Physically and emotionally exhausted from her shift at the hospital, she waited for her daughter to drive up from Florida and rescue her for the second time.
It had been more than four years since her life began to crumble.
First, it was the breast cancer diagnosis. Then, the deaths of her parents. Finally, her husband of 31 years walked out, leaving her in Virginia to grieve and fight cancer alone.
On the heels of her cancer remission, Linda had jumped into nursing school as a distraction from her grief. Often, she would overwork herself to the brink of a meltdown—just like tonight.
This time, when her daughter came and took Linda down to Florida, she stayed. But even family couldn’t heal the hole in her heart.
“I couldn’t find a way to get better. I struggled with depression and complicated grief. Even the psychiatrists didn’t know what to do with me,” said Linda. “Finally, I had to learn to be independent and face my wounds.”
So, Linda moved in with a friend, created a healthy separation from family, and focused on her relationship with the Lord. Some days, she would rewrite the Psalms for hours.
A year into her healing process, Linda woke up one night and sensed God telling her, “I have a place for you.” Confused, Linda sought to forget the voice by scrolling through Facebook. Immediately, a picture popped up of a friend surrounded by orphans on a missions trip to Uganda.
Linda had grown up in a missions-minded church and even attended Bible college in the hopes of one day going to the field. But plans changed when she married a competitive businessman and became a stay-at-home mom.
Something shifted within her as she looked at the photo. Unsettled, she fell back asleep and tried her best to continue with her routine the next day. But God wouldn’t let her.
He led Ugandans into her workplace. Then, her church announced the location of their next short-term trip: Uganda.
The Lord was calling her, and for the first time in years, she felt ready to take a step of obedience.
Since that first trip, Linda visited Uganda multiple times to help the same orphanage she saw on Facebook. In the spring of 2022, she plans to return and work as a long-term missionary with ABWE.
