“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Ps. 34:8).

In the crucibles of life, there are times when I do not know the direction the Lord wants us to go. When there is no clear way to proceed, we have to press forward and hope the waters part when we step into them.

This was our experience when we heard from the Australian government that all expatriates were to repatriate to their homelands so the local resources could be utilized for Australians. We dragged our feet on leaving because we didn’t see the Lord leading. But eventually, along with AFM leadership, we decided that we should depart. We prayed that God would bring good out of this choice.

The day we arrived in the States, Arnold’s mom had a stroke. We could not see her until her release from the hospital due to local quarantine restrictions. A few days after our arrival, with Arnold’s mom already at home doing physical therapy to combat long-term debilitation, my brother told me my dad was failing. He had been on palliative care for about four months.

We decided that Arnold would stay with his parents to help out during his mom’s rehabilitation, and I would go to be with my folks. It was difficult being apart, especially the day my dad died. However, I count it such a privilege that I got to take care of my first childhood hero in his last days.

All these things would not have been possible if we had stayed in Australia. What a joy it is to know and love such a personal God, to really taste and see that the Lord is good! Keep trusting in our soon-coming King Jesus!

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