នឹកផ្ទះ (nuk phteah) = homesick
This is a Khmer phrase we learned last week and has become befitting for this phase in our lives.
For 2 days now Mackenzie has been mentioning that she wants to go back to her friends in Canada. It breaks my heart. Currently, she has friends at school but not the same type of close friendships she had with our neighbors and church friends in Canada. I think of how we chose to move her across the Pacific Ocean. This makes me realize we need to invest more time into helping our kids find good friends.
The online phone calls to Canada helps the kids with their homesickness. Mackenzie realizes there is still a connection to people back home. I try to comfort her, embrace her and say, “I miss Canada too”. I share with her a Bible verse from Isaiah that describes how Israel will be comforted by God as they miss their lives in the past.