Since early childhood, a Christian young woman had dreamed of ministering in India. She loved the country, she loved the people, and she had a burning desire to go and share her faith in Christ Jesus with them as a missionary.
She worked and studied, preparing for ministry in India. After a lengthy time of preparation, the Mission Board of her church accepted her application as a missionary, and she was on her way. She packed up all her worldly belongings and she was officially sent to India as a missionary. Her lifelong dream was finally being fulfilled.
Shortly after arriving in India, though, she received word that her sister and brother-in-law were killed in an accident. That would have been tragedy enough. With her recent move it was unlikely that she would even be able to attend the funerals. To compound the misfortune, she was asked to come back home and care for their three orphaned children.
What a dilemma! She had just begun to see the fulfillment of her goal as a missionary in India. After all the work and study and preparation, how could she just give it all up? Yet she knew in her heart it was the right thing to do. So, leaving the land that she loved so dearly, she once again packed her belongings and returned home to become mother to three grieving youngsters.
And mother she became. She loved those kids as though they were her own. In big and small ways she consistently demonstrated her care for them. As a result, they began to reciprocate and love her back. Moreover, because of her undeniable love for the Savior, they too began to love Him. And because of her obvious passion for India and its people, the three of them also developed a passion for her beloved India.
Here’s the amazing twist. All three of those children married as adults, and had children of their own. And each of them served as a missionary to India.
There is no way the woman could have envisioned such a scenario when she packed up her possessions that second time to head home. It must have seemed like her world was crumbling. It certainly could have appeared as though God had abandoned her, but He hadn’t. He was at work behind the scenes in His own mysterious way.
To Make You Think 