Giving Up and Leaning In
It’s the first day of school, about an hour before students arrive. I’m in a brand new classroom, fluttering around doing all the things that don’t need to be done – anything to squelch the butterflies that are ever-present on day one (for me, at least). I check the room: ready; my first-day script: ready; […]
The Season of Unfinished Things
There are still spots available in Connection Groups for this fall! Head over to our Registration page to learn more. ************** “You feel like you are swaddled, right?” I was talking with a friend about some of my frustrations during this stage of life. I am a factory of projects and ministry ideas. But entering […]
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 […]
This Week’s Theme: Niche
Niche: “a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted; a habitat supplying the factors necessary for existence”. (Miriam-Webster) It might seem like the stuff that dreams are made of, that magical spot where your passion and talent meet in a way that allows you to live out your calling, to […]
I’ll Find My Niche Someday
Young and single. That was my first phase of life overseas. I remember sitting under a thatched roof, looking out over my misty little village in the Andes mountains. I was just a few months into my new life here. I was making friends, but there was this lonely ache in me like I had […]
The Special Thing About Being Single and Overseas
Hannah is 27 years old and from North Carolina. She is a full-time laborer serving in East Asia. She is also a single woman. I asked her about finding her niche overseas, and this is what she said. “Serving East Asian college students is definitely my niche. I love them. I can see myself […]
If I Met Me Five Years Ago
That wide eyed, bewildered looking girl standing at the airport five years ago with sweat pouring down her palms? The one who within three weeks will have experienced malaria, hospitalization, and her first earthquake? If I could travel back in time, I would take that girl by the hand, look her in the eyes, and […]
10 Ways to Find Your Niche Overseas
When my husband and I came to China, it was primarily for his work. His job would be to provide IT support for an International School. I, on the other hand, came as the ‘accompanying spouse’ without any particular job to do. Before leaving for China, I had a job where I felt fulfilled and […]