Unchanging
My husband and I once lived polar opposite lives. We poked fun at this at our wedding by creating a world map that spanned our lives up until that point. On the map, my little circle bounced around the globe every few years while his pulsed steadily in one spot for his first eighteen years. […]
The Constant of Change
When I was little, there was a hymn we sang in church that perplexed me—not the lyrics, but the reaction they evoked. Halfway through the first verse, I would often see women getting out their tissues while old men hunched over and began to wipe their eyes. I didn’t understand why these words seemed to […]
Searching for Rehoboth + African Peanut Soup (and a bonus recipe!)
Our family has lived overseas for thirteen years in a country that is constantly changing. It’s not uncommon to find a spot we frequent already demolished and under construction for the next bid for success. The coronavirus years brought on feelings of whiplash; we couldn’t keep up with the next new attempt at “zero-COVID.” We’ve […]
The Hawk and the Labyrinth
My family and I live on a farm in Rwanda, and we are blessed to have enough land that, over the summer, we were able to put in a small prayer labyrinth. My mornings consist of sleepily making my coffee, slipping on my grubby garden Crocs, and slowly making my way through the labyrinth and […]
This Month’s Theme: Change
The only constant in cross-cultural life is change. Oh, we get this. The revolving door of expats, the way organizations can shift and leadership can change, a new role or ministry. Even if we are not transitioning on or off the field, we often face changes that can rock our boats. What anchors you in […]
What NOT to Tell Yourself When Going Through Change
An empty space existed in a corner of my living room. What better to fill an empty space with than a plant, of course! I told my husband that this lonely corner was crying out for a plant to fill it. He rolled his eyes at this, but knowing the joy plants bring his wife, […]
Checking my Changing Perspectives
I’m tired of being that girl still talking about transition, but it’s all I can think about when I think of the word “change.” So much has changed for me and my family in the past year and few months: the food we eat, the language we speak outside of our home, the holidays observed […]
Staying Healthy Amidst Change
When the only thing that’s consistent is change. When the hellos all lead to goodbyes. When the chaos leads us to crave monotony. HOW do we keep our community healthy? How do we keep ourselves soft and open to new friends? How do we keep digging in knowing we will have our roots eventually transplanted? […]
When It Is Not Only Supporters Who Change + 1-Hour Dinner Rolls
We are due for a trip back “home” this summer. Less than four months. Four spring months, which tend to pass by much faster than dreary winter months. It will have been two years since being there. That’s a lot of time for things to change. My hometown (Branson, Missouri—you get a gold star if […]
The Resilience of Dying
I am not known for being an optimist. But when I think back to my expectations before I moved here, I can only smile (and sigh) at my innocent optimism. I had lived overseas before, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I knew it would be hard. I knew it would […]
Losing Identity In The Return
I bit down on my tongue to stop the words I was thinking from flying out of my mouth. Staring across the table at my coffee date, I wondered how I had once been close friends with this woman? I laughed out of obligation, not because I thought her pop-culture reference was funny. While others […]
Tips for Transition Sanity
Habit is a crazy thing. Our electricity is out. As I am talking to Sam about the problem, I walk into the next room and switch the light “on”. Though I know there is no electricity, walking into that room initiates an automated turning on of the light. Habit, in defiance of reality. Habits, those […]