Unpredictable. That’s the word that causes me the most stress, living here. You just never know what you’re going to run across. However, it also can cause a lot of laughter—because some days, if you don’t laugh, you just might cry!
The scene that confronted me as I was headed out the door to go get […]
“Anyone want to go to the pasar with me?” I occasionally ask the kids.
Their answer? No whoops of joy, no hollers of “yes, Mom, please!” Just moans, groans, and fists beating the floor.
I get it. The pasar, or open market, is not the most enjoyable place to visit. It stinks, there are puddles […]
Do you like clouds? I like certain kinds of clouds, like the bright, puffy ones that patch a blue sky, but I really don’t like low, gray clouds that blot out the sun and dull the day into tones of gray. Where we live in Wamena, Indonesia, at 5150 feet elevation, we have a lot […]
When you head overseas on your first assignment, you tend to be full of grand ideals. At least, I was. I was ready to do anything and everything for the Lord––teach underprivileged children, feed the poor, develop relationships with nationals, disciple new and growing Christians.
Eight years into this overseas missionary thing, I can’t say […]
Mpho* is among the throng of kids who come to our house to play. She is a beautiful 9-year-old girl, and I have made it my mission to befriend her.
A few months ago Mpho was excited about coming with us to our soccer outreach. When the time came to leave she was at our […]
I studied culture shock in college and read about its various stages: honeymoon, frustration, depression, and acceptance. Graphs showed how you start on the ‘high’ of the honeymoon phase and over time sink down through frustration to depression before eventually bouncing back up to acceptance, thus completing your bumpy culture shock trajectory.
We have been […]