Joanna’s Return, Area Fellowship News
by Anonymous

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him."
-Luke 15:20

What does a father think and feel when his only daughter suddenly leaves home only leaving the briefest of notes? My immediate thoughts were: Why has Jo done this and in this way? What have I done to drive her out? I’ve messed up as a dad, been a poor example as head of the home. It’s true I wasn’t doing well at the time. I wasn’t being responsible as a husband or father, as God expects. But now what about Jo’s pain and her unbelief? She wanted to do her own thing, be free, go to discos, drink…. She thought these things would fulfil her and give her happiness. Jo made her choice to go the way of the world and turn her back on God. But I realise my way of living had an impact on Jo.

After Summer Camp my faith position was to be straight and stay straight for Jo’s sake. I remember distinctly an experience very early one morning last September. I was walking our dog, Sam, through the park and my thought was one of helplessness. Meryl was in a state and Jo was gone. I asked, "What can I do, God?" I looked up at the cloudy sky and just started praising God and a remarkably firm sense of God’s control over every bit of the situation came over me. That morning I knew that Meryl and Joanna would come through. Later when walking home, Sam stopped and didn’t want to move from a particular spot I bent down to be my shoe lace and I noticed a triangular rock under the hedge. At once, I was just so excited by the hope that is in the fact that Jesus is the rock of our salvation.

Jo spent ten months living her new lifestyle, in the process giving up college and working two jobs. I only saw her twice during this period. She looked miserable and held her head down. During those months I read the story of the prodigal son many times and asked God to do the same for Jo, to bring her to her senses. I firmly believed God’s word, "Being confident of this that he who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).

God did bring Jo back. On May 3 at 3:00 am Meryl rang me to say Jo had called and wanted to return to God and her family. She had seen the misery of her sin life and was choosing God for herself. Praise God! He has again answered prayer. The prodigal daughter returned to God, her father and God’s family. Wide awake in the early hours of that May morning I heard the birds in our garden echo my joy in their dawn chorus.