It was three o’clock in the afternoon by the time she finished everything. Dr. Patterson insisted that he and Mrs. Patterson drive her to the airport. When they arrived, Dr. Patterson helped her with her luggage.
She checked in, thanked the Pattersons again for their hospitality and told them goodbye. Cate spent her last few minutes in Ecuador thanking God for the opportunity of serving Him there, and asking Him to prepare her and strengthen her for whatever was ahead. She asked that He take special care of David and Sarah, and confessed that leaving them was probably the most difficult part of leaving Ecuador.
*****
She didn’t arrive in Kansas City until two o’clock in the morning. After she had passed through customs, she found her parents waiting patiently for her. She tearfully grabbed them and hugged them tightly.
“How are you doing Catie?” her dad asked.
“I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” her mom asked.
“I’m sure. Let’s get my luggage and I’ll explain on the way home,” Cate answered with a calmness that surprised her parents. “Dad, Mom I want to try to explain why I came home.”
Her parents listened with rapt attention.
“First, you need to know that coming home was my choice, or rather God’s. Dr. Kennedy gave me the opportunity to stay, but I felt God leading me to resign and come home. Yet, I don’t know why; I’m totally bewildered.”
“Cate, you’re sure about this?”
“Yes, mom I am.”
“Well, Catie. If you are sure of His leading, He will bless your obedience,” her dad said.
“But, Dad, I don’t understand.”
“Understanding is not essential, obedience is. If you’ll leave it in God’s hands and continue to obey, He’ll reveal the next step.”
“Okay, Dad, but this walking by faith and not by sight thing is hard.”
“I know Catie, but it’s the only way to please God.”
Her mother, who had been listening thoughtfully, decided to add her testimony. “Cate, I know living by faith is difficult, and sometimes God calls us to go through hard things so our faith in Him can be perfected. I can tell you by experience that walking with Him can bring great joy as we realize how faithful and trustworthy He is.”
Cate spent the following weeks trying to be open to God and to discern his leading. During this time, God’s presence was very real, and His fellowship was sweet as she quietly meditated upon His Word and prayed. She sensed that He was saying, “Trust Me. Depend on Me,” and she was determined to do that.
As the weeks passed, her parents were a constant source of encouragement. They prayed with her, counseled her, and loved her. They were, as they had always been, examples of practical Christianity.
Two and a half months had passed when her mother called her to the phone. When she answered the phone, she heard Matthew’s voice on the other end.
“Hello Cate, how are you?”
“I’m doing well.”
“Really? I’m glad. I’ve got news that may help you do even better.”
Cate held her breath, “What news?”
“Miss Janet has decided to retire. Her last day at the mission school is Friday.”
“Why did she do that?”
“I’m not sure, but perhaps it’s a guilty conscience over how she treated you.”
“Matthew, I’m not sure how you expect me to react to that, but I wish Miss Janet no ill will.”
“I didn’t think you did, but I did hope, as does everyone else, that the news would cause you to consider returning here to teach.”
There was silence on Cate’s end. Afraid of what the silence meant, Matthew tried again.
“Cate, won’t you please consider returning to Ecuador?”
“Matthew, I don’t know. I’ll pray about it.”
Matthew tried another approach. “Cate, my dad asked me to tell you that he really wishes you would come back.”
“I’ll pray about it, but I can’t promise anything.”
Matthew chuckled, “I’ll just have to leave it in the Lord’s hands.”
“By the way, how is everyone?”
“Everyone misses you.”
“I miss everyone too,” she heard Kim in the background.
“Matthew, let me talk to her.”
Kim came on the line, “Cate please come back. It’s not the same without you.”
“Kim, it’s nice to hear your voice.”
“Yours too, and I am serious about what I said. You’d make a little girl and a big boy very happy if you’d come back.”
“I know, I miss Sarah and Matthew too.”
“I don’t mean Matthew. I mean David.” Kim’s implication could not be missed.
“David...”
“Yes, David. He loves you, Cate.”
Cate held her breath, “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s true, I made him admit it.”
“What?” Cate couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Since you’ve been gone, he’s been moping around as if he’s lost his best friend. Suspecting you were the source of his sadness, I shared my suspicions with Matthew, and he agreed with me. When we confronted David he tried to change the subject. I decided to ask him point blank if he loved you. When I did, he admitted it.”
“Kim, I’m sorry. I know you’re in love with him. I-I never meant-”
“Yeah, about that… I thought I loved him, but I suspected all along that he didn’t love me. Now, I realize that I never really was in love with him. Rather, I was in love with the thought of being in love. David and I were over before you left.”
“Really…”
“Yep, we broke up before the whole thing with Miss Janet began. I’m sorry I never told you about it, but at the time, I was really mad at him and jealous of you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay now. I’ve found someone that I might have a chance with.”
“That’s great. Who?”
“That would be me,” Matthew said, as he and Kim shared the phone.
“Matthew,” Cate’s voice reflected her surprise, “that’s great.”
“We might have found each other sooner had we not been detoured by you and David,” Matthew joked.
“Sorry,” Cate wondered if he really was joking.
“That’s enough about us. Let’s get back to David and you,” Kim interrupted.
“Cate, are you in love with David?”
“Like you have to ask,” Matthew said.
“Ssssh!” Kim scolded. “Cate are you?”
Hesitating a moment, Cate answered, “Yes, I am.”
“So come back, and do something about it,” Kim said.
