God called me to stop drifting and to put down roots

It’s been 6 years since my last mission trip with a church. For a long season, I felt the Lord closed all doors — and I wondered if my time in missions was over.

In January 2026, something about the WOW conference caught my attention. I wasn’t sure if it was from Him, but I prayed and decided — if it’s not of God, He will close the door. He didn’t. And so I went, with zero expectations, ready to embrace whatever He had. And God met me right where I was.

On the Plane — Before It Even Began

He showed up on the plane — first row seats, ample legroom. A small thing, but I felt His love. Flying has always been my special place with Him.

Seated next to me was a pastor from Denmark, on his way to minister in Manila. Honestly, I was quite happy to just rest and spend time with God — but God had other plans. Turns out, he had missed his connecting flight — and later realized it was so our paths could cross. He handed me his book, which was a spot-on reflection of what God had been stirring in my heart for years. It was one of those only-God moments. Everything shared on that flight, I later realized, was the Father’s way of preparing my heart for what was ahead in Manila.

What God Did in Manila

God used this trip to surface things in me I didn’t even know still needed healing. He reminded me not to normalise the presence of the Holy Spirit — to stop leaving Him only for church settings, and to invite Him into every corner of my life. At work. At home. In the ordinary.

God called me to stop drifting and to put down roots — to trust the family He has placed me in, and to allow Him to plant me where He knows I will bear the most fruit. Through worship, through the Word, He gently surfaced old hurts I had buried — hurts around belonging, around trust, around what it means to call a church home again. God met me right there, in the middle of all of it. I broke. And He healed. He also reminded me of the prayers I had stopped praying — promises I had quietly given up on. The dreams I once had.  And He gently whispered: My word will never return void. Again I broke. 

God brought unexpected encounters that stirred deep grief from within — but also used them to release me from the past and set my eyes forward, toward what He is calling me into next. The experiences I carry are not wasted. But He is doing a new thing.

And through it all, He taught me to slow down. To wait on Him. To not rush ahead of His leading.

Coming Home

I came home quieter. Fuller. And more rooted than I left. And if I needed one last reminder of just how seen and loved I felt from the Father — I got first row seats on the flight back too.

Truly, I am loved. Wonderfully loved by the Father. To Him be all the glory. - Karen Soh (Singapore)