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Mission Trip to my ‘Merica
It’s crazy to measure where I was one year ago or even six months ago to where I am now. In January of this year, I had a number of people ask me if I saw myself living in Swazi forever. At the time, there was no way. My answer was always, “Well, if
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Miss Independent?
Independent? No. A math teacher? No. CEO of a non-profit? Ha! No way. But…suddenly, I’m a math teacher. But I hated math. I graduated high school with a 3.96 GPA all because I couldn’t get a perfect A in math. That GPA might seem deceiving though, because I certainly wasn’t the smartest kid. Actually, my
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Wonderstruck
Three years ago today, we opened the girls home. Five girls entered the moment it opened. And over the next few years, the house reached capacity. But we weren’t without loss. Some girls came and went, taking my heart forever with them. But as I look back, I’m awestruck with the goodness and richness of
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Six Secrets to Being Single
The Secrets to Being Single (and Happy) “I would much rather be single and lonely than married and lonely.” “Never take your eye of the mission for the man.” “Don’t be so consumed with finding the one; rather, become the one.” It’s no secret that I’m 29 and single. But maybe not everyone knows that
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The World’s Greatest Missionaries
— The greatest missionaries of all time — He has taught me to never give up, to hold onto dreams even when they’re broken, when others scoff in disappointment. He doesn’t have a college degree, but he doesn’t need one to be something or someone important. He built his future with his hands, built a
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Little Bits of Daily Life
It’s the middle of Saturday, and Lucia and Benji are taking a nap. (Me time, yay!) I’m sitting on the sofa—my favorite piece of furniture, as I had to search hard and far to find a truly comfy couch (you won’t believe how uncomfortable the furniture is here)—in front of my mini fan, and I’m
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Grandma’s Letters
It’s nearly better than her cooking. It’s like dark chocolate on a stressful day. A cold, glass bottle of Coke in the blistering heat. It nearly has the same effect of a head massage or foot rub at the end of an exhausting day. It satisfies, soothes, cools, tickles, and rejuvenates all at once. Since
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No Rush
Twenty minutes after Ash Wednesday service ends, and I’m still stuck in the church parking lot— plagued by the Toyota Noah’s beeping noise indicating my gear is in reverse— overcome by impatient anger that no car will let me back out so I can leave the one-way, gated parking exit. Aya is with me and
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How Can I Be Catholic?
“How can you be Catholic?” a college friend once asked me when she found out I attended mass. I led a Campus Crusade Bible study in one of the dorms, yet I went to a Catholic church. It was an oxymoron for some. Most of my friends were Evangelical Christians, and I loved them dearly,
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Transcendent Moments
I strum a chord to signify the start of Bible study at the girls home. We sing “Your Great Name,” one of their favorites and then dig into Scripture. I had noticed the girls were in a lot of stress. School was about to begin and there were still a lot of unknowns; our eldest
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For the First Time
Renewed. What does that actually mean? It’s not just refreshed, or rebuilt, or replenished, or reordered, or redone. They’re all great, but renewed. To become new again. It sounds simple, but it’s actually impossible. Or is it? A couple who’s been married for seventeen years and signing the divorce papers because the husband is narcissistic
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This is my War Cry
“All the nations surrounded me; in the Lord’s name I crushed them. They surrounded me on every side; in the Lord’s name I crushed them. They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like fire among thorns; in the Lord’s name I crushed them. I was hard-pressed and falling, but the LORD came to my help.
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It’s a Wonderful Life
“At the heart of Satan’s attack upon you is his attempt to rob you of your true identity and destiny.” –Neal Lozano, Unbound My last blog post was an attempt to regain parts of me that I feel I have lost. Satan had done well in distracting me from receiving God’s full blessing. It’s a
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What I Need
“What do you need?” I’ve been asked hundreds of times throughout this past year and a half. I’ve always responded with needs of the ministry and my girls. But then a few people persist, “No, I mean you. What do you need?” I didn’t know. Now I do. I need to rediscover the joys of
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Bench Warmer
Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I am back in time on my high school basketball court. I can hear the crowd bellowing, particularly the student section that’s right beneath our basket; I can see my friend, wearing his “Hot-shooter 32, I heart Kate” t-shirt; I can smell the wet socks when our point guard
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Go Before Me
“God, are you there? I believe in you…I think. But then I start doubting. I want to believe,” she prayed one night as she laid on the bare concrete floor staring up the holes in the hut’s ceilings. She was alone as her friend Jane would be out all night on the streets, selling
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When We Love Like That
I get a phone call one night from Tenele: “Mom, it’s not good here. My mother is talking things again and she just want money. She no want me here. I’m going to leave at month’s end.” I’m not surprised. Deep down I knew this was going to be the result, but I had hoped
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Hustlers
I know these streets so well. I’ve walked them hundreds of times. Yet, somehow they seem foreign now in the dark. Nighttime transforms them into a world I do not know. Nor want to know. “Let’s just drive a couple laps around and pray for those we see,” Rachel comments. It’s our first street night.
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Rich Soil
Over the past two months, I didn’t chase after Tenele. I didn’t pursue her or go looking for her at Mangwaneni like in the past. (In fact, I didn’t go to Mangwaneni very much because I couldn’t face the pain of seeing Tenele there.) There is a time and season for everything, and that season
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