Past Due Update

I have been meaning to sit down and write a blog for a while, but life has gotten in the way. Or maybe just not knowing what to write about.  Probably a little bit of both.  Lots has been going on over here so I will try to give the highlights without boring you with the details, which we all know is not my strong suit.  In any event, let's see what I can do:

• Savannah's SAT test has been delivered to Mom & Dad's house and they will bring it with them to Thailand next week (NEXT WEEK!) and we will bring it back to India.  She will complete the test mid-April so we can send back for scoring.  Please help us pray for the 50% score she needs in order to graduate.
• We are both anxiously counting down to next Monday night, around 10 PM IST, when we board the flight heading to Bangkok & meet the parentals and Michael for a week of fun and relaxation.  My heart is happy with anticipation.
• I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position as a Customer Service Manager with Safmarine Container Lines, which is a sister company to Maersk Line, and within the Maersk Group.  I will be based in the Woodlands (Houston) office when my contract is up here in Chennai. I will transition between my current role with Maersk Line and begin working with the Safmarine team next month.  Praise God for answering prayers for a good position in Houston - doing everything I love - leading a team, working with customers, and being able to use my recently acquired knowledge of working in our Indian service centers!
• Our pastor's family has temporarily relocated to Canada, somewhat unexpectedly.  I told you about their sweet daughter, Prasansha, who passed in November.  They needed a break from India and some family time, so they booked flights home for Christmas to visit with Sheralyn's family in Florida, then Shawn's family in Canada.  Unfortunately, they were met with some obstacles with the local Foreign Registry office regarding their son's guardianship paperwork and had to postpone until they were granted an exit visa... which took several weeks and their attorney petitioning the High Court.  They made the tough decision to stay in Canad until they could get Leroy's citizenship, which could be several months.  Savannah is missing her weekends hanging out at their place, and we are missing their spiritual leadership, not to mention friendship.  Our church leaders have really stepped up and keep the services wonderful, but we all miss the Achesons, even so.  Please continue to pray for the family struggling with all the emotions of losing a daughter, sister, friend.  Savannah, too, while you're at it.  It's been tough on everyone.  We hope they will be able to come back before we leave in July but it seems unlikely at this time. 
• Savannah and I met up with our local RJ (radio jockey) friend, Paloma Rao, for a radio interview on the only English radio channel here, Chennai Live, 104.8.  We met at the new Coffee Day Square and enjoyed some delicious caffeine and good girl talk.  We talked about our experiences in Chennai, my Texas accent, what we will and won't miss come July, and she surprised us with a "rapid fire" round of questions/phrases, which I failed miserably.  We didn't get to hear the end result since we don't have a radio in the car or at home (seriously!), but Paloma said she will send the link to me soon.  I'll post here at some point or another.  We had a good time and it was another neat experience for our memory bank and Chennai-scrapbook.
• We sent a great friend-turned-sister to Savannah back to her Canadian family last week, separate from the Achesons.  Sandra came to Chennai after completing a study at the Impact School of Missions in Bangkok so she could serve in another church's ministry.  God has some slightly different plans, and He used Sandra with the Acheson family during the time they needed someone the most, and she made a great impact with our church. She was a blessing, a friend, a confidant, an organizer, a life-saver and so much more during her six month stay.  She is a godly young woman with a bright future in front of her.  I am so thankful she was here to build a strong friendship with Savannah and share her strength with the church family. 

So that's the latest and greatest here in Chennai.  I have been thinking about writing on the emotional aspects of this move back to the US, but I don't think I am quite ready to deal with all that yet.  Savannah and I are both having some mixed emotions as reality sets in deeper and deeper with every decision we make.  Oh, I forgot to mention we booked our flights home.  July 7, 2014, we will leave India as residents and return to the US.  That's been a big decision we've been grappling with, moving from excitement to sadness to fear to confusion and everything in between.  Anyway, more on that another time.  We send our love and thanks for your continued prayers, cheer leading, and support.  Below are a few pictures and I'll post more when we get back from our upcoming Thai holiday!  Sending thoughts for peace and the love of Christ to each of you!

Our FB post from Paloma's page

My future...

An AWESOME group of folks from the Word of Life, Chennai

Sandra, an honorary Grant girl