When God called us to Eswatini as full time missionaries, he did not tell us 6 years into the ministry, we would be evacuated due to an extremely dangerous virus. He did not tell us we would be separated from our family and would have to rely solely on Him for a way back home since borders are closed all around us. It is not a great feeling to know you cannot get out of a country if you want to.
It makes us think, what if we had known? What if before we committed to move our family across the world, God said there is going to be a worldwide pandemic?
Would we have worried about it until it happened? Would it have distracted us from the very reason we were here in the first place? Would we have lived the entire time in fear and self-isolation for the “what if”?
We know this is a bit dramatic! At this point, we have 10 confirmed cases and are under a partial lockdown. We have what we need and are taking the option given by the embassy to depart Eswatini until borders reopen.
The point is there are examples when it is better that we don’t know. How many times have we missed what God wanted us to do, because we were overly concerned about something else? It challenges us to want to live every moment intentionally and to look for ways to share Jesus with others. Clearly, God knows us and knows we cannot handle the future. Instead, He chooses to give us what we need for that moment in time. And sometimes it really is moment by moment. As we find ourselves anticipating our evacuation flight, God has given us peace with this decision. We are thankful God is providing a way back to our kids and other family members. Many of our American friends and co-workers are choosing to stay. Many of them now have family members that are not U.S. citizens, so leaving them behind is not an option.
We are scheduled to fly from Eswatini on Friday, April 10th and will fly into Washington D.C. From there, the embassy instructs that we are responsible to get to our final destination in Alabaster. God has already gone before us and we are planning to self-quarantine in the house across the street from Greg’s mom that just happens to be empty! We are believing that God’s timing is perfect and He will guide our paths. Just think, we booked Delta flights almost a year ago to fly on April 15th and God totally changed those plans. However, He is still providing a way back within five days of the original flight. We see this as such a display of His power! We are unsure how long we will be in the states or when borders will reopen in South Africa.
If you find yourself in an unplanned situation, we want to encourage you to watch and actively expect God to take control of the situation. Even though many of us do not know what is next, our prayer is His Holy Spirit will remind us He gives us what we need for the moment.
Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
Here are some ways you can partner with us in prayer:
Thank you to all of you who are on this journey with us whether financial and/or prayer supporters. We are so thankful for your generosity and loyalty during this uncertain time.
Greg and Michelle
