I have so many things I want to tell you all about. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share through this blog about our family and what God is doing here in Cambodia. If you can believe it we have been in Cambodia for over three months already. I find it hard to believe sometimes. We are finally starting to feel settled. Well, more accurately I am starting to feel more settled. Megan has been working since a couple weeks after we got here, which I think has helped speed up the process for her. For me, not only are we in a new country learning a new language and all the other cultural things, but I have transitioned to being the stay at home parent. Not that I mind, but spending my days shopping and doing laundry, and cooking and cleaning, has taken some getting used to.
 
I like to think I have always had respect for stay at home parents. My mother was a professional homemaker, and she was one of the hardest working people I have ever known. However now that I find myself living that life, I definitely have a better appreciation for it. It is a lot of work. It also is an incredible blessing. For years I missed out on being home with Harper and Ember, being available for sick days, and having daily time to be intentional about our lives and home.
 
But after three months, the settling has been going well and we have started to feel more at home. Our team at HPC has been a major factor in that transition. Our team has welcomed us so well, and been so engaged, that it has really helped us feel connected and like we have a community around us. It is hard, but it would be so much harder being here in this foreign country and culture without all of you if it weren’t for our incredible team here.
 
It has also helped me transition to start meeting with people. I am focused on language learning right now, but I have started meeting with a few people a week. This has been a great chance to see what God is already doing here, and start building relationships. Many of the people I have been meeting with have similar passions for journeying with God and men. One of the men I met with a few weeks ago is in the process of writing curriculum for a men’s year-long school. One of the guys started celebrate recovery here and runs men's meetings throughout the city. One of the guys I met with is one of HPC’s Khmer staff who started a soccer program, that has opened up the door for him to do weekly discipleship with dozens of young people. There have been more, but they all are Godly men making a difference in the lives of others. It’s been a blessing to see God moving here.
 
Your love and support has been another big part of why we have been able to transition and get settled here. Thank you so much for you prayers and to all who have reached out to us; it really means a lot! I can’t wait to share more with you all next month. ​As always, please email or message us on social media how we can be praying for you.

With our love,
The Holmes Family; Ember, Harper, Megan, and Aaron

​One of the big things God put on our hearts coming to Cambodia was to be an example to people by doing family well. I believe how we celebrate says a lot about us as individuals, our family, and our culture. Do we go through the motions? Do we genuinely engage? Do we do what we do because of outside references? Do we intentionally invite the father into co-creating something meaningful? How does our engagement reflect our level of connection in community? These are the kinds questions that came to my mind a few weeks ago as I prepared for my birthday. Having moved across the world, things are obviously different here and I wanted to take the opportunity of things being different anyways to bring intentionality to my birthday. To rethink how I do my birthday and take some time to invite the father into the process. With Megan’s support I got away the day before my birthday and spent the day reflecting on the last year.
 
I journaled through the hardships and the blessings. I literally laughed and cried while I thought about everything that we have been through this last year. All the traveling, finally finishing and showing the film I produced over the last 7 years, working several jobs remotely, saying goodbye to friends and family, and finally moving our family with 12 checked bags to a developing nation on the opposite side of the world. Wild! We got to see so many friends and family we hadn’t seen in years. Thinking about the last time I saw many of you brought tears to my eyes. Remembering how much love and support we have in being here blessed me. Remembering the jobs I have worked in the last year made me really thankful for them and how well we have been taken care of by the Lord. Such an amazing year with so many ups and downs, but constantly filled with Gods presence and love from our community.
 
I also got to dream with God about this next year. As I feel myself coming out of chaos phase; a normal part of the emotional transition into a new culture where nothing seems normal; I find myself presented with a unique opportunity to bring intentionality into every part of my life. What I eat, how I sleep, how I engage Megan, Harper, Ember, scheduling, work, language learning, media, and ultimately how I pursue God and let God pursue me. I don’t know that I have any major revelations to share other than the way I engage and live out my days is already looking very different. My time is being spent differently, and my attitude is different. I am feeling strength through my day from the blessing of engaging with God about life.
 
On my birthday, Megan and the girls and I went to a swimming pool in the morning and enjoyed time together as we rested and played. Sunday night we went to dinner with friends. Making friends and getting to know people is fairly slow going here. However, we have such amazing community already with our HPC team. Everyone came to celebrate with me and it felt like family. Our team here showed me what it means to love well.
 
For me, celebrating well this year looked like making time to reflect on the last year, dreaming with God about the next year, spending time playing with family, and inviting community to celebrate what God has done and is going to do. My prayers are with Cambodia and I look forward to seeing God move through our family and how we celebrate in the years to come.