Twelve years of being the directors of James Project of Latin America (JPoLA) had passed when Joanne and I faced a big question. What would we do if we couldn’t stay in Guatemala? Who would fill the shoes of the directors and continue with the plans for the Project? We both had physical issues that made us take a hard look at some future plans. We wanted to be ahead of the game and have lots of time for making such an enormous decision.

We had invested our lives during the past years, and the thought of turning our baby over to someone else was like a mother looking for another family to adopt her child. Letting go would not be easy, but we realistically had to think in terms that someday we needed to pass on the baton. Lord, only you know who would carry the vision in their hearts and love the children as we do. Prepare our minds and hearts for when the time comes to let go.

The fact that we had time to scope out options stood in our favor. The plans included much prayer and time seeking the perfect couple. We had no reason to act immediately and felt comfortable in moving forward slowly. For me, letting go hung out in the future somewhere, but I wanted to be prepared for when the time came.

I started thinking about my reaction when someone did step in to do what I had been doing over the years. Would I feel jealousy, resentment, want control, or would I feel peace and willingly give over the reins? I prayed it would be the latter, and I felt thankful that I had time to sort all of this out before that day came.

Within the first year of discussing various options for our replacement, we landed upon a couple who stood out in compassion, ability, and love for the children. They wanted to serve with the Lord in the JPoLA ministry.

I first met the Applegates at the dedication of the property when they came to Shadow with a short-term mission team. From that time on, they communicated with us and expressed their heart’s desire to do anything they could to help. They came at least once a year and sponsored many children in the orphanage. Standing out as potential leaders, we contacted them with the idea of being our replacements in the administration.

After an explanation of what we expected and an outline of what the duties looked like, we waited in anticipation. Lord, is this the couple you want in the administration of your Project? The Applegates gave a surprising response of, “We thought you’d never ask. We’ve wanted to be a part of this for a long time.” My heart soared.

It took a year for the Applegates to arrive at the Project ready for action. I’ll never forget the mix of emotions I felt when I looked into my empty office and silently said goodbye. It felt even stranger when I looked into my room, and somebody else had taken over. I found the adjustment easier than I had anticipated but did experience days of difficulty. I saw the Applegates in operation and thanked the Lord for picking the perfect couple to fill the shoes of the directors and to oversee the lives of precious children. The Lord had prepared my heart.