Sooo, it’s been quite some time since there has been an update on here. This year has flown by! Dallas came back from iGO, and Ryan from the states for Christmas. Then I left before either of them did, to go to SMBI for one term. I enjoyed my time there. I made some good friends and learned so much! I also got to see Luke and Stephanie’s baby boy while I was there. Before I knew it, my time there was up and I flew home to finish up the last 7 weeks of our time in Cambodia with the family.

Life has been anything but normal since coming home. The day after I got home, Dallas came from Thailand for a friend’s wedding. His mission trip for that term of iGO was to siem reap, so he was able to get off a bit early to be at Thain’s wedding. A couple days later, the rest of his ministry team came. They were here for 10 days doing whatever we found for them to do, handing out bible story books, going along to the villages, and watching the well drilling team.

The weekend after they left, we traveled to Chiang Mai. Some of us children have been in Cambodia for nine years and have never been to any of the neighboring countries. We wanted to visit Thailand before we left. We bussed from Siem Reap to Bangkok, then took the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It was close to 24 hrs travel in total. It was an interesting trip for sure! It was so nice to see iGO, and meet all of Dallas’s fellow students.

Our time here is winding down very fast! It’s been full of ‘lasts’. Today was our last time at church. We have had our last full week, the last time seeing Sen’s and their dear girls. So many lasts.

Yesterday we went to the new zoo with Friedrich’s, Lanita, and Khmer friends. It was the first time for most of them to ever be at a zoo. It was good to have one last fun day to spend with them.

Now we have started our very last week in Cambodia. My mind can’t fully grasp that we aren’t coming back! We’ve always, always come back. How can we not come back? It’s been our life for the past 9 years. How can things change so permanently, so fast? We fly out of Siem Reap Thursday evening. The next couple days are going to be full of packing and goodbyes. I think the move is going to be hardest for Forrest and Alaina. This is almost all they’ve known. It is really hard on Alaina to know that she might not see some of her best friends again. Prayers are appreciated as we wrap things up here and say our goodbyes!

~Heather for the Helmuth’s~