Trusting God When Plans Change

Traveling to Chile

I was excited about going to Chile, the country where I was born and lived the first eight years of my life.

My last visit was after the massive earthquake in 2010. My focus then was providing psychological first aid in a town that had literally crumbled. There, 90% of the adobe houses had collapsed and the local church had enormous cracks in it. While it was a sad reason to be there, I was glad to offer what help I could.

This time, I got to go to Chile with my husband, Dean, and introduce him to places that held memories and people who had known our family many years ago. The first stop was Viña del Mar, but I was disappointed to find out that friends who lived there would be out of the country. Nevertheless, I reached out to someone I’d connected with online years earlier, who lived nearby and was very graciously welcoming.

When she and her children kindly picked us up, she asked about the work we do. After hearing about the ways we’ve facilitated healing and equipping for pastors and leaders around the world, she shared about the recent crises that had occurred in the churches of her denomination. She exclaimed, “God brought you here for a reason!” Before booking our plane tickets down south, we facilitated an initial session with some of the pastors who had been impacted, and discussed coming back to do our workshop before leaving the country.

Heading to My Hometown

In Punta Arenas, where I was born, Dean got to meet my godparents, see our church, and even visit what used to be our house (now the offices of a non-profit organization). We heard stories from people whose lives had been impacted by my parents and experienced the welcoming love of the community.

We also took the opportunity/challenge to hike “the W” in Torres del Paine, five days of exploring mountains, glaciers, lakes, and a variety of ecosystems. Through rain and sun, wind and heat, and a variety of ascents and descents, we marveled at the beauty of God’s creation. Being “off the grid” allowed us to get away from the suffering of this world that we encounter so often in our work.

Suffering Strikes

During our absence, another disaster took place in the very region we had visited earlier. Wildfires had spread to parts of Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, and Quilpue. With the unusually hot temperatures and high winds, fires (likely started by arson) quickly destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 131 people. It was described as the worst disaster since the 2010 earthquake.

The need for our work had both shifted and expanded. Now local leaders had more responsibilities to help those who had experienced loss, whether loved ones, pets, or property. While this produced a greater awareness of the need for disaster response training, it also made a five-day intense workshop less feasible. Churches prioritized caring for those directly related to their own community, as well as broader distributions of donations.

Changing Plans

During the ten days we had planned to be there we met with various people and provided a shortened two-and-a-half-day retreat for some of the pastors and church members, but there was not enough time to set up additional trainings and outreaches. We prayed about staying longer, and after feedback from attendees and conversation with the highest-ranking leader, two days before our scheduled departure we added an additional month to our trip.

That month we had opportunities to play multiple roles. The pastors in the four cities impacted by the church crises gathered for a morning of breakfast and dialog. We facilitated their processing of the various emotional responses, discussion of current needs, and looking forward with a common hope for greater unity and mutual support.

Outreach Opportunities

We had occasions to interact directly with those who had experienced trauma and loss. Dean helped with the reconstruction of the property of a woman who had lost her house and whose husband was in the hospital. For International Women’s Day, I went with other women in the church to offer cookies and chocolates to the daughters, mothers, and grandmothers staying in tents on top of charred property or partially damaged houses. They shared their stories and current predicaments. For some, initial wariness turned to smiles, as they felt glad to be recognized. Others were teary-eyed, as emotions rose to the surface.

A local café and church partnered to sponsor a dinner for survivors, where we took time to explain the reactions to disasters, loss, and trauma, validating their own emotional, physical, mental, and societal responses. Practical steps for self-care and care for children were included. Just as valuable as our words was the love they felt being served a full dinner after weeks of living with donations and limited cooking capacity.

Training on Trauma and Building Connections

We also had the opportunity to provide seminars on disaster response, psychological first aid, and the importance of self-care to prevent the burn-out often experienced by professional and lay caregivers. Attending church events with different denominations allowed us to build more relationships and introduce the trauma healing workshop at a time where awareness of the need was very evident.

While there was no room to plan and implement The Tree of Life on this visit, there was much interest expressed about doing it down the road. We were encouraged by the openness of multiple churches, and the partnership attitude evident across denominations. Not only did God’s timing give us an opportunity to help address the immediate needs, it also allowed us to set a foundation for future ministry among multiple groups.

Living with Expectancy and Flexibility

I am constantly amazed at how much bigger God’s plans are compared to my own. Six months ago I was expecting to spend much of the spring in the Middle East, but the instability that came with the conflict in Gaza and Israel made it impossible for our partners there to continue with those plans. As a result, we were left with both uncertainty and flexibility.

In such a position it is very easy to slip into discouragement or doubt. But many times I’ve witnessed God use the unravelling of my plans to integrate our work into the broader tapestry that is beyond our limited perception. The cancellation of what seemed like a great opportunity in the Middle East gave us the flexibility to do something in Chile that we could not have planned, having no knowledge of the disaster yet to come.

Finding Faith

Maybe you have also faced the disappointment of your expectations and hopes not happening. Perhaps it looked like God failed to answer your prayers and let you down. In these moments we are given the opportunity to step out in faith, trusting God’s will to far exceed our own intentions. Sometimes His plan includes a season of our own growth in faith and trust, or even time for rest and reevaluation of our priorities.

In most cases it is only in retrospect that we see how God transformed or redeemed what felt painful or confusing at the time. But even in the middle of the storms of life we are invited to embrace the promise of God’s presence, faithfulness, sovereignty, and compassion. It is during the trials of life that our faith in Him grows as we learn to trust His will and choose to give thanks for what we cannot yet see.

Let the peace of God that surpasses our understanding rule our hearts and minds.