“Can you give me an extra hand?” Nathaniel asked Cynthia.

“Sure!” She glanced over at Rick. “I’ll be right back.”

After they left, Rick watched a black ant crawling along a blossom-covered brick. He wanted to define whatever he had going on with Cynthia, but he didn’t know how to—or even if he ought to. The constraints of time pushed against him and made him feel like he needed to move faster than he normally would. Maybe he needed to leave tomorrow with the rest of his team and connect with her another time. But the idea of generating physical distance between them right now didn’t appeal to him at all.

The door squeaked open, and Cynthia walked out carrying a tray with a tea pitcher and three glasses. “Sometimes Uncle Nathaniel lets his tea sit for a few days. I just tasted it. It should be good.”

Before she could finish unloading the tray, Nathaniel came out with a platter of chicken and a bowl of potato salad. Rick stepped forward to relieve him of the platter and set it on the table. Once they had everything arranged, Nathaniel clapped his hands together and said, “Let’s pray.”

Rick bowed his head and listened to the prayer of thanksgiving for the food. He silently prayed for God’s wisdom to guide him in managing this budding relationship with Cynthia.

Long after her uncle went inside to rest before evening services, Cynthia and Rick continued to sit in the courtyard. They talked about family, sports, friends, travel, and their relationship with God.

“What was your journey to mission work? I assume your uncle was a great influence,” Rick said, brushing at a cherry blossom petal that had fallen onto the tablecloth in front of him.

Cynthia chewed on her bottom lip and focused her gaze at her nearly empty glass of tea. “That’s the kind of question I wish I’d been prepared for.”

He smiled. “Paul told us to always be ready to share.”

“True.” She took a deep breath. “I was raised by godly parents who brought me to this church my entire life. And even though I understood and believed, it wasn’t until I was humiliated and broken and standing in the middle of a village in a remote jungle that I truly began to see my place in the kingdom of God. I always had faith, and I always followed, but nothing was ever clear before.”

He nodded, letting the words sink in. “Why do you suppose that is?”

“Hmm.” She ran her finger down the outside of her glass. “Maybe because I never stopped in my forward momentum to listen to God speak.”