I’m sitting in a coffee shop, 7:30 in the morning, in downtown Phnom Penh. And so begins the transition home following two weeks of training pastors in Asia.
It’s always slightly surreal as I feel my body and brain being stretched in two different directions.
On the one hand, there’s the elevated feeling of working hand in hand with Asian pastors desperate to get the Word to those yet to hear the name of Jesus. And so I feel the weight of the work and my small part in it, grateful to the Lord that He would even consider me. There’s always a reluctance to let go.
Yet on the other side of the world waits a beautiful wife and children anxious to have their husband and daddy home. And I crave a return, too, counting the hours until that final trip to the airport, boarding planes and flying home during the course of two days.
With five flights and six airports between here and there, there’s plenty of time to reflect on the work, on family, and to prepare for a homecoming.
Now, only distance separates us, as well as 12 hours time difference, but the joy of seeing excited faces at the door will help me push through the onset of fatigue and jet lag.
And then, the next morning, I will slip back into the daily routine, still grateful to my God for blessing me with equally important work—being part of a family whom I love and who loves me.
