Jumanji Your Village
I know there is a lot going on we must take seriously right now, but the Jumanji memes are killing it these days. Just last week...
Category: Community
It Takes a Village During a Crisis + Creamy Bacon Potato Soup
I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I called the American doctor in our city to let him know my 2-year-old’s fever spiked after giving her one dose...
Lessons from Village Life
Village life starts early in the morning. The roaming rooster starts his call as the sun begins to peek above the horizon. The neighbor’s broom hits...
Living in Victory
In 2005 I was pregnant in Djibouti. I planned to give birth here, even though I was slightly terrified of the prospect. I had to sign a paper with...
Look Up
Living in a machismo culture is a lose-lose situation for my pride. I remember when our little family of three first moved into our humble Central...
Alone in the Wilderness Together
Most often, I am quite content to be alone. I live in what local friends like to say is the ‘wilderness.’ It is common here...
Confident and Safe in Him
“I just want someone I feel safe with.” With every cross-cultural move I have found myself thinking this, saying this, praying for this....
It’s a Party for Patty!
Today we want to honor and celebrate someone who has had a huge impact on Velvet Ashes! Check out these sweet words from women in our community about Patty...
Neighboring in Your Culture + Hulk Muffins {The Grove: Love Your Neighbor}
It was Christmas time several years ago while we were in language school, hunkered down in a bitterly cold northern China city. I had just spent the afternoon baking...
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Last week a neighbor popped over to give my children the toys she had earned through her grocery store purchases. That gesture, entirely mundane and unremarkable...
