No to Cheese Pizza, But Yes to Green Pastures
“We don’t have cheese pizza.” I was standing in the very first pizza shop to open in our city in northeastern China. We had yearned for this...
Showing Love With Curiosity + Amanda’s Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Wings
The stares. The squeals. The breeching of our space bubbles. The hair touching, especially the curly kind. The cheek pinching. The not-so-sneaky pictures. The in-your-face pictures, without even asking. The...
Are You the Happy Honeymooner, Indignant Idealist, or Arm’s Length Army? {The Grove: Welcome to Team}
Hello there Newbie, I want you to image that I’m showing up at your door right now with a drink and a snack. You smile brightly as...
Weird Ways I’ve Had to Adapt
Oh dear reader, welcome to the wild, wonderful, infuriating, fulfilling, expanding life overseas. Part of this journey of serving and giving a part of your heart to another culture is...
From My Bike Seat {The Grove: Transportation}
With handlebars wobbling and heart pounding, I pushed my foot down on the pedal, easing my way out into the flowing river of whizzing bicycles and motorbikes. Adrenalin pumped a...
The Risk of Going Solo
Have you ever stopped to evaluate the risk we as foreign women take when we navigate public transportation alone? Maybe you haven’t because ignorance is bliss. Initially, the adventure and...
Embracing my Need for Mentorship {The Grove: Aging}
I would like to say that I begged my lucky stars to keep this birthday from coming, but the truth is that I’m more than ready to be 30....
Honoring My Parents When I Live on the Other Side of the World
As I looked around the room of fellow expats at our International fellowship’s women’s retreat this spring, I had a sudden rather shocking realization: I was probably the oldest...
Trust God Enough to Take a Day Off
I began learning about rest by not resting. There are countless reasons I could list for why we should rest, why we need to rest, how rest is beneficial, but...
The Anatomy of Rest
I am a bit of an exercise enthusiast. I started out slow with Pilates and walking before moving on to running with light weight lifting; and now, my most recent...
