Synopsis/Details
My mother wanted to be a missionary. She went to Bible school with a heart full of vision, but marriage came first, then children—six of us—and her calling was quietly packed away. I was number four. And though I never heard her say it out loud, I believe she whispered a prayer over each of us as we entered the world: Maybe this one will carry the torch I had to set down. None of us did—not at first. I tried Bible college, dropped out, chased dreams, chased love, ran from disappointment, started businesses, failed at marriage more than once. But God has a way of taking the long road. And years later, in the wake of a Philippine typhoon, with no plan but to help, I found myself building a boat. And somewhere between the storm and the sea, the calling found me. Not hers anymore—mine
