An unexpected illness disrupted a carefully planned Sabbath, leading to a moment of trust and growth. When Lina stayed home with their son, Adam was challenged to preach without translation—discovering God’s provision, increased confidence, and the strength to step beyond his comfort zone in their new ministry setting.
“Mommy,” Luca* tugged at Lina*’s dress, “I’m going to vomit!”
“Let’s get to the bathroom right away,” Lina urged, glancing at the clock and feeling the wash of concern mixed with the pressure of a tight schedule.
Lina and her husband, Adam*, had carefully planned out the Sabbath morning agenda. They had recently transitioned to a new town, closer to the country that would be their final destination in order to immerse themselves in the local language and prepare for the ministry God has called them to. This Sabbath would be Adam’s first time preaching in the church, and he was relying on Lina to translate into the common language of English shared by the group.
After emptying his stomach contents into the basin, Luca felt better, and it looked as though the plan would go unhindered. But then, as the family walked from the front door to the car outside, Luca once again tugged at Lina and repeated the words, “I’m going to vomit!”
Lina looked at her husband and at Luca, and they both knew that she would not be able to go with him to church.
“You will do fine,” Lina assured her husband. “You’ve been studying English and the local language–you know more than you think you do.”
What else could Adam do? A feeling of stress beckoned, but once in the pulpit, Adam made the big discovery that he was, indeed, more prepared than he thought. Relying on both languages, he was able to communicate effectively with those gathered.
By the time Adam returned home, Luca was back to his energetic self, much to everyone’s relief, and Adam and Lina praised God together for the change of plans that had pushed Adam out of his comfort zone and pushed him towards his goals of communicating in the local language.
*Not their real names