all, Himself. 

\  

Following close on the heals of Christmas, we celebrated New Year’s Eve with a giant bonfire in the front yard, a time of reflection and thanksgiving, and then movies until 4am. (For the kids, that is.  I barely saw midnight!). 

Auld lang syne

Now the Near Year is in full swing.  The kids have started soccer league again and Sunday afternoons are consumed with soccer games. 

Sou Sou MMF!

I was blessed to be able to take a week away at the end of January to a small Thai island called Koh Mak to just spend time with the Lord and get refreshed.  It has been a challenging year personally, so I was thankful to have some time to reflect on this past year and to pray about the coming year.  The Lord was gracious indeed to meet with me there.

One of my challenges in the past year has been persistent homesickness.  I desired to come home for a visit, but felt the Lord was always guiding me to wait, and wait, and wait.  Now it seems the wait is finally over, and I have peace from the Lord about making the trip home. Yay!  I purchased a ticket for early March with a return flight in mid-April, about six weeks total.  My plan is to visit my family in Missouri for a few weeks, then Lord willing, also visit Oregon and SoCal.  I am so excited about once again being reunited with family and friends!  And I hope I can meet many of you in person whom I’ve only met via e-mail so far.  Please let me know if you’d like to get together to share a meal, grab a cup of coffee, or hear more about the ministry.  Many blessings in Christ Jesus! And again, Belated Happy Holidays!

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14