After certain episodes from specific girls in the home, I realized that I had to make something very clear to everyone.  “I am not your savior.  We (including Rachel and Kiley) are not your saviors.  There is only One Savior, and trust me, it’s not me.”  We explained this to the girls during bible study […]

It’s Tuesday.  If this were a normal day, I wouldn’t know how to describe it, because here there is no such thing as a typical day.  But I wanted to give you a glance into what a single day of life might look like.  So here’s a peak into a not so typical Tuesday.                 […]

With the burden of Tenele and taking on the mothering role of her two kids, I had felt my energy depleting.  Negativity had taken over me; certain things about Swazi that I once appreciated started irritating me more and more, and I was even getting aggressive in my slight hint of road rage (I like […]

I’ve been told, “Love always wins.”  I’ve read over and over 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is patient, love is kind…love never fails.”  But what happens if it does?  Or when it does?  What happens when love really isn’t enough? Living alongside these girls in their daily joys and struggles is truly an incredible experience.  Obviously, […]

“If you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt,  only more love.”  -Mother Teresa I’m at the point where I’m in need of the latter: more love.  Love certainly hurts.  When I left La Crescent to move here, I cried for obvious reasons.  I needed to grieve the life I was leaving […]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” -2 Corinthians 5:17                  It’s a Friday night, and that means movie time!  The girls giggle in excitement as we momentarily argue about which movie to watch; since we’ve made it through my narrow-themed DVD selection […]

“Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.” –Mother Teresa On Sept. 2nd, I wrote in my journal, “It seems like the problems are so large, how do you even help these girls without hurting in the process?”  For the past two weeks, I feel like […]

Life here has becoming increasingly wearing lately. I’d be lying to you if I told you I fit in here, that my heart has settled here as to not miss my old life back home.  In fact, just this morning I wrote in my journal, “Maybe I can’t do this.  Maybe I just want my […]

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18 Because it’s hard to put daily life into words, here are the top ten highlights of the past two weeks: 1) One weekend I was home alone with the girls–no Gogo, Titi, or Rachel/Kiley.  So […]

In the previous post, it was difficult to find positives, but in the days that followed, God’s blessings and faithfulness poured out over me through many people He put in my path.  My friend Marcia encouraged me to continue to love Tenele and not be so discouraged.  “It’s for God’s glory and not our own,” […]