By Cathy Yinger
CCSB missionary to Chile
LA SERENA, CHILE—“Where He leads me, I will follow….” The words of this old hymn have been in my mind often during the last few weeks as our family has been preparing to return to Canada after 14 years of international missionary service in Chile.
There was no doubt in Ken’s or my mind back in 1993 that God was clearly leading us to plant our lives in this beautiful South American country. I remember the words on a refrigerator magnet that my mother had slipped me not long before our appointment service: “There is no place that the will of God can lead you that the grace of God cannot sustain you.”
These have been fourteen years of struggling to master the Spanish language and then seeing people come to Christ after sharing the good news in their heart language. We raised our Shannon and Joel in a culture with very different values than our own and saw them choose the best of both to become the amazing third-culture people that they are.
There have been days of loneliness and frustration but also with moments of joy as we saw people take the step of surrendering all to Jesus. We’ve gone through terrifying long minutes of earthquakes, several robberies, and learning to be patient while standing in yet another line to get yet another stamp on a document that somebody requires. But there also have been surprise birthday parties and many other ways that our Chilean friends have shown us how much they love and appreciate us; how glad they are that God led us to them. And, we feel the same about them.
It is impossible to put into words all we are feeling right now, with our departure date looming. We don’t know all the reasons why God has told us that it is time to return to Canada, but we feel a deep peace that we are once again following His leading.
We arrive in Toronto on January 29 with just our suitcases and a small air shipment of our most sentimental possessions. Pray for us as we look for a car, a place to live and basic furnishings. Pray for me as I begin my job at the Robarts School for the Deaf in London, Ontario, on February 4. Pray for Ken as he seeks God’s perfect will for him in terms of employment. Pray for Joel as he looks for a job and waits to receive university acceptance letters, that God will be very real in his life. Pray for Shannon as she continues in her second-year studies at university and grows deep in her walk with Him. Pray for those we leave behind, that they will be faithful ambassadors for Christ.
Thank you, Canadian Southern Baptists, for fourteen years of prayers, financial support and being a part of God’s mission with us in Chile. It has been an honour to represent you in this lovely land.