After much prayer and diligent searching, we were about to begin our journey as missionaries to a new destination. Our plan would be to replace the Timmins family, who had done a beautiful job in the Phnom villages of Mondul Kiri in Cambodia.

My wife and I had already begun to imagine what the place would look like and what work we would do. What we didn’t expect was for our departure to take so long. We knew that God was bigger than COVID-19, but weeks passed, and every time we tried to buy a ticket, some inconvenience arose.

It’s not the first time we have had such inconveniences. There is a phrase that many friends and family repeated to us, and we were able to learn it over time: “God’s timing is perfect.” But as time went on, our treacherous hearts wondered if God really wanted us to go to this project.

We were trying to find human answers to understand why it was so hard to travel. We were in my wife’s country, and we really enjoyed being with her family, but we had a desire to be on the project as soon as possible.

It was the third attempt, and they canceled our flight again. We decided, again, to place all our trust in God. We prayed to God and asked Him to give us peace. He owns the time.

Two days later, from the AFM office, we received the news that they had booked a new flight within two more weeks. Although we wanted to travel earlier, we had decided to wait on the Lord.

A day later, we got a chilling call: My wife’s grandfather was having a heart attack. We went as fast as we could to his house. Although my wife is a nurse, we couldn’t do anything when we arrived. “Grandpa” had already passed away. It was very hard for us. It’s also the first time my wife’s mom’s family has suffered the loss of such a close relative. He had actively participated in the church for many years and was a man dedicated to having his family given to God before anything else. That week was very hard, but our family remained very close, and we are looking forward to seeing “Grandpa” soon, at the Second Coming of Our God.

Although it was a very sad week for us, we then understood why the trip took so long to schedule. We were able to spend those moments together as a family. It would have been much worse to spend that week away from home. We praised God for such tender love towards us, considering our family while we were considering His mission. God was directing everything.

Today, we write these words from the mission field after learning two things. First, the death of “Grandpa” was not a coincidence; God was in control of his life until the last. Second, we are here at the right time — God’s time.

God is in control of the lives of his children. Even when it seems that the problems of life disorganize God’s plans, He always holds the thread of our history.

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