Missionary Life:  How God Cares about the Small Details

In December 2019, we began a six-month furlough.  For us, this means traveling from our small town in the Amazon of Ecuador by car or van for 8 hours to the city of Quito before we can get a flight to the US.  We found a terrific AirBNB in the city so we could do some shopping for presents for supporters for a couple of days and went out to get something to eat.  On the way, we found a store full of gift items made in China and decided to see what it contained.  As we were in a holiday mood and a little silly, we bought our 6-year-old a wig of long pink hair that we thought she could wear to surprise her grandma when we reached the US.

Our flight was successful, and we had a good Christmas season with my family in the US.  Our kindergartener started at a new school, where she would spend six months as the rest of us tried to find a new normal within the US culture and our Jr High boy and High School boy settled into a routine to finish their school semester at home.

As we were adjusting to the cold and remembering how to shop and live in the US, our kindergartener brought a notice that it was “Silly Hair Day” at school that week.  I sat on the floor of her room and melted into tears, thanking God for His goodness.  During our adjustment to the US, she had her pink hair to wear to school and be one of the silliest.  It was a reminder for me during that time that God cares about the small details of our lives. 

Matthew 10:29-31

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrow