This coming April I will be celebrating 21 years in Florida. I have a heart full of wonderful memories and experiences here, but it was not exactly a smooth start when I first came here.

by William Earnhardt

I would not trade the last 21 years for anything. However, there were a few bumps in the road when I first got here. For one thing I was not prepared for the  spike in car insurance prices.

I first came to Florida as a local-hire Bible Worker, which means my pay came from the local church which hired me and not the conference office. The church made some mistakes in quoting my salary, and, in the end, the conference had to point out to them that my actual salary was much less than what was quoted in my offer letter.  After I discovered that I would be paid much less than promised,  I wanted to leave right away, but  I was broke and had no money to move back home to Texas.

So, there I was back in 2004 in a strange place with no money, without any close friends yet and a job that was not going to pay enough to cover my living expenses. It looked like I had made a huge mistake, and I thought I was really foolish to have made  this move. Then I ran across this passage that brought hope to my heart.

Whatever our situation, if we are doers of His word, we have a Guide to direct our way; whatever our perplexity, we have a sure Counselor; whatever our sorrow, bereavement, or loneliness, we have a sympathizing Friend. If in our ignorance we make missteps, the Saviour does not forsake us. We need never feel that we are alone. Angels are our companions. The Comforter that Christ promised to send in His name abides with us. In the way that leads to the City of God there are no difficulties which those who trust in Him may not overcome. There are no dangers which they may not escape. There is not a sorrow, not a grievance, not a human weakness, for which He has not provided a remedy. –Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, Pages 248-249

This was so encouraging! Even if I had made missteps and ignorantly ended up in the wrong state with the wrong job, Jesus was still with me and was still going to care for me! That passage comforted me with all the assurance I needed to hear. So many times, we comfort each other with promises that God will take care of us when we are making wise choices, but now I was assured Jesus is still with me and cares for me when I make mistakes.

Incidentally, during this time I thought I had found a better job here in Florida. The pest control man came to my church one week day, and I started talking to him and asked if he was hiring. He told me he was, and we talked a little more. He had already basically hired me when he asked how I was going to do my Bible work while working for him. Now, keep in mind the pest control man was not a Seventh-day Adventist. I told him I would be quitting my Bible Worker job to work for him. He stepped away from me and waving his hands, he said, “No way! I am not going to hire  you. I will not be responsible for taking a man out of the ministry!”

Soon things started turning around, and I got raises, and other miraculous things started falling into place. More importantly, I started making some of the best friends I have ever had, and God blessed my ministry with scores of Bible studies and baptisms. My church became very supportive of me and my ministry, and it soon became apparent that I had made no mistake by coming to Florida.

I look back now and see how even when I was broke, I was never stuck in Florida. I was securely fastened in God’s loving hands. Twenty-one years later I look back and think about the pest control man refusing to hire me because he was not going to take me out of the ministry. That was a God thing! God had a plan the entire time.

That passage from Ministry of Healing was  and is still encouraging.

If in our ignorance we make missteps, the Saviour does not forsake us. We need never feel that we are alone.

Twenty-one years later, after hundreds of baptisms, and countless Bible studies and precious friendships forged along the way, I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that moving to Florida was no mistake. God knew exactly what He was doing the entire time. I still make mistakes. I make wrong choices sometimes. How good to know that even when I make mistakes, or missteps as Ellen White calls them, Jesus is still with me, loving and caring for me.

Friend, I have no idea where you are right now. Maybe you have made missteps or maybe you are exactly where God planned for you to be the whole time, but things may a little rough right now. Either way, your Savior will not forsake you even when you make missteps. You are not alone. Jesus is with you just as much as He was with me. Jesus loves me a lot I know, but I am not His favorite. He loves you just as much, and some wonderful miracles are headed your way too!

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