Destination: Cayman Brac
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By David Woods
God's shipping is reliable; it just isn't always as fast as UPS or FedEx! Actually, God's shipping is according to His perfect schedule; we simply don't know what His schedule is most of the time!
Born just a few years apart but thousands of miles apart, David Woods and Zenia Betanzo Meza grew up in very different cultures. David was a pastor's kid, lived in several of the United States growing up, and said he'd be a pastor someday. Zenia grew up in the Catholic Church in Honduras, often accompanied nuns on missions of mercy, and wanted to be a nun someday.
As a teenager, David's interests gravitated toward music and the guitar. Zenia enrolled in an evangelical school to learn English and studied business administration like the rest of her family. After David's first year of college, God called him to the ministry in the summer of 1996. Upon graduating he pastored Churches of God (Holiness) in May, OK, and Wichita, KS. While completing her associate degree in business administration Zenia was again burdened with the call of missions. Thanks to missionaries Bob and Cinda Thompson and the Red Bay COGH, Zenia discovered the way of holiness and then flew to the United States to pursue a missions degree.
Finally, God brought the two together and their lives were joined in holy matrimony June 6, 2008. A year later, this still newly married couple followed God's call to pastor Herriman Chapel COGH, a few miles outside El Dorado Springs, MO. In their five years of ministry, God fulfilled one of Zenia's dreams (to run an orphanage) in a different way by bringing into their lives a number of foster children, some very short-term and others long-term, but in particular two beautiful, rambunctious, but adorable little boys in need of a safe and loving home.
Nearly a year ago, when presented with the need and opportunity to go to the mission field as pastors of the churches in Cayman Brac, the Woods heard God's call again. And again, God's schedule has proved different from man's, as this couple has been waiting expectantly for the adoption process to be finalized for their two little boys.
As we are nearing what we believe to be the end of this long process, we are excited about what God has in store for us and covet your prayers as we go, hopefully this fall, to serve the Churches of God (Holiness) abroad!
