In Patience
When I decided to leave behind my career to pursue a mission overseas, I knew it would not be smooth sailing. Ahead would be support raising, language learning, transitioning to a foreign culture, and unpredictable—or even a lack of—income. Little did I know, there’s much more to it.
My visa application for my originally intended mission field was rejected, I had to restart the discernment process for a new location, and then came the global pandemic. Sounds discouraging, doesn’t it? Thankfully, this was not the end of the story. Through each unexpected turn of events, I came to realize that my journey is not so much about where I am going, but who I am with.
Waiting is rarely easy, but what if waiting is an important part of the journey? What if we experience the Lord in a deeper way because we can do nothing but lean on Him? Our circumstances change, but Jesus’ promise to us remains unchanged. And that makes all the difference.
“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (ESV)
In Service
In a season of prolonged waiting, God can turn our disappointment into His appointment. One night I was asking the Lord how I could serve Him in the time leading to my departure for the mission field. He gradually allowed me to encounter the people He had in His heart for me.
Two were Kay and Jane*, twin sisters who had been physically disabled for many years due to injuries from long-term abuse. They longed for new friends and visitors. When we first met, Kay asked if I could hold her hand while we chatted. From that day, we met every week to catch up with each other, read Bible stories, and pray. We moved to phone calls when Toronto went into lockdown. Unfortunately, the pandemic took a toll on Kay and she opted for assisted suicide. Three months later, Jane also took her own life on Thanksgiving Day.
In the midst of the many sleepless nights, tears of lament, and prayers that occupied my thoughts following this loss, the Lord broke His silence and told me, "I love them enough to have died for them."
Yes, the depth of the suffering they experienced is beyond my comprehension, but the depth of the love of our Saviour is even greater. It was not a coincidence that we crossed paths—I met these sisters shortly after I found that my mission trip was delayed; and then, two days after Jane's funeral, I got an email with my departure date. In the midst of God’s mysterious working, His grace is sufficient.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
In Faith
During the same waiting season in 2019, I got into an accident that totaled my car. I had quit my job six months earlier, with no foreseeable departure for a mission field. Desperate to recover from the loss and find a new car, I started contemplating finding a job to pay for these expenses.
Though I did not share my struggle with anyone, a friend living abroad sent me a cash e-transfer along with a message: “Please accept it as I cannot ignore God’s voice. He told me to help you and when I asked how, I was given the verse in Acts 4:32.”
Shortly after that, another friend offered me a car that she was hoping to let go. She said finding a taker for this car was an answer to her prayer—and the car happened to be the same make and colour as the car I had destroyed. We both felt this accident did not happen by accident, but was a way for God to grow our faith and to bless us. Praise be to the Lord, for He is always faithful even when I’m not.
Who can turn my problems into praises? Only Jesus! (Top) scene of the accident: in the midst of the spinning car with deployed airbags, we were protected. (Bottom) Shortly after the crash, the Lord provided a replacement car through a friend which happened to be the exact color and model. His grace is enough!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)
In Peace
By God’s grace, I was sent to Japan in the middle of a worldwide pandemic in December 2020. Two weeks after my arrival, Japan closed its borders to the world again. I am certainly affirmed of His calling for such a time as this—that nothing is impossible in Christ, especially when difficulties strike.
During my period of waiting, the Lord reminded me of the story of Joseph in Genesis 39—to trust without fully understanding all that is happening. Thanks be to God, we can rest in peace, not because we understand what is happening, but because He is with us and is in perfect control.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Cindy
More Information
Read in more detail about Kay and Jane at https://simnow.sim.ca/stories/his-deep-love-transcends-unimaginable-hurts
