Ten Words

“I have some good news for you,” he said.

I looked expectantly up at John Baxter as he stood at my office door.

“You’re not going to the Michigan camp meeting this weekend,” he informed me.

There were all kinds of things I could have expected him to say. Those 10 words were not on the list.

For weeks, my husband and I had been planning to attend the Michigan camp meeting on the beautiful campus of Great Lakes Adventist Academy. Yes, it was a recruitment trip for AFM, but these kinds of trips are always rather pleasant, with enjoyable conversations at the AFM booth being well-mixed with good fellowship and excellent sermons. Michael had been asked to share mission stories at the Junior tent. We had made arrangements to stay with friends.

We were looking forward to this.

I soon found out what caused the change in plans—that week, the General Conference session was being held in St. Louis, Missouri. For some time, we had been hoping for an opportunity to meet with the delegates from the Japanese Union while they were in the United States. John had just received word that a meeting time had been set up for us on Friday, which meant we needed to travel to Missouri on Thursday afternoon. There was just one problem. It was Wednesday.

It is said that the most important rule for a missionary is flexibility. Michael and I have not launched as missionaries yet, but we have certainly found this true. While it was not the weekend we were expecting to have, our time at the General Conference session was a true blessing. Our meeting with the delegates was a success, and we were blessed to connect with friends at the GC that we do not often get to see. Praise God for His plans, which are always better than our own!