Living Like an Artist
As this first year overseas draws to a close, the Lord gave me a picture that characterizes full-time ministry: My husband’s cousin is a very talented artist, but at first he didn’t want to pursue art as his career because he knew it wouldn’t pay well, it would be hard work, and he was worried that if art became his job he would grow sick of it and lose the joy. So for a year, he jumped from job to job, never finding contentment in his work. Finally, he decided that he needed to be an artist. It was his passion, and he knew that even if it was hard, there would always be joy. Working full-... Read more
Good Shepherd
Over the last week, I've had very little sleep. I've been the bergère (shepherd) for the DEFI Bible students. This means that I am responsible for the various needs of the students, I make sure people are where they need to be, I pray at meals, I have daily things prepared, and I plan a special event for the group. My theme has been gifts of the magi, so I've had a seeking the star game going, I been making gifts for each student, and I wrote a riddle-driven city-wide scavenger hunt. In short, I need a nap. Instead, when we went down to town from the mountains, there was a sharp... Read more
*Bonus: Thanksgiving Special*
Something that really stuck out to me from a sermon quite a few years ago was the importance of being grateful. Our pastor said an attitude of gratitude, or a thankful heart, fights fear (and many other things) because they can’t exist in the same place at the same time. I’ve always considered myself a fairly agreeable person, pretty thankful for most things, but practicing gratitude takes a conscious effort. At training in North Carolina, someone shared that, (by some way of research- I’m sorry I can’t remember the official details) when asked about how missionaries... Read moreDear Future McCanns,
Dear Future McCann’s, I’m writing this at the 9-month marker of living in Peru. Maybe we’ll have to refer to this for a reminder at the 9-month-1-week marker, or maybe in 10 years. A collaboration of things we’ve learned over the past nine months, things we never want to forget, lessons we want to foster; written for the future Matt and Sophie: Future McCann’s, it is SO true that God reveals Himself through discomforts. Hard things. Broken people. Uncomfortable relationships. Your own lack of adequacy. So NEVER say NO to something out of fear of discomfort. Seek out hard things... Read more
A Different Kind of Friendsgiving
Hey, Friends! A fun event we did before Thanksgiving was my roomate and I hosted a women's dinner in our apartment. We invited several women from the English class and asked them to make their favorite food from their country to share with everyone. We also had several women from a local church come and build friendships. All the women had a lot of fun sharing the food they cooked and some of them brought their kids who added a lot of humor to the evening. It was fun to think of the night as a friendsgiving even though my roommate and I didn't initially think of it that way. With the... Read more
Who is in Control ?
Hey guys, Wow it has been 2 months of support raising. I call my support team Team Sunflower because Sunflowers are awesome lol.This time of raising support has been surprisingly really great for me. I love people, but I hate asking people to do stuff , and making plans. I’m in no way at all a chill nonchalant person (more like type-a neurotic). So it's not that it kills my vibe to make plans with people, It's just that making plans and sticking to them is really hard for me to do (enneagram - 7). So to me support raising would be really uncomfortable and really the opposite of how I am.... Read more
My Letter to Future Goers
Future Goers, I wanted to share with you some thoughts I had on my birthday this year. As we usually tend to do on our birthdays, I was reflecting on the past year and all that God had done... Never in my wildest dreams did I think that at 26 I'd be living in the Middle East with my husband, ministering to people from some of the most closed countries in the world. The day after my birthday we had plans to get together with a group of our friends to co-celebrate my birthday and the birthday of one of our beloved Afghan friends we work alongside multiple times a week. Thinking of this, I was... Read more
Now what?
Remember that fish tank scene at the end of Finding Nemo? The tank gang has finally carried out their elaborate plan of escaping from the dentist office. As they find themselves sitting in the harbor just like they’d imagined, still in their plastic bags, the blowfish asks, “now what?” That’s kind of what coming to Spain felt like. There was so much preparation and anticipation. Most of my focus was on the actual act of getting myself over here in the midst of visa drama, packing, and keeping my guitar from getting smashed on the airplane. And once I arrived, the first few weeks went by in a... Read more
Today was Rich
Today was rich in so many senses of the word. It was rich in provision, Laughter, Frustration, Prayer, Hope, Searching for the best in people, Stress, Gifts, Babies, Friendship, Work, Support, Over the top cheesecake and coffee, Conversation, Fog, Wonderful stories of looking back, and Looking forward. It was rich in unique Hope, excitement, and bitter-sweetness. And I am trying to savor and remember each one. It’s as if the fact that there is an official end in sight (I am officially moving back to the US in June), that I long and savor and appreciate each beauty. But you can’t do that... Read more