The main reason we had  came to Germany was to reregister our car and then try to reenter our Middle Eastern country, not knowing whether we’d be allowed in or not. Having lost our residence permit in our country of work, we also lost the privilege of having a car registered there. However, here in Germany we were hampered initially by two holidays in the first week, then by three big blunders made by the repair shop. This forced us to put off our return date by a week—but the Lord had reasons for the delay, and these reasons unfolded one at a time.

The delay meant we had time to visit Barbara’s Bible school where we had three important interactions. One with a future worker, the second with the director of the Bible school who is very interested in our work, and the third with an organization that is collecting gifts for us—and they had just enough money to cover the repairs of our car! It also gave us more time with Barbara’s parents and the ability to help them. Plus, we were able to make more preparations that otherwise would have been impossible.

Looking back, it is easy to see God’s hand and praise Him for what He has done; I pray that in the future when such challenges come I will remember His provision and praise Him ahead of time in belief, giving Him more glory. As God says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me….” for that is an exercise of faith.

Prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for the opportunities to trust you before we see things work out. Help me to be a person of praise first and sight second. Amen.”