My Letter To Future Goers
My letter to future goers: Taking two years of your life to move to a new country and serve people in the name of God is no small matter. Here are some things I wish someone would have told me before I moved halfway across the world. Start by doing your research. I don’t just mean googling the easy things to find about your host country. Try to find a local in your hometown from that country and take them to coffee. Start reading books by people from the area to which you are moving. There is no better way to learn about the culture than hearing the voices of those who have lived there and... Read more
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
How Deep The Father's Love For Us
Happy Valentine’s Day! I leave for two weeks of training in Chicago in two days. I look forward to learning more about cross-cultural ministry and how I can be more effective in my country. I am especially looking forward to reuniting with some of the Goers I met in training last September! It’s a good feeling to know you have friends all over the world. It makes it seem a bit more welcoming, knowing a familiar face is never too far away. I am at about 87% funded monthly. It’s definitely been a bit of a struggle to gain these last few hundred dollars in monthly support, but God is... Read more
My Letter to Future Goers
Dear Future Goers, and to the saints throughout the world, Reflection is a powerful tool. Often times, it is difficult to see how God is actively and presently working in our lives. This is especially true during the busy times, the stressful times, the painful times. But still, He has created creatures that He loves. And He created us to think, reflect, and pause regularly. I’ve been “off the field” for just under two months now. And the transition, as expected, and warned, has not been smooth sailing. But, by the Grace of God, He has been, and still is, using this transition... Read more
Counting Every Blessing
Earlier this year, my friend sent me the picture above. Just a couple weeks after I got that picture, news about the corona virus started flooding my newsfeed. And though I’m pretty far from the epicenter of the outbreak, many of my friends and family have reached out to me with concerns and some have urged me to come home. It’s only been not even to 2 months into 2020 and I feel like that picture above is already so true. I personally feel fine though and my team is fine as well. So we’re not going anywhere! We’re all safe and have been taking the pre-cautions of the area around us. We... Read more
UNO: The Minority Game
Ignorance. Lack of knowledge or information. Cultural Appropriation.The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of elements - customs, practices, ideas - of a minority culture by members of a more dominant culture. Frustration. A common emotion that results from the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something. In other words: a result of the above. Situations like these are inevitable. For all minorities - both men and women. It’s something that we’re used to dealing with. It’s something we’re used to seeing in our daily lives, whether that’s... Read more
Rejuvenating Guidance
I recently read an article by Jon Bloom related to Psalm 3:5-8. [Pro 3:5-8 NASB] "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones." He noted that these two statements (5-6 and 7-8) and their associated promises are coupled together, even though many people only have the first memorized. Bloom also points out that the requirements for the first... Read more
"Who Made Man's Mouth?"
As of this week my husband and I will have lived here for one year. It is hard to believe how much has happened this year--how much we have learned and experienced. I am thankful for God’s faithfulness through it all, both the good times and bad. However, this week I took another language fluency test and in the days leading up to it I felt fears and insecurities rising up to the surface--things that I thought had been silenced for a while, but still reared their ugly heads. Here is my journal entry: "Yesterday I felt really discouraged with language practice. I feel like I just fail... Read more
Arabian What? and Breaking Bread
What do you get when you take a British-American and Egyptian and put them in a French grocery store? This sounds like the opening to a joke; in reality, it was the start of a nearly nine-hour struggle to bake feeter, a kind of Arabic bread, pastry, or pie (depending on who you ask). This past Thursday’s theme for our English event at the university center was Arabian Night (cue the song from Aladdin). The day before, I met with Saher, my teammate who lead the event, at the grocery store to buy the supplies. One hour later we were still languishing in Geant, the larger of the two grocery... Read more