I just celebrated a birthday. One of those milestone birthdays that gets lots of attention. You know, as I look back over these years, I can see one thing that stands out so clearly over all the many years and through the many places I’ve been – the faithfulness of God. I think back to a time when as a child of eight years old, I realized I was lost and needed a Savior, and I committed my heart to Jesus Christ.

Two years later I felt God speaking to my heart and saying, “Ann, I want you to be a missionary.” I did not know what that was really, except that a missionary was someone who told others about Jesus. And at the age of ten I gave my life to Jesus.

Like most teenagers, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do when I grew up. However, one thing that I did always know was that God was watching out for me and that he had a plan for my life.

Well, along the way I met a handsome young man. We fell in love and met all of our goals to serve in the mission field after we married. It was exciting in those days – going off to a new adventure. And yet when we got to Africa, to the field where the Lord had taken us, things were not always so positive.

There were personal struggles, challenges with being away from family and friends, and the political situation did not always seem stable. Through it all God was faithful to us without fail. Everything we needed, whether it be food or clothes for our new born, was provided to use even though it had seemed impossible.

After leaving Africa we came back to the U.S. and then headed off to France. Through all of the situations that we have been in and all the challenges that were involved, God has always taken care of us and supplied all of our needs.

God brought us back to the States, and we have been in Hanover over fifteen years. And in those fifteen years, God has been just as faithful on this side of the ocean as He was on the other side. He is good, my friend. He meets every need.

God’s protection and provision remind me of these words to a well-known song, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.” Looking back on my years and how He has always been there I can confidently say “Great is Thy faithfulness!

Dr. Ann Shorb is a counselor in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She provides counseling services for a wide variety of issues including depression, marital issues, family issues, stress, ADHD, anxiety, grief and much more.