We were about to drop everything, pack up and go home. Yes, we had a strong conviction that God was calling us here. Yes, we felt welcomed by our colleagues. Yes, the locals were eager to hear about Jesus and we had established strong connections.

But we were not going to sacrifice our children. The transition had been tough, especially for Nico, our eldest. He struggled to make friends. We introduced him to many other kids, but they simply had no common interests. We saw our exuberant little boy wither and become an angry child we had never seen before. Ministry was going well. At home, things were falling apart.

And then our daughter confided she saw him hurt himself. The agonies of his birth came rushing back. It was as if he had cut me himself. I wanted to be the safe, warm place I used to be for him! But at 12 years old, Nico didn't want hugs from his mom, especially after feeling betrayed. Had I done something irreparable? When he came back from school, he fled to his room, denying everything.

We were completely out of our depths and knew we had to leave. Still, I called Susan, the Third-Culture Kid point person at SIM. In a matter of minutes, she had us in touch with a specialist. Later that night, a family that went through a similar situation called us. Others would reach out in the next few days and hundreds of people began praying for our family. A whole system was in place and ready to support us when we needed it most. We always believed missionary care mattered. Now we knew what it meant.

We sat down with Nico that night and told him that his well-being was more important than our ministry. We would take three weeks to close everything and then we would return home. Something shifted that night. Nico agreed to see the psychologist. Later on, he developed a friendship with the daughter of one of the families that had reached out. Nico's natural warmth was growing back.

For three years, we rebuilt our routines, reconnected with family and friends in Canada. Throughout that time, SIM's care continued, even though we were no longer in ministry. Slowly, Jesus was healing Nico and our family. Then one day, Nico told us that he was ready to go back. He wanted to give back.

Experiencing this level of care was instrumental in allowing us to return to the mission field. What seemed like the end of our ministry became only a pause. When we returned, we were able to serve for fifteen more years, building relationships, sharing the hope of Jesus and serving alongside our children as they grew. Looking back, we don't see those years as time away from ministry. We see them as part of what God was doing to make staying for the long term possible. Through the care we received, Jesus gave us the time and strength to see our ministry bear fruit. We can only give thanks.