Timothy Concerned had been Grandpa and Maria's business manager and right-hand man, but in January, 1979, he chose to terminate his service with them to pursue his own interests in life, leaving behind responsibilities and a position that would need filling.

As I understand it, there were three men that Grandpa and Maria were considering to take Timothy's place. My dad was one of them. All three had families, and not wanting to permanently remove any of them from their loved ones, Grandpa and Maria decided to ask each of the three men to help them for a month at a time. They planned this rotation so that each man would only have to be away from his family for one out of three months.

My dad agreed to help and so he went away for a month. I had always been a "daddy's girl," and I remember well the day he left. I had woken from my nap and he was there to say goodbye. I cried—though not because he was leaving as much as because I wanted to wear my favorite red pants for the occasion and I couldn't find them. I remember waving good-bye as he drove off in the car from the house where we lived in Switzerland.

While Daddy came back after a month, things didn't exactly work out as planned with the other two men that were slotted to help Grandpa and Maria, and in the end, my dad ended up being the only one willing and able to take on the responsibilities left by Timothy. While he lived with Grandpa and Maria in various locations in Europe, he continued to visit us every few months.

I always knew Daddy loved us very much, and he missed us a lot when he was away from us for long periods of time. When I was around seven, he came to visit shortly before the longest period we were to be apart.

The last day he was with us, my brother and sister and I were out on the long veranda outside our house. By this time we were living in the same house that I had earlier met Grandpa in. Daddy was sitting quietly on the porch while we children were horsing around. I came over and sat on Daddy's lap. He seemed sad and unusually quiet. I put my arms around him and hugged him. As he held me, I looked up at him and noticed tears in his eyes. He must have known that our next parting would be longer than usual and I somehow instinctively knew that I wouldn't be seeing him again for quite some time. In fact, I didn't see him again until I was ten.

In the period that followed, my mom got close to a dear man named Tom who ended up living with our family for seven years and filling the day-to-day role of a father to us. He was a great man and all of us children liked him very much. Tom worked his way into our affections, and today we all look back on him and the years he spent with our family as a blessing and godsend, and we consider him our second dad. Whenever I've seen him in recent years, it's like a family reunion. He shares many of our memories and experiences and he was a significant part of our life.

Of course, Tom never took the place of Daddy in our hearts, but he took good care of Mom and us, and he was there for us every day. Even though as children, we gave up our daddy so he could help Grandpa and Maria, the Lord did not leave us comfortless or without the care or input of a father figure. He sent Tom to live with us. I have no doubt that Tom was the tangible answer to my dad's prayers that God would watch over Mom and us kids and provide for us in his absence.

We also had wonderful nannies and teachers. These women I remember well and appreciate their dedicated care of us. One was called Julia, and the other, Monica. They both lived with our family for several years and were directly responsible for our schooling, input, and daily care. Mom had leadership responsibilities by this time, and though she still lived with us, she was no longer directly involved in our day-to-day schooling.

We also lived for many years with Kristy and her mom and dad. Kristy was a year older than I and we were childhood friends. Since she was often the only other child living in the Home, she became an unofficial part of our family. The four of us were always together and we lived and played and schooled together. She was like a second sister to me. Our families lived together from the time I was three till Kristy and I were in our early teens.

We lived a while longer in Switzerland, and then over the next three years our family lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, and finally the Dominican Republic. All throughout this time Daddy wrote us frequently and often sent us gifts. I remember joyfully receiving his letters. I wish I still had some of them. I do still have one poem that he wrote for us and included in one of his letters. I cut it out of his letter and saved it as it was especially meaningful to me.

You sacrificed your mom and dad

To let them serve the King [Jesus],

Because you've given unto Him,

Great blessings this will bring!

When you forsake these things to Him,

He gives 100-fold

In love and joy and happiness

More precious than pure gold!

I do not write you very oft,

Though you're always in my prayers.

I know that all is going well:

You're in His tender care!

And though we're very far apart,

O'er land and air and sea,

You'll always be my precious ones

For all eternity.

While we were living in the Dominican Republic, Mom was invited to visit Grandpa and Maria. By this time, they, along with Daddy, were living in the Philippines. Mom wrote and asked whether she could bring me along with her. I was ten years old by this time and hadn't had the chance to see my dad in three years. Though by and large I was happy and well-adjusted, there were naturally times when it was difficult for me and I missed him a lot. Since I was the oldest, I had the most memory of him and the greatest attachment to him, and I imagine that was the reason why Mom asked if she could bring me along with her to visit.