"Call of the Wild"

Our pastor told us that there were 2 back-to-back reactions when he started telling people we were going to Cambodia:

CAMBODIA???
oh wait....it's Tim & Cynthia

Those of you who know us well agree that we are wild and crazy! We definitely responded to the call from the 'wilds' of Cambodia!

Let me fill you in on how this came to pass:
April 22 we left for Killeen, TX for 6 wks so Tim could complete an Alternative Teaching Certification Program in Austin, TX. Our oldest son and his wife so graciously agreed to let us stay with them so we didn't have to pay for our apt in Wichita, KS, in addition to other living arrangements in TX. Our youngest son was still living with us, in Wichita, at that time (he just got married June 19). :)

Tim, my husband, has wanted to get into the teaching field for years, but recently completed his Degree in Communications in '08 and really didn't want to spend the money or time to get a second degree so soon. We did much research and this program in Texas was the most reasonably priced and the quickest route to certification. Besides, our grandkids lived in TX and we really like TX! So, we figured we'd move there and teach as soon as Tim completed this program. Even with all the education budget cuts and layoffs, we were still hopeful; we had heard TX was still hiring, especially in the Special Education field.

While taking the classes, Tim applied to over 100 school districts online and went to many interviews, job fairs, etc. The job fairs always were promising; the interviews went very well, some even progressing to the last step in the interview process. But Tim was never hired. We became confused and despondent. We really felt God had led us to TX, but why wasn't He providing a teaching job for Tim? Well, we soon learned why! :)

The classes ended June 5 and we had to come home; Tim had no job and we had an apt and a son to come home to. We really believed June was our last month in KS and we knew God was going to provide jobs; we just didn't know where. We decided to leave TX June 7 to come back to Wichita, KS.

Early Sunday morning (June 6), about 6 a.m., I couldn't sleep. I heard the grandkids wake up and joined my son in their room. I told him to go back to bed and I could watch the girls. While they were eating breakfast and watching cartoons, I checked e-mail real quick. I found an interesting e-m from a Dan Hein with some school in Cambodia. I thought...Cambodia?? What in the world?? I mean we had told God we were open to where ever He wanted to take us and we had actually applied to several schools overseas. But not this one. The principal, Dan, saw my resume on the ACSI (Accreditaion for Christian Schools International) website and contacted me first! Hmmm...so I thought well why not go on and check out the school website...it wouldn't hurt after all. Tim was still sleeping and had no inkling of this yet :)

I checked it out and was drawn to the school for several reasons. I have a heart for teaching teachers and the school has a program in which they partner up Cambodian teacher assistants with teachers - the Cambodians are trained to go out and teach in Cambodia or other countries. This is the first I had seen of this in Christian schools overseas. I was immediately intrigued. Another important fact was it was in South East Asia. I was born and lived in Indonesia 'til I was in a Jr in High School.

There was a downside though. The e-m was to me and my husband needed a teaching job too. I've been a teacher for about 14 yrs, so it was important to me for Tim to get a job first, this being his first year teaching. I knew it would be easy for me to get one where ever he got one.

The morning got busy and I didn't get a chance to talk to Tim about it until later in the day. He looked at the website and was also fascinated by it, for different reasons. But we had already decided that we BOTH needed jobs, especially if we were going overseas. We thought, "why not?" and that same day e-mailed the principal back to ask him if there was an opening for Tim in middle school/high school.

Monday morning (June 7) we packed up the van and left early; I hadn't checked e-m yet. We weren't really thinking about Cambodia...it just seemed so crazy and 'out there.' We should have known.... :) After a 9 hr drive home, we dragged ourselves and all our stuff up 3 flights of stairs; we were exhausted! I dropped it all on the floor and pulled out my laptop first thing...hey, I was curious! :)

First let me say, on the trip home we were having 'talks' with Jesus :) We were wondering why God took us there when no job came out of it; we were thinking, "was this all a waste of time and lots of money?" And what was this thing with Cambodia? We at least had to discuss if we were even willing to go... And we came to some conclusions. Maybe this 6 wks was just a stepping stone to something else. I mean where in the US could Tim have gotten 28 teaching classes for the price he paid and completed a teacher prep course in 6 wks? In other states he would have had to go back to take college courses which would take semesters! We also got to spend fantastic 6 wks with our grandkids (at that time not knowing we wouldn't see them for 2 yrs). And we got to spend quality time with our son before he deployed (he's in the Army). In addition, we were able to provide many 'date' nights and outings for Josh and Erica to spend time alone before he left. :) All in all, we felt good about it, just kind of nervous about the job situation (we were both unemployed).

So... back to checking e-m when we first stepped into the apt (you've been waiting with bated breath, I know, I know). Well, lo and behold, I found an e-m from Dan Hein saying yes, he had an opening for middle school/high school English, Social Studies and maybe a Communications class. He preferred a teacher with experience, but would we provide him with our phone numbers so we could chat? I quickly jotted off an e-m giving him our cell #s but asked him to give us time to unpack. We had just gotten home from a 9 hr drive and had to unpack from a 6 wk stay. Well...it wasn't 2 minutes after I pushed the 'send' button on my e-m that my cell rang. I didn't recognize the number. Guess who it was? :) yep, Dan Hein! LOL

We talked for about 45 minutes - he and Tim and I. It was a wonderful conversation and we felt a gentle pull to our heart. Everything Dan was saying about the school's vision and committment to building relationships with the students, in additon to quality teaching, was ringing true with our hearts. It just seemed to fit with our desires and passion for youth. We got off the phone and knew...we would go if Dan offered us the positions. That was June 7. Between Monday and Friday that week we communicated through e-mails and Dan contacted references. We asked lots of questions, we prayed a lot, and we felt a connection to Logos International School. :) It was funny, Tim was more excited about it than I. And I'm the missionary kid who's been around the world many times!

We knew it would be hard to leave Jon & Mollie, our just-married son and our new daughter-in-law. It would break our heart to leave our 2 granddaughters and our daughter-in-law. As a grandma, being there for 6 wks helped my heart feel satisfied with the grandbabies. And thank God for the internet! Skype, e-mails, and Facebook would keep us connected to family back in America. :) We had to go - God was calling!

The call of the wild (of Cambodia) echoes in our hearts and we can't wait to get there and experience the adventures God has for us!