Sept. checklist: see Vols-check, Pinckley reunion-check, move-check

As we boarded the boat, at the beginning, I couldn't really wrap my head around being there for a month. When I travel for work, I may be gone for 3-4 weeks, but I am changing locations every few days. I was actually going to unpack and stay in one place for four weeks!

The time flew by. I still can't believe it. In some ways it was a blur. In others, it was a comfortable stroll. Bottom line - it was good. It was where God wanted us to be. It was what God wanted us doing.

Now, after having been back and thinking and praying about our experiences, Debbie and I have decided to return. Full time. I have resigned, as of August 31, from Pepperdine. Our house is on the market (interested? call me!). We plan to basically liquidate it all. In September, we will be back on the wonderful Ship of Life. It will be our home. We will have an extended family of wonderful crew members. We will be ministering to people who need medical and spiritual care. We will be doing the work that God has been preparing us to do for over 50 years. Yeah, 50! Some of us take a little longer than others.

I know it is silly, but we both were worrying about leaving behind Reggie, the wonderdog. He is going with us. I didn't want to be "that" guy, but he is really like our third son. Of course, Paul and Matthew are loved more!! While we were in Cambodia, we saw basically two types of dogs. Not a lot of variety, in breeds. Good ole Reg will be quite the exotic character. He may stand out more than me!

There is a great deal to be done, over the next two and one-half months. It is a bit daunting. I just keep telling myself, "Baby steps, baby steps. Take small bites." We are doing Google searches on visa requirements, bring a dog, year-round temps, other vaccinations we need, etc. The one thing we already learned -- we don't have to worry about a Mexican food fix. We found a place in Siem Reap - great shrimp quesadillas.

Our biggest tasks are selling the house and finalizing our support (this is not a paying gig; we will be raising our financial support). To date, we have about 45% of our needed funds. We have three churches and seven individuals who have committed to partner with us. We have contacted others. We are also looking into a couple of foundations. Thank God for the Simi Church of Christ, who has agreed to be our sponsoring church. They will be handling the receiving and processing of our support. If you know of a church that is interested in medical missions, let me know. I am happy to contact them. If you, or someone you know, would like to partner with us -- let me know. It can be one-time or monthly support. We can use it however we can get it. More than anything, we want your prayers!! Pray for the house to sell. Pray for the support to come in. Pray that we can do an effective work and glorify God in all that we do.

In one of the earliest blogposts, I called our May trip an adventure. I didn't know just how true that would be. But, the adventure has not ended. If is just beginning.