Our Gift to You
When my grandmother passed away last summer, of course I wished for one more day with her. But what I really wished is that I had written down the stories she was always telling. The ones that she told over and over that I thought I would never forget…because I’m forgetting. A couple of summers […]
Unwanted Gifts
Sometimes we receive gifts that we don’t really want. Like the time my husband crossed paths on campus with the Chinese director of the English Department and was a little too enthusiastic as he marveled over the beauty of his newly purchased porcelain horses. When he realized his mistake and tried his best to back […]
Heart to Heart Gift
Even if Christmas decorations had been available in our early days in China, we wouldn’t have had the energy or language to find them. We were ill, homesick, and culture stressed after four months in country. On Christmas Eve, our teammates knocked on the door and asked us to wait in the bedroom. After a […]
The Gift that Dwells in Me
The first Christmas overseas, I sobbed—loud, embarrassing heaves, not gentle, wistful tears—and earned myself an awkward consolation pat on the head from a male teammate who wasn’t sure what to make of this small town Alabama girl who couldn’t pull herself together. I was young, sad, and missed home. Fast forward 11 years, and I […]
The Dirty Work of Christmas
Tears gathered with the sweat that had accumulated from our hot and dusty moto ride across town to the Pizza Company. It was Christmas Day—my first in Cambodia. And I was not happy. My husband sat next to me as we waited for a table to open up. “This is one of those culture shock […]
The Gifts are Yours for the Taking!
As overseas workers, we are conditioned to a lifestyle of servanthood. Perhaps service is your spiritual gift and that’s what led you into cross-cultural work. Maybe you wanted to learn how to be a better servant, and a life abroad seemed like the best way to practice. Either way, you are likely more than chest-deep […]
The Blessing in the Burning
I was twelve when my house burned down. We were playing cards in our living room, in our log cabin, in small town Outer Mongolia when we heard what sounded like kids throwing rocks on the roof. I remember my Dad running into the house yelling fire. I remember running down our street to the […]
The Commitment to Make When You’re Maxed Out on Commitments
2015 was a tough year for me. After a glorious Home Ministry Assignment the previous year celebrating our son’s graduation from college and recent engagement, I had a hard time returning to THE FIELD. During our time in the US, we felt the love and support of so many people, that I struggled with going […]
Redeeming Facebook through Connection Groups
Remember that “simultaneously tired but exhilarated by the experience and sad it’s over” feeling of getting home from summer camp? The end of camp blues are exactly how I felt about my Spring connection group coming to an end. I’ve mentored two Facebook groups, and both times I’ve come away from them awed by the […]