“You will be my witnesses,” Jesus told His disciples soon before He ascended to heaven. “But first, wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.” Wait? This was the beginning of Jesus’ plan to change the world? It’s certainly not the way...
CATEGORY
Reflection
The Gift of Being Chosen
We didn't know what was going on, really, but just decided we should get in line because that's what everyone else was doing, and deep down, no one really wants to look out of place, right? The smiling faces and the beat of the drums let us know that this was a happy...
The Power of Empathy
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, 21st Century KJV) In January 2021, we found out we were having twins, taking our family from three to...
No Road Impassable
Believe it or not, there is a road somewhere under all that water! During the rainy season in semi-arid North Africa, rivers overflow and dirt roads can become nearly impassable. As missionaries, sometimes the road ahead also seems impassable. First there are...
A Quiet Place
It was hot that day, I remember. And not just because every day in this West African capital city is hot, but hot because the sun was shining with an unequaled intensity, pulsing in waves through the air and saturating every surface. Stepping into the African taxi, I...
Joy on the Road
Danicing in the Dust
Research notebook? Check. Fully charged phone doubling as a recorder? Check. Diapers for the baby? Check. I headed out to the refugee camp to meet some well-known Naas musicians with my 5-month-old baby in tow. As we ducked down to enter the low door of the first...
The Pilot’s Words
The pilot folded his hands and looked at us across the table. His eyes brightened and a smile crept across his face. “This week I get to fly Bibles. First Scripture ever in these people’s language.” Our grins matched his. My family and I were in the capital for our...
How a Blue Starfish Taught Me Something
One of the perks of serving Bibleless people in Papua New Guinea is that I lived in one of the best snorkel spots in the world. The underwater world God created is magnificent, and I never tired of floating above a coral reef and watching an endless variety of sea...
Taste and See
At a crossroads in the dusty ground, the music reaches our ears. Just past the cozy gathering of houses and huts, yet near enough to be noticed, stands the small cement church in the village, much like a new child at school waiting for an invitation to play with the...
Where Mercy Meets Us
**This post contains heavy subject matter regarding a stillbirth. We got the call at 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Our close friend Anna was in labor and needed to get to the hospital soon. My husband Kevin got up, dressed quickly, and headed out to the village where...
Our Daily Bread
“Give us this day our daily bread,” we say together as a family every morning around the breakfast table. Even our little two-year-old’s voice joins in as we recite the prayer together. We haven’t always had this habit, but as the years have passed, praying the...