It must have been a verse that was used in our overseas training or in a long ago chapel service as we prepared to begin our overseas career. I don’t remember the speaker or the moment I first heard this version of it. I’m not sure who I was sitting with or what I wore …
5 Things to Remember in the Unknown
As we search for things to remember in the unknown, there may not be a more iconic Bible story than Noah’s Ark. This story brings cute, animal-filled arks that decorate nurseries in churches and homes alike. The sweet tiny animals can be found in toy isles, children’s books and coloring pages. We might think the …
A Look Back at Lessons from 2020
If someone had sat me down in January 2020 and told me what the year would hold, I would not have believed them. It would have seemed so incredibly out there that I would have laughed and wondered what bad pizza they ate the night before. A worldwide pandemic? Closed borders? Frantic embassy emails warning …
Tips for Handling Health Issues and Medical Needs Overseas
It was a busy, fun 4th of July picnic at our house with our team and a few other worker friends. I was not thinking about health issues or medical needs. It was a holiday after all! I was doing some last minute prep for Jeremy who was grilling outside when Annalise came in the …
A Soft Strength – Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
I wrote about stepping outside your comfort zone a few years ago and it was originally published on Grit & Virtue for International Women’s Day. This year, I thought I’d republish here for you. Learning to keep a soft strength while also learning to step outside your comfort zone, do big things for God and …
How to Return, Recover and Rebound
There are moments in our lives for building resilience in ways we never expected or knew we needed. Moments that remind us to trust, hope and move forward in faith. One such moment happened on our flight from West Africa to Michigan at the end of our first term overseas. We only had about 20 …
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 …
Not Your Average Headache
The topic of intimacy in married life is not the easiest thing to talk about let alone write up a whole post and throw it on the world wide web for all to see. We may joke about that side of married life with a sister-in-law or whisper about our questions with a friend while …
When You Are Still Waiting
I heard an overseas friend recently say, “Waiting is just part of it all.” But what do you do on the days when you are still waiting? I found myself begrudgingly nodding my head to her statement. I recognized the truth of her words as they resonated deep with my soul. The wait is a …