Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
God’s timing is never wrong. It might not exactly line up with our personal plans; many times it may not even be close. But His timing is never wrong. Learning this fact and trusting in His timing is never an easy thing.
After returning from our 12 month stay in Honduras in April 2012, Lauren and I knew we wanted to return to the House of Hope full-time. Over the years, we put together a timeline. We would quit our jobs and move to Honduras in September, 2017. Lauren would graduate from nursing school and I would receive certain financial benefits at my job. The plan was perfect. Or so we thought. In June 2015, Dr. Tom Brian, founder and president of Send Hope, approached us and asked if we could move to Honduras immediately. The current director was needing to take some time off. I said, “No, that’s not MY timelines.” So he asked Lauren, who responded with a similar, “no, OUR plan is in 2 years.” Then we went home and prayed about it. We talked to our pastors and family. We discovered that our personal plan was not God’s plan. God had a plan for us, but it was up to follow Him. So we stepped on in faith following Him. We arrived in Honduras in September, 2017.
In July of last year (2016) Lauren and I received an email from a young man named Joe Randolph. He and his family have been supporters of Send Hope and the Hosacks in Honduras from the beginning. He was set to graduate from college in May of 2017 and get married the next month. He received a job offer and could either start in June 2017 or January 2018. Joe emailed us to say that he and his future wife wanted to delay his start date and spend 6 months volunteering at the House of Hope but wanted to be sure they would be useful and that there would be work for them. Our response was immediate, absolutely, we would love to have them. Little did any of us know how much they would be needed.
Lauren and I returned to visit Dallas in the fall of 2017. Shortly after Thanksgiving and only eight (8) days before we were to return to Honduras, Lauren told me she needed to talk to me privately. “I think I’m pregnant”. The thought was confirmed, and the next 8 days were filled with doctor visits, insurance confirmation, hiding pre-natal vitamins and pamphlets, then, finally, revealing the news to our families. While the timing was tight, it was just enough to get everything completed. God was in control.
At some point during that time, somebody asked us, “Who is going to cover for you at the House of Hope?”
Without second thought I replied, “Joe and Allison Randolph.”
Lauren and I looked at each other and nodded. That big, huge worry just faded away. We knew that this couple was more than capable of managing and loving the kids while we were gone. The only question was timing. Could Joe and Allison make it down before we had to leave? Could we show them how to run the House of Hope in just a short time? But who were we to doubt Him?
Lauren left the House of Hope on June 15, while 33 weeks pregnant. Joe and Allison were married the next day. The newlyweds left their families on their 6 day anniversary, arriving at the House of Hope on June 23. That left me just two weeks to show this young couple everything they need to know about managing a house of 36 kids and feeding program of 576. Would fourteen days be enough time? I left Honduras 3 days ago confident that Joe and Allison would not only handle, but thrive at the House of Hope.
God had a plan for us, the Randolphs, and the House of Hope all along. And He continues to have a plan for us. Futures are always unknown with a new baby, especially with the first. Our plan, and we feel God’s plan, is for us to return in September to resume our duties the House of Hope. Joe and Allison will still be here helping us to adjust to life with a newborn. From there, God will once again be in charge. I do not know how the future will unfold, but I know I have a loving, powerful God that already has the bricks laid.
We just have to follow Him.