To say that Thursday was a stressful day would be a monumental understatement. We have had our tickets in hand to Ethiopia for about a month now. When we bought them, we had no idea that two days before our expected departure date, there would be a hurricane with wind gusts up to 300 kilometers an hour barreling toward our homes and families. Consequently, on a day when I should have been focusing on preparing for the trip and spending time with my family, I was instead boarding up windows and making sure there was an evacuation plan for the members of my family not traveling with me. Also, there was concern that the airport we would be flying out of would be closed before we could fly out. I wasnt sure I would be coming home to a habitable house, and I was leaving my wife to take care of it.

That morning I went out for a walk and prayed. It was one of those desperate “God, please take care of all this” kind of prayers. After about 45 minutes, I had my answer. It was simply, “John, have I ever not taken care of your family?” The answer of course was no, and it left me feeling a little foolish for fretting so much about it. 

Fast forward two days. I am currently sitting on an Airbus A-380 over the Atlantic Ocean. The storm dramatically altered its path to one that was far more favorable, not just for us, but for a lot of people. My home is barely supposed to get any wind now. My family is no longer evacuating inland. The airport stayed open long enough for us to catch our flight, and now the only ones “evacuating” are myself and the rest of our team. Were on our way to Ethiopia to do the finishing work on a center for widows so they can take care of themselves and their children.

So it all comes to this, and forgive my paraphrasing as I’m writing from my Ipad. “Do not worry about what you will eat or what you will wear, for he dresses the flowers of the field, and not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed as one of these.” Also, “Who by worrying can add a single day to his life?”  Finally, “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

More soon as I expect amazing things.