Where did 2019 go? As I sit here looking at my calendar, one month gone already, I am surprised by how the days are flying by.
Last November, I joined an EMI project trip to Malacca, Malaysia. While we were there, we worked with a ministry that serves young adults with mental disabilities. Twenty-Eight years ago, Boon Hock and his wife adopted a baby. For the first few weeks of his life, Matthew seemed healthy, however around week 5, he stopped growing at a normal rate. Matthew was diagnosed with Russell-Silver syndrome complicated by the addition of Autism. This started the Lim family down this road to Quad E. Boon Hock began a career in special needs – researching, pioneering, and implementing early developmental disability diagnosis and education in Malaysia. As Matthew and his peers have entered adulthood, their families have begun to ask, what will happen to them as they continue to get older? From this came the idea of Quad E, a permanent, residential campus for adults with disabilities, a place that can Engage, Enable, Enhance, and Empower them towards greater independence in their daily living.
For me, it was such a privilege to be a part of this team. Most of my work supports EMI from my desk in Cambodia. And while I get to hear about a lot of the work that we do, it was special to be able to join the team and remind myself of the impact EMI has through the ministries we work with, like Quad E.
Clockwise: December started the wedding season here in Cambodia, this was at the wedding of a friend from church.
December also brought another intern goodbye celebration. This is most of the team singing Karaoke at my house.
The end of December brought my parents to Cambodia! This was their third visit! We celebrated my mom’s birthday while they were here.