“I can’t. The fact that we love each other doesn’t change the fact that we can’t be together.”
“It’s the divorce thing again. Isn’t it?” Matthew asked.
“Yep.”
“But, you two should be together,” Kim said.
“We can’t be. He’s an IMB missionary. If he marries me, he loses his ministry, and I know him well enough to know that he’d never do that. And I wouldn’t want him to.”
“No, Cate you’re wrong.” Matthew’s voice had the same warm, counseling tone of his father. “He wouldn’t lose his ministry. He’d lose his financial backing, not his ministry.”
“To him that’s the same thing. He’s convinced, as I am, that God led him to serve as a church planter in Ecuador. He can’t do that without financial backing; no money, no mission. He needs the IMB.”
“No, he needs financial backing. What if another agency was willing to back him?”
“Yeah, another agency could back him,” Kim said, picking up Matthew’s cue.
Cate’s eyes widened, “You’re talking about your agency. Aren’t you Matthew?”
“Sure, I am. My agency could back him and that would solve the dilemma so he could marry you.”
“I’m not sure that he’ll go for it.” A
multitude of thoughts swirled through Cate’s head, “I don’t know that what you’re proposing is God’s will for him, or me.”
“Neither do I, but I’m going to make the offer to David, and we’ll all pray and leave it in God’s hands.”
Ecstatic about the possibilities, Kim said, “That’s a great idea Matthew. We’ll pray and leave it in God’s hands. Right, Cate?”
Once again, Cate was silent. She was being asked a pivotal question that could change her life, What do I say?
“Come on Cate. Are we all agreed?” Matthew asked.
After breathing a very heavy sigh, Cate finally answered, “Agreed.”
As she hung up, Cate could hardly wrap her head around what had happened. Could it be that David loved her after all? After all this time, was God working out a way for them to be together? Did it all happen in Ecuador to pave the way for this? She might be on the verge of having what she never thought she could. Only prayer and time would tell. She savored the possibilities for a few minutes before she shared the conversation with her parents. Her parents looked at each other in amazement and smiled.
“Cate, that’s wonderful,” her mother said.
“Maybe, Mom. I don’t know yet. I’m not sure what God is doing.”
“Just continue to be open and submissive to His leading,” her dad said. “And, he’ll make it all clear in time.”
“I know, Dad.”
They joined hands in prayer, praying that God would provide unmistakable guidance. Cate felt grateful and humbled by the experience and was confident that God would answer their prayers.
During the weeks that followed, she spent more time in prayer, meditation and fasting in order to discern God’s will. God’s answer to her request for guidance was continually the same. He brought three verses of Scripture to her mind. One He had given her in Ecuador, Psalm 57:2 and two new ones, Psalm 37:7 and Psalm 91:1-2. Reading them in the Amplified Bible, Cate fed on what they said, “I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me—Who brings to pass [His purposes] for me and surely completes them! Be still rest in the Lord; wait for Him, patiently stay yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God: on Him I will lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust.”
She shared with her parents what God was saying to her heart. They continually prayed for her and with her, and encouraged her to submit herself and the situation with David completely in His hands, and to trust what He was saying to her heart. She humbly and patiently heeded their advice.
More weeks passed and God’s guidance remained the same. He constantly asked her to trust Him and she submissively clung to the verses in the Psalms.
Three months had passed since Matthew’s call, and she’d heard nothing from him, Kim or David. She believed David had been praying and seeking God’s leadership as well, yet since so much time had passed, she concluded that God had not led David to accept Matthew’s offer.
“God please help me. If you have said no to David and me, I want to submit to Your will. I don’t understand why you brought me home, or what you’re doing right now, but I know that You love me and You’re wise and good in all that You do. I admit that my heart is broken, but I know You can mend broken hearts. Please help me. I want Your will to be done and not mine.”
Things happened quickly after that prayer. One bright sunny morning Dr. Jones answered a knock at the front door, smiled, quietly greeted the visitors and said loudly, “Cate it’s for you.”
Rounding the corner from the den, Cate suddenly stopped as she realized that David and Sarah were standing before her. Her mouth flew open, her face lit up with surprise and happiness, as tears of joy filled her eyes.
“Hi Cate,” David said, with a smile.
“Hi!”
“Ask her Daddy. Ask her,” Sarah ran from her daddy’s side toward Cate, who immediately scooped her up into her arms.
“Ask me what?”
David took a deep breath and moved toward Cate and Sarah. For the first time in seven years, his eyes revealed exactly what was in his heart as he looked deeply into Cate’s eyes. She saw it plainly and melted at its presence. He took Sarah from her arms and put her down, took Cate by the hand, and said the words that she never thought he would.
“Cate... Will you marry me and be Sarah’s mother?”
“Yes, yes I will.” She fell into his arms, sharing the kiss she’d always dreamed of.
“Hooray,” Sarah clapped her hands with joy.
As David hugged her and Sarah clung to her leg, Cate lifted her teary eyes heavenward. Thank you Lord, for my husband and child, and for my calling.
END
About the Author
Deborah A. Hodge was born in Camden, Tennessee and attended college and graduate school at Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, earning a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Arts in Education. She completed thirty-three hours at Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Georgia.
Presently, Deborah is a teacher at Bolivar Central High School. She teaches United States history and Theater Arts. She is the chairperson of the Social Studies Department at Bolivar Central and an adjunct instructor in history for the University of Tennessee at Martin.
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The Calling Page 22