Devotional Day 30 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured and the earth produced its fruit. My brothers and sisters, if anyone…
Devotional Day 29 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? The he must call the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of…
*This blog is based on a recent sermon I gave in Burundi, centered on John 17. I encourage you to read the chapter slowly before reading this blog. John 17 is a unique chapter. It is the only time we get to listen in on an intimate conversation between Jesus and God the Father. The…
In much of the northern hemisphere, spring has arrived. The seasonal change is certainly evident here in the Middle East. Last month, when we took a picnic up to a lone tree on a hill, its March branches were still barren. It was that week that we celebrated “Nawruz,” the “new year celebration” that coincided…
Recently, my husband and I took a hike near Joshua Tree National Park, intentionally staying away from the popular trails to make “social distancing” easier. Indeed, we encountered no one else along the way, and felt safe from any COVID-19 contamination. The downside of avoiding trails is that the terrain is not well-worn and rocks…
Over the last two months our perception of COVID-19 has been constantly changing, and with it, our internal and external reactions. When mostly isolated in China, it was something foreign, distant, and therefore not very threatening. But as its territory gradually started to expand, infecting people of our nationality, then appearing on our soil, then…
The trail started out very clearly trodden, even though blanketed with a recent layer of leaves. Every so often a white, spray-painted mark on a tree would confirm that we were still on track, even after climbing over tree trunks that lay across the path and sloshing through pools of mud (some subtly concealed until…
It was my fifth time in Nigeria. The electricity was out, as usual. A water heater had been installed, but its reliance on electricity made the availability of a hot shower unpredictable. Fortunately, in July there were plenty of monsoons to fill up the water tanks, so most of the time I could at least…
The steep road was the kind where those who get car sick (me) have to avoid looking out the window. We were not quite sure of our exact destination (attempts to contact a local pastor had not yet been successful) as we headed up a mountain in the center of the island of Puerto Rico,…
Part 1: March 2017 It seemed like an awesome opportunity! I had connected with a non-profit organization working in Iraq and they expressed interest in bringing me out there to provide trauma training. Since I was already planning to go in the summer to Africa, I suggested coming “on the way.” But the heat of…