A Cord of Three Strands
You might remember an article from The Culture Blend late last year. Writer Jerry Jones dissected the never-ending transition of overseas workers and expat transplants known as Goers, Stayers and Newbies. If you’re like me and the 94 commenters on the article, I’m guessing his thoughts resonated with you, too. I’m a Goer. Call it […]
If I Had THIS, My Life Would be Complete
I pulled the sliding glass door shut behind me and walked barefoot across my mother-in-law’s back porch. I sat on the big porch swing. Sigh… a slice of solitude and quiet in a summer of travel and transition. I pulled out Amber Haine’s Wild in the Hollow, ready to escape into someone else’s story. But […]
How Did You Know It Was Time to Leave?
Today I joyfully introduce you to a woman who held my hand through my first month on the field and who I now get the privilege to call my teammate. She’s one of those women you just need to meet. She’s full of wisdom, resources, connections, and grace-filled advice. Lisa Ingle has lived and served […]
10 Things to Tell Yourself During Transition
Here are some descriptions of a woman in the “transition phase” of giving birth. Ironically, I find it to be a pretty apt description of myself when I’m in the middle of a big life transition like… I don’t know, moving across the world. “Emotionally, she can become restless, irritable, discouraged, and confused. She may […]
Transition Can Be Like a Jigsaw Puzzle
Once again, I find myself in the middle of transition. I know it is part of life living overseas, but it is not my favorite part. Maybe it is all the packing or the good-byes and the tears, but I think it is something more. What really bothers me is that God just doesn’t put […]
Wherever He Leads I Will Go, Maybe
I remember sitting in the breakfast lounge at the hotel, poking at my muffin. I don’t know why I picked it up and put it on my plate in the first place. My stomach was churning but not because I was hungry. Years of mental, physical, and spiritual preparation had now come to these last […]
The Sound and Smell of Packing Tape
The ripping sound of packaging tape echoed throughout the emptying room as I cut off yet another sticky piece and stuck it firmly on the bottom of the newly formed box. The tape was that cheap blotchy kind found in the local stationery shop. It gave off a distinct chemical kind of odor that permanently […]
Birth
What beautiful reminders we’ve had this week of the anticipation and birth of the One who reconciles and makes Himself known to us. How telling that He didn’t just appear, but was carried in the womb of an ordinary woman chosen to birth Him. Every single one of us birth something. For some, it’s little […]
Distance and TCKs When it Comes to Friends and Relationships
I have a cup of coffee, do you have yours? Let’s talk about the word distance. What comes to your mind? There’s a saying in the United States that there are only two certain things in life: death and taxes. Such an encouraging thought! If I were to translate that to TCKs (for that matter […]
How to Settle Your Soul
I love this time of year. It’s a precious gap for our family, a pause between the travels of summer and the full swing of fall schedule. It’s a time to put our home in order, the home that’s been steadily unraveling all year long. I sigh with satisfaction when everything is in it’s place. This is […]
When Life Overseas Blows Your Pride
I stood in the market and stared down at the dairy products. I was determined to buy milk instead of yogurt this time. The trick was figuring out which was which. I started shaking each jug at my ear, listening for the swish of liquid milk or the sludge of thin yogurt. Aware of how ridiculous I […]
7 Things to Know About Culture Shock
The first time I crossed a cultural boundary; I was but 1 year old! And no, it wasn’t my parents whisking me off to some far-off tropical land; it was my family returning to the US after a term of service in Pakistan. My mother says that my older sister and some of the children […]