by Seneca Moraleda-Puguan
At the beginning of 2024, we moved to Switzerland with the hope that it would be our home for more than just a few years.
We brought everything with us, fully settled, and didn’t make any backup plans- we thought the coming years were all mapped out.
But life had other plans.
Before the year even ended, we were hit with unexpected news: the U.S. agency funding my husband’s project would cut support prematurely.
That meant his work would come to an end. When we found out his contract wouldn’t be renewed, it felt like our world came crashing down.
Still, instead of giving in to fear, we clung to hope through prayer.
By God’s favor, my husband was granted an extension until July this year, giving us time to prepare: time for our children to finish the school year, and time to savor the beauty of Switzerland just a little longer.
Every day has felt like a tug-of-war, caught between believing in a miracle to stay and surrendering to God’s will.
What made it even more painful was hearing our children ask why we had to leave when they loved their school, their friends, and this life so much.
Just as we were finally settling in and integrating, we were being uprooted.
The grief was real and deep. We had fallen in love with the country, our neighborhood, the pace of life, and the meaningful relationships we built.
There were tears, many of them. But through it all, we held on to the truth that God is sovereign. His plans are good, even when we don’t understand them.
Now, the door to Switzerland has closed. No new doors have opened yet. So, for now, we return to our home country – the Philippines.
From there, we will wait on the Lord for our next direction.
This has been a painful season. It still is. We are grieving the loss of something truly good. But we are also filled with gratitude.
Not everyone gets the chance to enter Switzerland, let alone live there. And we were given that privilege, even if only for a short time.
Along the way, we’ve experienced God’s provision, protection, and favor.
We have tasted and seen His goodness in this land. So though it hurts to leave, we do so without complaint. It has truly been a wonderful season.
This experience, while not as devastating as what many others endure, has given us a deeper compassion for families who are displaced, deported, or forced to leave countries they once considered safe havens.
We are incredibly blessed that, even as we leave Switzerland, we have a home waiting for us. Not everyone has that.
Though our situation is nothing compared to the hardship of those seeking refuge or asylum in nations that are politically stable and economically sound, our hearts have been stirred to remember and pray for them.
We still hope for an opportunity to return to Europe one day, perhaps even back to Switzerland, which has been an amazing home for our family this past year and a half.
But it’s time for us to go home, for now.
And we continue to pray: may every family around the world find a place they can truly call home, a place where they are free, accepted, welcomed, and loved.
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