The Preacher's Son - Juliette Duncan Page 0,38

been tiptoeing around it.” He turned and faced me. “But I know this isn’t just about me. It’s about the whole family. And we have a plan. It’s a good plan.”

I took his hand and met his gaze. “It’s a very good plan, but is it the right plan for us?”

“Go on,” he urged as I paused.

My words came out in a rush. “It’s just...before Brazil I didn’t realise how much I was running on fear. Especially around the idea of you going into ministry. I suppose I saw it as a threat to our ordered, peaceful life. It was selfish of me, really. Brazil cracked all of that open for me. Not only did it help me realise that I can’t hold you back, but it revealed my calling to me too. I love my job, but I want to be where I can best serve people who are truly in need. For so long I’ve been worrying that our callings would be incompatible and scared about what that would mean for us, but Brazil has shown me that God knew best all along. We can do it together. I said all this in my testimony but then went right back to trying to do it all my way again. We have to live by faith if it’s to mean anything at all. Just like you did that day when you walked out of Bible College and came back to me.”

Hayden’s face twisted. I saw the naked hope in his eyes and I knew, there and then, what we had to do.

“So you’re saying...?” he asked tentatively as though he couldn’t quite believe it.

I nodded. “I’m saying, forget our plan. It’s God’s plan that matters. Let’s go as soon as we can, and not just for a trip. For the foreseeable future. David said it was an option. They would love to have us, and we can train with them.”

“The kids?”

It struck me funny that it was now Hayden with the practical objections when that was typically my role. “I think they just gave us their answer, don’t you?”

“The house?”

“We can rent it out for now.”

When Hayden grinned it was like the sun had come out. Pure joy radiated from him. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”

I squeezed his hand and smiled. “Yes. We’re doing it together.”

He pulled me close, and as the sun went down, we thanked God for His revelation and then we shared a kiss. A passionate kiss that confirmed that we were indeed one, together in this journey. A wave of peace and contentment filled my entire being.

Epilogue

Penny – Three months later

Grinning from ear to ear, I walked slowly towards Hayden, while Elijah and Rosie followed, hand-in-hand. Rosie was holding a basket of flowers in her other hand. My mother smiled and blew me a kiss as I passed her, and Hayden’s parents, particularly his father, looked as proud as could be.

When I reached Hayden’s side, he took my hand and smiled. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

I mouthed a thank you as the pastor began a short introduction. I was glad Hayden liked the dress. It was my original wedding gown but altered to be simpler and more streamlined. It had matured, just like our relationship and our lives.

The decision to renew our vows for our ten-year anniversary had come hot on the heels of our decision to return to Brazil and study to be full-time missionaries. We were flying out the very next day, and I couldn’t be any more excited at this rather unusual ‘honeymoon’. It had felt right to both of us, a way to honour our lifelong commitment to each other in the face of the huge changes we were about to make in our lives. It was also nice to give our families a celebration before we left. This would be an upheaval for us all, but we were determined it would be a joyous one.

Elijah and Rosie were beyond excited to be going to Brazil, too, and I was confident it would be a good experience for them. I watched their adorable faces as they sat down to watch the renewal service and I felt as though my heart would burst with joy. I had so many blessings to count.

After the pastor finished with a short reading from the Song of Songs, that amazing biblical love story, we repeated after each other the vows we had written together.

“I give thanks, to God and to you, my love, that I