The Smallbone family was living a fairly normal life in Sydney, Australia, when their entire world came tumbling down around them.
"My husband, David, had a passion for making a difference in people's lives and Christian music. He was promoting Christian concerts and had a small record company. It was a normal sort of life," said Helen Smallbone. "Then he ended up marketing a tour in Australia in 1988 that lost us a quarter of a million dollars."
"You don't lose that sort of money in business and not have a major life change."
Instead of giving up hope, Helen says she and her husband, David, relied on God to show them the next steps in their lives.
In 1991 Helen, who was pregnant at the time, together with her husband, packed up their six children and sixteen suitcases to move from Australia to the United States.
"Most people wouldn't do such a crazy thing," said Helen. "And if they did travel to the other side of the world, they'd have a nest egg or security. We did not have that."
Smallbone says she relied on God to help lead her and her family through this difficult time.
"I saw it as an adventure. We were together. We homeschooled the children", said Helen. "We had a rental home but no furniture. The kids would sleep on their winter clothing for a bed. We were camping out in our house. We never knew what the next day would bring. We would consistently pray that God would open up opportunities for us."
And those opportunities eventually showed up. Rebecca St. James' music career grew, followed by blossoming careers for the others as artists, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, and the rise of Joel and Luke's for King & Country on Christian music charts.
"When you see him show up, you know you're in his will, you know he's with you, you know he is providing for you. It changes you," Helen explained. "That's the change that took place inside David and me and set a whole new foundation for who we are and our kids."
Helen is sharing her family's story in her book, Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and her Family. She hopes this book will remind other families that when you rely on God, amazing things can happen.
Today on Connections, Helen shares how her family worked and stuck together, constantly relying on their faith to guide the way.