The Decision

The Universal Press Foundation has voted twelve to one to send Whit to South America, where troubling ideas are creeping into a faraway mission - and suddenly everyone at Whit's End has an opinion. Connie invents broken ice-cream machines and imaginary problems to prove Odyssey can't spare him, while Jason admits he cast the board's one secret "no" vote because he wants the adventure for himself. Then Eugene volunteers too, and the whole discussion collapses into noisy chaos. Whit sends them all downstairs and prays for an answer. When he comes back, he surprises everyone: nobody is going, because missing the excitement, running from your troubles, or needing to feel needed is not the same as being called by God. Instead, an experienced missionary already serving in the region takes the job... and Whit stays right where he belongs.

Found on Welcome Home! Album 28 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

2 of 2 0361 Three Funerals and a Wedding Two destitute widows return to Bethlehem with nothing but each other, until a chance encounter in a barley field opens an unexpected path to redemption.

1 of 2 0362 The Right Choice Returning home from Israel with a surprise for Katrina, Eugene misreads a phone call and races to a lakeside lodge to stop a wedding - setting off a chain of impulsive decisions that puts their entire relationship in question.

2 of 2 0363 The Right Choice While Whit weighs a life-changing request from the Universal Encyclopedia board, a frantic Eugene must learn what love really means before Katrina makes the choice that will decide their future.

0364 Home, Sweet Home With Odyssey pulling out all the stops to welcome Whit home, one friend quietly makes plans to slip away unnoticed.

0365 Clara When Eugene finds Jack about to board a one-way flight out of Odyssey, Jack finally reveals the painful secret behind his broken friendship with Whit - a story of grief, an orphaned girl, and a promise that couldn't be kept.

0366 Solitary Refinement Reeling from a painful breakup, Eugene retreats to a monastery to test a life of silence and solitude - while back in Odyssey, Whit is too busy to hear the answer he's praying for.

0367 The Decision When a mission board's offer threatens to pull Whit away from Odyssey, everyone around him campaigns for a different outcome - and Whit must sort genuine calling from every other motive.

0368 The Other Woman A tabloid photo of the mayor holding hands with a mysterious blonde woman threatens to unravel a secret he has guarded for years.

0369 It's a Wrap! A Kids Radio crew shadows Whit through an "ordinary" day at Whit's End - but between a found wallet full of cash, an overeager reporter, and Harlow Doyle on the case, nothing stays ordinary for long.

1 of 2 0370 Christmas Around the World When two kids need help with a report on Christmas carols, Whit's Imagination Station whisks them on a musical journey through the countries and centuries where the world's most beloved songs of the season were born

2 of 2 0371 Christmas Around the World A group of time-traveling friends tours Christmas celebrations across the globe, discovering how one song of hope takes on the voice of every culture that sings it.

1 of 3 0372 For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll Fresh off a summer abroad, Jason returns to Odyssey to find a wedding just two days away - and a season's worth of surprises to catch up on before he learns who's getting married.

2 of 3 0373 For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll A season of new beginnings sweeps through Odyssey as an antique shop, a returning love, and a life-changing question force two couples to decide what future they're willing to risk.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 1 more roles

1 supporting role

Robert (b) Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Phil Lollar Writer · Director Dave Arnold Sound Designer · Producer Kurt Bruner Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

During Connie’s Kids Radio interview with Whit, a caller asks whether Whit is leaving on another mission trip. Connie has not heard about the Universal Press Foundation board’s offer, even though the news seems to have spread throughout Odyssey. Once the program ends, she confronts Whit. He apologizes for not telling her sooner and explains that he has made no decision because he is still praying for God’s direction.

Connie admits that she needs Whit and is certain Odyssey needs him too. Eugene shares her hope that Whit will remain, but he cautions her against letting selfish motives determine what she calls God’s will. Having served with Whit in the Middle East, Eugene understands how meaningful mission work can be.

Joanne Woodston, a member of the foundation’s board, arrives with an urgent development. Troubling ideas have appeared in reports from a mission in South America, and the board wants someone to investigate quickly. Its members believe Whit is the best person for the job and have voted twelve to one in favor of sending him. Joanne does not know who cast the opposing secret vote.

Jack meets Joanne at Whit’s End and eagerly volunteers to drive her to the hotel and show her around Odyssey. The attraction between them is immediate. During their tour, Joanne reveals that if Whit refuses the assignment, she is the board’s only other qualified candidate and will have to go herself. Neither she nor Jack likes that possibility, and they arrange to have dinner together.

Connie begins inventing problems to prove that Whit is indispensable. She claims that only he can repair an ice-cream dispenser, asks him to lead her Bible study, and tries to send him to counsel a girl he has never met. Whit soon recognizes what she is doing. He gently points out that Connie has become capable of handling these responsibilities herself.

Jason also tries to emphasize how much Whit’s End needs his father. Under Whit’s questioning, Jason admits that he was the lone board member who voted against the assignment. He has missed the travel, excitement, and difficult challenges of his former work. If Whit leaves, Jason fears he will be tied to Whit’s End, so he wants to apply for the mission assignment himself.

Before Whit can respond, Eugene volunteers to go as well. He believes mission work would help him stop dwelling on his own troubles and learn to put other people first. Jack then argues that Whit should accept because otherwise Joanne will have to leave. With Connie campaigning for Whit to stay and everyone else promoting a different candidate, the discussion collapses into noisy confusion.

Whit sends everyone downstairs while he prays and makes his decision. When they gather again, he first reassures Connie that her growing independence does not make her less important to him. Whit’s End exists to help people mature, not to make them permanently dependent on Whit. Whether or not they remain together, he is deeply proud of the person she is becoming.

Whit announces that he will not go - and neither will Jason, Eugene, or Joanne. Each person has offered a worthwhile reason for serving, but none can say with certainty that God has called them to this particular mission. Whit remembers that he went to the Middle East because he was completely certain of God’s call. Without that conviction, he will not allow practical need, adventure, guilt, or affection to take its place.

The South American mission will not be abandoned. Whit has contacted Dan Isidro, an experienced missionary already serving in the region with limited support. Dan is ready to meet with the board, and Joanne recognizes that he may be the answer for which she has prayed.

Jason chooses to remain in Odyssey for the present, Joanne is free to continue getting acquainted with Jack, and Eugene can find ways to serve others close to home. Connie happily reminds Whit that Odyssey still needs him. Having found both clarity and peace, Whit is grateful to remain where he belongs.