Private Preparation: The Value of Showing Up In Your Own Life
We are a community well acquainted with moving. Some of these moves are anticipated for years. There is the preparing and the longing and the excitement about what is to come. There are other times where the unexpected happens and you do the abbreviated version. I am moving to Ghana in early January. Surprise! The […]
From Airplane to Car
One of my favorite views from an airplane is the descent into LAX – houses, cars and freeways for miles. All of it looks small, and I often wonder where everyone is headed while they sit in rush hour traffic. Now as I pass an airport on my way to and from work each day, […]
Healing Humor Only Heaven Could Deliver
“Do you care if we have to steal something?” This was the question my neighbor asked me one night at ten p.m. when our bathroom pipe had burst, water was spraying everywhere, and I had frantically pounded on her door to ask for help. I had no idea how to find a plumber in Asia […]
Learning to Kiss It Goodbye
If we’re honest, I’d say many of us could name a biblical story, character or lesson that annoys, if not downright upsets us. I’ll admit to rolling my eyes at Peter and Paul’s quarreling or shaking my head at Jonah’s final act of helplessness (did those three days in the belly of a fish teach […]
The Unexpected Sacrifices
When I think of the word sacrifice, I picture many different things. I see Abraham with his knife raised obediently over his son. I can picture a long line of people waiting for a priest as he makes preparations to offer the next lamb on their behalf. I see Elijah who called down fire from […]
When Going to the Copy Store Becomes Your Arch Nemesis
I lived in dread of making copies. My first year in China I didn’t have a printer, so nearly every day I headed to a small copy shop to print lesson plans and copy handouts. It was very simple, even with my extremely limited Chinese. I could just say the number of copies I wanted […]
Overcoming My American Self
There are so many things my American self had to get over living overseas. So many. So many times I had to squelch an eye roll and sigh silently to myself. So many times I had to remember that different doesn’t equal wrong or crazy. For example, ice in drinks. A totally normal and complete […]
When You Want a Beautiful Home and Don’t Have One
We just moved into our third home … our third home this year. In a few weeks we’ll move again. To another temporary home. (Because our plans changed). We’ve been married almost twelve years, have lived in nine different places, and have never owned a home. In one of our foreign apartments we had a bathroom […]
A Pep Talk for Those who Go
You know what I feel like we all need about right now? A PEP TALK. (If you don’t see the video, click here.) Let’s just break it down. The road less traveled HURTS. All you’ve given up? All you’ve sacrificed? All those armies of ants you’re fighting in your kitchen right now? It hurts. And […]
When You Don’t Know Where This Path Leads
Lilias Trotter, a worker in North Africa, once said, “You can never tell to what untold glories any little humble path may lead if you follow far enough.” And as you already know, the path of getting ready to go to the field is full of humble moments. Moments of asking for support, asking for […]
Others’ Grief: Hold it Loosely
You’ve been preparing yourself emotionally, financially, and spiritually for this move. Chances are, you’ve been doing this for quite some time. Moving across the world (or into a strategic community) is no small thing. And as you’ve packed bags and repacked bags and begun separating yourself from the life you’ve always known, man…it stings. Grief […]
What If the Color Fades From My Life?
I enjoy being a TCK. I love being part of a family who works overseas, so much so that after we moved to our host country, I began to think that I could never move back to my passport country. To me, moving back would mean living such a boring, dull life and what kind […]