To the Other Side of the World

Early on this Saturday morning, my sweet hubby left for a 2-week mission trip to the Philippines. This is his third trip in four years to the Southeast Asian islands. He will soon land in Los Angeles where he will make the connection for a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong followed by 3-hour layover and another 2-hour flight to Manila. He will not arrive at his destination until late Sunday night which will be our Sunday morning (a twelve-hour time difference).

This was by far the most difficult departure... lots of tears and heavy hearts, because this time, our eight year-old daughter really understands how long her daddy will be gone and how far away he is from home. As we tucked the girls in bed last night and listened to their prayers for his safety and quick return, I think hubby and I fully realized how close our family has become and how much we will miss being together. Hopefully, the time will go by as fast as it did on previous trips.

The nature of this mission trip is somewhat unique in that the team of four men will be providing computer technical assistance to missionaries and Christian organizations all around Manila. They will blog and post pictures throughout the trip at www.geeksforchrist.org. Our eight-year old daughter 'Sweet Pea' and 3-year old daughter 'Poppy' have saved and collected over $250 to be given to one of the local orphanages where the team will provide support. We will be eager to all the stories of their work at the orphanage and other places. We are especially excited to hear about how God works and moves and orchestrates the tiniest of details during this journey as they serve Him with the gifts and talents and resources He has so graciously given.