I first came across Bob eight years ago, doing an online search into sources for grafting branches. Bob, the owner of a nursery in Idaho, knew a lot about grafting and, it turned out, also knew Jesus. I ended up ordering a bunch of branches from him for our Trees of Life farm.
We emailed back and forth and, at one point, I invited Bob to Mongolia. We have hundreds of visitors from all over the world; would he like to come visit? Bob was reluctant. At sixty nine, there was anxiety about travelling alone, and his wife was unwell.
Five years passed, and a series of events began which, in hindsight, proved to be much more than mere coincidences. Missionary friends from Mongolia just “happened” to buy the property next to Bob’s, giving us an inkling that God was at work. More recently, Bob’s wife passed away—a main reason for his reluctance to travel. We reached out with our condolences and found that our friend had invited Bob to go with him to Mongolia. That was much more than an inkling of God being at work!
The day after Bob arrived, we had an unexpected call from a Mongolian couple looking for advice about their fruit trees. I told them it was not convenient for them to come that day, but they insisted, and we felt led to relent. Soon, a very expensive vehicle drove onto our farm. As owners of the town’s flour mill, this couple were possibly one of the richest families in the country. When they invited Bob, Marlene and me to their ranch for supper the next evening, our curiosity about God’s plan really peaked.
The next day, we went to their house and right away noticed a large telescope which, for some reason, seemed to excite Bob. The couple explained their belief that the stars play a big role in controlling our destinies. At that, Bob spoke up, and out poured an astounding wealth of information. Bob had a master’s degree in Astronomy! He explained how the alignment of stars actually connects to the biblical story and how, in reality, it all points to Jesus. Marlene and I just sat there and marveled at God’s plan for this couple, eight years in the making—Bob was totally the right person to share the Gospel with this couple!
Bob is now back in Idaho, and already talking about coming next year.
