I often wondered why God led me to this place in Asia, working in a hospital. I felt the Lord saying to me, “You may not understand now, but someday I will show you.”
A few weeks ago, while preparing a presentation the hospital had requested, I suddenly remembered that my maternal grandfather had lived in this country as an independent activist. I decided to look him up online and as I reread his story, a place name I had never noticed before stood out to me. I clicked on it and froze. My grandfather, whom I had never met because he passed away right after my mother was born, came to this province in his twenties. In this unfamiliar place he lived as a doctor with a deep longing for freedom and independence for our homeland. Now 107 years later his granddaughter is living in the same city, working as a therapist, yet longing for the same freedom he was praying for.
I visited the places where my grandparents likely lived and worked. The sky, air, wind, sunlight, and old buildings they would have seen 107 years ago now feel precious and familiar. I also thought of the local people who welcomed immigrants at that time, including my grandparents. I am grateful that God has given me the chance to live here as a good neighbour, repaying a small part of the kindness their descendants once showed. What is clearer than ever is that my being here is not human planning but God’s. Because of that I look forward to this journey with even more hope and excitement.
From a worker in Asia