How We Got Here...

One week today, Greg and I will be heading to Pearson Int'l airport to relocate to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. To many, this move might seem daunting, but back in 2005, we packed our belongings, rented out our house and took two children to Dhaka, Bangladesh for just over three years. They were the worst of times, they were the best of times. Living with the tension of good and bad has only strengthened us as people of faith and as a family. And, so we move on to a new life with happy/sad feelings.

Greg has always wanted to make his home abroad, serving marginalized people groups. When we started dating in 1989, he told me the relationship would only work if I was supportive of him moving to Pakistan for the year. It turned out, we fell in love via hand written letters, one to represent each day he was gone. He was given another opportunity to work with marginalized people through fair trade business which was an amazing fit for his skills. It was a set three year contract and upon fulfillment, we came home to Canada. In retrospect, it was the right time for our children to come home and prepare for their adult lives.


We had always hoped to work abroad again, but life happens. We became settled in our lives with growing children, happy in our jobs. Our friends who live in Cambodia began encouraging us to seek employment there and specifically for me to help at the school they work at. As we discussed it at home, the responses were always the same. It's not the right time for our kids. We have good jobs here. But, our youngest started to question that line of thinking and wondered if it might be the perfect time, as he moves out for University and before either of them begin building their own families. So,I simply answered we would consider applying if there was an opportunity for Greg somewhere. 

In January, our friend sent an employment advertisement that she saw, without realizing it was a Canadian NGO. (non government organization) We thought about it and decided he might as well at least send a resume. Eventually, that became a scheduled Skype interview between Vancouver, Greg and Cambodia  for the Wednesday after we returned from celebrating our 25th anniversary in Jamaica. We discussed the possibility of relocating on our holiday, but it seemed an impossible feat. How could we leave our kids? What about our house as we had a terrible experience renting it out in the past? The ramifications seemed too overwhelming to tackle.

Greg went to work on Tuesday after returning from our vacation and was unexpectedly and shockingly restructured out of his workplace. We were shaken, dumbfounded and confused but God knew the timing of events and Greg had the hope of an interview the next evening. Three and a half weeks after losing his job, he had a signed contract to work for an well respected organization, called Ratanak International. Our children were supportive of the decision and we started planning how this would all work. 

We started sorting through our "stuff" and sold our house at a wonderful profit, way above our asking price.(thanks to a great realtor and a great market) Between that and Greg's severance, financially this was all plausible. I resigned from my jobs and was relishing the opportunities that lay ahead. Both of our children were accepted into the first University program of their choice. Our oldest was accepted into two Medical Schools and our son, into the music program he wanted. They both were to attend the same University and wanted to live together, allowing a place for many of our belongings and providing them with a "home". Life was moving at a fast, fast pace.

Part of Greg's contract was that we both pass medical and psychological tests. I know what you're all thinking..."How did Dawne pass a Psych test?" Well, it wasn't daunting as we had gone through all of this in our previous move abroad. Both of us are healthy, take no medications or have any conditions so this was stress free. We were phoned after Greg's blood work came back and Greg was to have secondary testing. That was weird. He was leaving soon! Eventually, that testing lead to a necessary biopsy. There were amazing friends put in place that helped speed this appointment up as there were time restraints on our end...his ticket was purchased. 31 days before Greg was to leave for Cambodia, he was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, Intermediate Stage, Grade Seven on the Gleason Scale. Well, that stopped us in our tracks. It felt like going from 120 on the QEW to a dead stop in mere seconds. He was told he had to have surgery and the outcomes of that were explained. This cancer wasn't going to kill him anytime soon, but it was going to require attention at home. The contract was deemed null and void. Greg didn't have a job, I didn't have a job, we had no home and yet we knew without a doubt, God had this situation in His control. 

That same day, a few hours later, Jahred graduated from high school and it was HIS night. He wowed us by piping his class in, playing a gorgeous arrangement of the National anthem on his classical guitar and winning the Prinicpal's Award, along with some other awards. It was a very special end to a horrible day. Happy sad. Again, we were living in that place of tension which I view as wonderful preparation for endurance of life in a developing country.

I wrote about our situation on Facebook, which my children did not appreciate. However, because of that post, we received an email the next day offering us a 3 bedroom, fully equipped apartment to live in. I broke down weeping. The goodness of God was overwhelming. It was the sign I needed that He had this in His control and I need not panic. With Greg's severance and the apartment situation, there was enough money to live and prepare for the job as Greg recovered from his surgery and potential treatment. 

About a week later, Ratanak informed Greg that they were willing to wait for a set period of time for him to have his health meet the standards to move abroad.This was amazing news. Now, to pray for a rush on a surgery date.

Two weeks later, we went to an appointment to get our surgery date and radiation options and it was discovered that there were two conflicting reports of Greg's biopsy. The Dr who first diagnosed Greg read from one report and the Dr we were now speaking with, read from another report with a different, better, diagnosis. How was this possible? There was much confusion and it was decided his slides would be re read the next day and they would phone us. Our oncologist, who was amazing, encouraged us not to get our hopes up, that this error has happened in the past, and she didn't expect it to go in our favour. Well, I refused to believe that! I knew the number was a 6 and not a 7, meaning he would go on active surveillance but did not require surgery at this time as it is a very slow growing cancer and the side effects of the surgery regarding quality of life outweighed the need to kill the cancer and the effects it would have on the body. The next day, after living two weeks with the other diagnosis, we learned it was a 6 on the Gleason Scale. Oh, did we rejoice! 

Greg immediately contacted the NGO and a new contract was to be drawn up. The extra time in Canada allowed Greg to help get our children settled into their apartment, close the house and attend our daughter's Stethoscope ceremony, where she was welcomed into the world of medicine. After attending, he couldn't have imagined missing it. Medicine has always been her dream. 

And, that's how we got here...waiting to leave on Tuesday for a 15 hour flight to Taipei, with a 3 hour lay over and then another 4 hours to Phnom Penh. Our friends await us, our house awaits us and we will sleep in our new bed when we arrive. 

We are constantly overwhelmed when we realize the people God put in our lives at the right time in this process. A friend gave me beautiful words which I held onto...this is a mere speed bump on what was the fast lane to Cambodia. Another friend from the UK believed with such certainty that we would get there eventually that her words gave me hope. Friends provided a place to live. We were provided money with Greg's severance and the sale of our home to do this easily and fly our children to visit and me home in summers. Friends in the Medical profession pulled strings to expedite the medical process to what ended up being perfect timing. Our children found a lovely apartment and want to live together. We could not have orchestrated this. I am so happy to be able to support Greg in his dream. I am honoured to be married to a man called to serve the exploited.

And that's how we got here...