Chasing after a nine month old has kept me quiet on this blog for a while. I took a break from writing to focus solely on my son and on this transition into motherhood (And a move! What are we crazy?) I have been savoring my time with Atlas because I know it goes so quickly. But …
Struggling with Re-Entry? This Retreat Might Be For You Read More »
In Part I I talked about some of the issues surrounding ethical adoption, now I’d like to talk about how we can do it better. Please know, my heart is NEVER to bring condemnation, because we all need grace and I am a huge proponent of self-compassion, but as we enter this adoption landscape I want …
Ethical Adoption Part Two: How We Can Do it Better Read More »
I lived on the red-earthed roads of Uganda for almost seven years. It’s so much different to live in a place than to visit it. Over time, you get to see the complexities of issues that others only have distorted, rosy snapshots of. Short term missions trips would see smiling faces of children in orphanages …
Ethical Adoption Part One: The Problem with Orphanages Read More »
When I was 26 I moved to Uganda to start a non-profit. I didn’t really identify as a “missionary” then because there was too much baggage associated with the term and I wasn’t “evangelizing” people, I was simply loving them as Jesus would. But new to the field, there was a lot I didn’t know …
4 Ways to Avoid the White Savior Complex in Missions Read More »
I got to see my baby today. He’s eight weeks and the size of a wild strawberry, tiny as a jelly bean with little limbs. The heart is already flickering at 172. I’d never seen my baby’s heartbeat. I’d never had a happy ultrasound. On the black and white screen this rainbow baby was hanging out upside …
I’ve realized in my work that when you want to serve people the way they want to be served and you’re not sure how to do that, it’s best just to ask. It’s amazing how validating and soothing the simple words, “What do you need?” can be. To this end, I’ve created a brief, 5 minute …
My first year on the mission field I experienced spiritual abuse, discouragement from others, debilitating sickness, isolation, culture shock, lies, theft, betrayal, setbacks, harassment, vicarious trauma, depression, and fatigue. As a single woman then, I went through most of this alone. And yet, somewhere within myself, I found the courage to continue on in my purpose …
It was July of 2006 in Mbale, Uganda. I was 25, single, and about to free fall down the side of a 320 ft waterfall. In the beginning abseiling sounded like a good idea, a way to prove to myself that I could get over any of my fears. But once I realized there was just a skinny, African …
I came home after a long day in the IDP camps, tired and sweaty with barely enough energy to make myself a sad bowl of pasta (for one) before I curled under the covers. I was journaling when I looked up and saw the largest spider I’d ever seen crawling across the ceiling. I unsuccessfully tried to kill it …
The Single Missionary, What the Church Should Know Read More »
Dear Future Missionary, I want you to know I feel you. I see your heart bursting with promise with all you will do. And I say yes, bring your expectations, your passion, your wild and crazy ideas, your belief that you can change the world and anything is possible. It’s what gets us all here, …
Dear Future Missionary: How to Prepare for Missions Read More »
At the age of twenty-four, I founded a ministry to help rehabilitate girl child soldiers in a war-torn region of Uganda. It was a ton of hard work. I was young, full of idealism and naiveté and I didn’t know very much then about how to build a thriving culture. As people came alongside me …
I haven’t been writing much lately. Life happened. I’d wanted to fall into summer’s sandy shores and slowed time with abandon. But mostly I got anxiety and tumult. I’m not a busyness lover, I’m a stillness lover. I always know I’m not doing well when the ink from my pen dries up. I hit a deep soul weariness …
