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 was born in 1981 so I think that technically makes me a Millennial missionary. (Maybe I should duck and run for cover now?) Let’s face it, a lot of people crap on Millennials. Fairly or unfairly they’ve gotten a bad rap. We’ve all seen the John Crist spoofs about the entitlement of the Millennial generation. They’re …
Recently, my friend Jeff Goins, who runs a writing course I’ve taken (Tribe Writers) challenged us to write a manifesto about something we care about. Many of you know I write a lot about modern day missions and social justice based on my six years spent living in a war affected region of Uganda as a missionary and …
Baby E* is just the cutest little guy ever. And he just got adopted! Baby E, 11 months They say that once you hold your baby you forget everything that happened before. All the pain, all the tears dissolve into the glow of tiny fingers and tiny toes. The red birth becomes bright. Even …
When I come back to America, it’s often hard for me to describe what exactly I do. To say that I experience culture shock is an understatement. I am both in awe and terrified of Walmarts, large crowds of people, loud restaurants, and escalators. I seem to be perpetually cold because my body is un-accustomed …
Last year, Niclete was just another woman in Uganda living in the slums, trying to provide for her family of growing children, alone. Last year, she did not have a job, or access to maternal health care. Last year, Niclete gave birth to a still-born baby boy, body too twisted. Last week, God redeemed …
When I first came to Uganda’s green earth six years ago at what I thought was the overly mature age of 26, Pauline was one of the child mothers I met who I was immediately drawn to. She had a quiet spirit about her and a face that spoke volumes of the hardships she’d …
Sometimes things get ugly. These babes of mine, they fight. And no I’m not just talking about my 5, 6, 7, and 8 year olds, but my grown women. Sometimes my friends here laugh at me and say how can I be a mama and a grandma (yes, it’s true—baby Dominion is in full effect!) …
For some reason, before this year, I had never actually watched the African Queen. Which seems absurd from someone who spends most of her time in East Africa. I decided on my sabbatical that this was a wrong which needed to be righted. What struck me most was the determination of Catherine Hepburn. She …
Taste and see our life in Gulu, Uganda where we get to spread love every day.
So the rain pours sweet and cold. Washes away the dusty road grime. Cleans us. Fresh, like His love. I’m driving home after a long, sweaty day. I hold the tears back. 7 hours at the hospital. No food. No water. Only to find out another one. Another one has HIV. And she’s pregnant. Alone …
We sidestep trash and puddle-filled stench. We move through the narrow corridor of buildings in the slum. And there in the midst of it all, we find glory. In the small, dark room we huddle. We’ve come to love. To stay. In solidarity. When Niclete starts to sing, tremorous and brave, the women start …
