It’s Okay to have Expat Friends
I have found that very often there is this culture amongst cross-cultural workers that frowns upon socializing with other expats. Although there obviously needs to be a balance, I have found this idea quite flawed. We often tell ourselves “we are here to die to self, and embrace this new culture”, forgoing any ideas of comfort that come with “home”. We leave a meeting with a friend who is also a foreigner almost disappointed with ourselves because that time was not spent with locals. STOP IT! This unspoken “rule” of letting go of everything in the past is plain ridiculous and downright… Read more >>
Love is a Feeling, Not a Decision
I hope I got your attention with that title ;) now stay with me for a little bit… This week, I walked into my school, pretty tired and ready for some coffee. As I walked through the door, one of the facilitators of the school prepped me, “They are going to ask you if love is a choice or a feeling”. After grabbing my coffee, sure enough, as I sat down to join the teachers, a mix of the majority and believers, I was asked the infamous question. When I asked who had said what, I was shocked to find out that all the believers said that love was a choice, whereas all those in the… Read more >>
Do we grieve God’s heart when we do not Sabbath?
I had the blessing of attending a conference in Europe a couple weeks ago. While there, one of the things discussed was sabbathing. For someone like myself who does not know how to rest well and also lives in a high stress megacity, sabbathing is something I need to force myself into practicing. I wanted to share some thoughts that were brought up during this conference. Hopefully this will be the same kind, call to action I received. --- Sabbath was established by God from the beginning of time. Before sin entered the world, God exemplified its significance by resting himself. Additionally,… Read more >>
Processing Loss from Overseas
Last week, when I came home from a team meeting, I received a phone call from my parents telling me that my friend Daniel had passed away. The shock to hear that my 20 year old friend’s life was taken so suddenly is something I still have not processed through deeply. How does one even begin to grieve? How does one process grief thousands of miles away? As much as my heart broke, my heart felt even more shattered knowing how far away I am from my friends who are grieving as well. I found myself scrolling through social media for the next several days, reading every post I could find about… Read more >>