“When you grow up, you can be whatever you want to be,”
There is a woman here who I absolutely adore. She is such a role model and I look up to her so much. The more I hear about her story, the more I feel connected to her, and the more I recognize that there is indeed hope for the person I will one day grow to be. This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to the beach with her and some other women who also work in ministry near me. On the first evening, we worshipped together. I was standing behind this role model of a woman, and when she put out her hand- her weathered, freckled, watch wearing hand- I remembered that... Read more
Dear Griever, You Are Not Alone
Dear Fellow Griever, I am naturally terrible at change. From childhood, I’ve avoided or fought against the unexpected, the unknown, and the new. I find it ironic that God has led me to cross-cultural missions, because missionaries constantly have to deal with all of these things, and even embrace them! Over time I’ve grown in my willingness to adapt. I lived in Nicaragua for three months, Uganda for ten weeks, and moved here to Mexico last year, expecting to stay two years. Because I’ve had all this past experience with cross-cultural ministry, I didn’t expect to struggle with the change... Read more
We Crashed the Birthday Party…
Having never been an older sister before, and now having my adopted Little and Extra Mama, I’m learning a lot about the fun advantages of being a big sister. For example, a few weeks ago, my little sister was invited to a classmate’s birthday party. It was a pretty big deal. My Extra Mama, being friends with the classmate’s mama, knew that I might really enjoy getting to know their family, so she asked if she could bring me and if we could come a liiiitttle bit early to pick up my little sister from their house. ... Oh yes, we crashed the birthday party. I... Read more
Always Seen...
Hello to all who read this blog. February passed so quickly and it seems it has been such a long time since I have “touched base,” with you in this way. I just wanted to share a quick story with you all of, what I call, “ministry outside of ministry,” that I encountered this Monday after school when I took my little “adopted sister” on a walk to the park. We sat down and we talked, and we talked, and we talked. And I listened. At one point she told me that back in June when I moved in next door, she told herself, “Wow, can you believe that there’s this person standing in front of you, who,... Read moreThe Many Versions of Love
Yesterday the United States celebrated Valentine’s Day and Ecuador celebrated día de amor y amistad (day of love and friendship), and it got me thinking about all the different forms of love there are in this world. There’s romantic love, familial love, platonic love…and then there’s all the things we call love but really aren’t, like lust. All the true types of love are beautiful and necessary for fullness of life, but none of them can compare to the perfect love that God has for us. This kind of love, called agape love, is (by one definition) the selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional... Read more
More than just pozole
Recently, my host mom invited me to lunch at her cousins' house. At first, I didn't know where their house was or how long we would be there, but since it was a Sunday afternoon, and this would be a great way to build relationship with my host family, I accepted the invitation. As we all hopped in the car, I asked where we were going (I had no idea until that point). It turned out that their house was in Xochimilco, about 30 minutes away from our house. After driving endlessly through the busy streets of Mexico City, we finally arrived in front of the large gates leading up to the house. My... Read more
Encounter in the Park
If you’ve been following my newsletters, you’ll remember that I went to the park in the beginning of December, and after having a strange feeling that I should bring an extra coffee mug, I did indeed receive an unexpected visitor when a little girl (and her little dog too!) appeared in the quiet park and stopped a while to chat. This evening park-picnic ended with an invitation to a second more official park-picnic. I wasn’t quite sure how God would use this, but I knew He would. Within the SAME WEEKEND, I got the idea that maybe God was using that first encounter in... Read more
Those One on Ones
“Well, how are you doing?” A long pause. A sigh. Silence… “Umm, well… so often I just feel… like I’m just messing up… all the time… and I’m struggling and upset, and going through stuff… and I don’t know what I’m doing… and you call me and say things like, ‘I’m so proud of you, I’m encouraged to see your life, and watch you say yes to God over and over again,’ and… sometimes I don’t even want to talk to God. Even though I know deep down that I love Him with all my heart… I just… don’t want to read my Bible enough, and I’m just… not the leader role model that you would think... Read moreAdvent Reflections
The observance of Advent, a time of heart preparation for the celebration of Jesus Christ becoming flesh, is not something I’ve been very aware of or focused on in past years. This year I am seeking to more fully engage in anticipation and longing for the coming of Jesus into our weakness and need as Savior, Counselor, Healer, and Prince of Peace. What a gracious and loving God who would humble Himself in this way to restore to us the relationship with Him that we had rejected! I’m enjoying a weekly advent devotional with the church plant team in Mexico City, and also going through this free... Read more