The Scarlet Letter that Led to Community: Infertility as an Expat
“Thwack-thwack!” Her cleaver severed the chicken on the chopping block as it came down with each powerful swing. We had been going to the same chicken butcher for about...
Category: Community
A Letter to Fresh Off the Plane Me
After more than a decade overseas, building community is still both the biggest struggle and the biggest blessing. I wish someone had given a pep talk to fresh-off-the-plane Emily,...
A Tight-Nit Community
There was nothing on our island that said "community" like a good old-fashioned lice-picking party. The women chattered endlessly as they combed through each other's hair,...
Let Your Heart Exhale
We all know it as the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) We know that Jesus was overcome by the death of his friend Lazarus and...
The Gift of Connection – Registration is Open!
Mary was tired from traveling. Her thoughts were tumultuous as the waves at sea. She hastened as she walked down the final path to her cousin's home. She was...
Embracing True Safety
A couple months into lockdown, we agonized over our decision to remain in our host country as the number of covid-19 cases rose rapidly in the capital. At the...
Divide and Conquer
“Pit race against race, religion against religion, prejudice against prejudice. Divide and conquer! We must not let that happen here.” -Eleanor Roosevelt But...
The Coexisting Nature of Division and Unity
When you hear the word division, what do you think of? Church splits, maybe? Or the devolving of a team? Or maybe just the horrors of math?...
Fostering Unity in Overseas Community
I had connected with a cross-cultural worker whose son was having his first birthday, and she graciously included my family on the invitation list. As I arrived with my...
Invitation to Share: Hear from Women in the Community about their Retreat Experience
We can tell you how amazing Velvet Ashes retreats are, but don’t just take our word for it! Today you get to hear from three...
