The Welcome Mat
Whenever I walk up to a house, my eyes always focus in on the presence or lack of the welcome mat. There is something inviting and comforting about a colorful, soft welcome rug as opposed to the bare cold concrete or dirt floor. About five months ago I moved to Southeast Asia from the United […]
Space to Connect
There were 5 of us. Women of different generations, living in different places, at different stages in our overseas journey. And yet we shared the same call of a Kingdom Worker. Little did we know at the start of our Spring 2020 Velvet Ashes Connection Group that our world would come to a standstill due […]
Connection Groups: Spring 2021 FAQs
Here are some of the most common questions about Connection Groups. 1. What are Connection Groups? Connection Groups are online small groups for women living cross-culturally. Unlike talking to friends back home where you have to explain so much of your life, when you sign up for a CG, you are joining a small group […]
A Safe Space During Re-entry
About one year ago, I was fighting yet another wave of panic about my upcoming relocation from Asia to America. I’d been living overseas for 14 years, basically my whole adult life, but had decided that it was time to relocate. Anyone who has lived overseas knows that these decisions often do not come easy. […]
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 in this desert land to build your village from your relatives, and if you have to live among strangers, you do it in the city, not in the rural, agricultural […]
Rejoice and Connect
If you need a good Scripture exercise, grab your concordance and look up all the verses with the word “rejoice”. Here are a few: Psalm 13:5-6 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me. Psalm 48:1-2 […]
You Feel That Way Too?!
I glanced at each of the small video screens compiled on my laptop and the faces that filled each one. None of us looked alike. I was the only one who had served overseas in Taiwan. My health circumstances were vastly different than these women as well. Our life stages varied quite a bit. I […]
Connection Group: Spring 2020 FAQs
Here are some of the most common questions about Connection Groups. 1. What are Connection Groups? Connection Groups are online small groups for women living cross-culturally. Unlike talking to friends back home where you have to explain so much of your life, when you sign up for a CG, you are joining a small group […]
A Seat At the Table
Imagine with me a great big, wooden table. I’m thinking of the farmhouse table variety, planks thick and sturdy, no flimsy card table here. The table is full of all the best food, favorites from around the world, and of course the yummiest dessert. There’s coffee and tea, flowers nestled in the center, and you […]
Five Lessons I’ve Learned From Connection Groups
When I returned to my passport country after 16 years overseas, I knew it probably wouldn’t be plain sailing. I thought I was prepared for that. After all, I’d read books about re-entry, been to seminars – even taught about it and walked through it with other people! I should have been good at this […]
Connection Group: 10 FAQs
Since registration is right around the corner, here are some of the most common questions about Connection Groups. 1. What are Connection Groups? Connection Groups are online small groups for women living cross-culturally. Unlike talking to friends back home where you have to explain so much of your life, when you sign up for a […]
Connection Group: 10 FAQs
Since registration is right around the corner, here are some of the most common questions about Connection Groups. If you want more information about Connection Groups, you can find that here. 1. What are Connection Groups? Connection Groups are online small groups for women living cross-culturally. Unlike talking to friends back home where you have […]