Success
Success. It means something different to everyone you ask. The context, time frame, and end result all depend on the person and the situation. So, what does success look like for me? At the end of my two years serving in North Africa, what will be my definition of success? What would have to happen for me to look back and think “yes, I was successful” in this season? I have been going through different cultural studies with my teammates and the one we are doing right now talks about sojourners. This study has shown me how much grace is truly offered through Jesus. While my human mind tends to… Read more
My Letter to Future Goers
Hey future Goers! After serving overseas for two years and choosing to stay long term, I have some thoughts I’d love to share with you. Hopefully you can learn from some of my mistakes and be inspired by how God can use anyone--especially those who feel weak. Support raising: Don’t be scared!!! Raising support is a joy and God can provide for you in ways you never thought possible. During the first few weeks of connecting with people, support poured in like a flood--emotionally, spiritually, and financially. When my husband and I first decided to work globally, I hated the idea… Read more
My Letter To Future Goers
Dear friends and future Goers, It’s crazy to write this final blog for you. When I wrote my first blog, I couldn’t begin to imagine the type of growth and stretching that the next two years would hold. Coming to the end of my two years, I’m feeling grateful for the many lessons that came from being stretched. I’m excited to share a few, and I hope they are encouraging as you set out on your own journey with God. Be open to where God wants you to go, whether that’s overseas or in the U.S. Never in my life did I ever think I was going to do ministry among unreached people groups in… Read more
A Journey to Mars
On July 30th, NASA launched their Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. This little rover has an exciting job of exploration and research in front of him. But Perseverance has a long way to go. He won’t actually land on Mars for another 7 months! If rovers have feelings, Perseverance might be feeling a little restless and impatient on his long journey. In many ways, the past 7 months here in Berlin have felt like a journey to Mars. The world has changed from what it was back when I landed in Berlin some of those changes have affected the process of settling into life here. There have been moments… Read moreMinistry of Love
When I was deciding whether or not to accept this placement in Ecuador, there was one major fear holding me back. I couldn’t speak Spanish! And to me, in my earthly understanding, this felt like a hard stop. So much of nursing, not to mention so much of working with vulnerable populations, is about communication. I am so careful of the words I use and their connotations. I could not imagine working in a different language where I was unfamiliar with the implications of the words I was using. And yet, as God made it clear that he was still opening this door to me… Read more
Seek the Good
My arrival into Santiago has been quite an unusual one. A little over a week after I landed, we went into lock down due to the covid-19 global pandemic - a reality that has significantly influenced the landscape of my time here. Amid this required (and important) time of isolation, I’ve been reflecting on that first week I had here in Santiago and the blessing it held. Santiago is a beautiful city. It’s peppered with green spaces and parks and is situated between rivers on both sides. My first few days here carried the beginning evidences of spring with tulips and daffodils flashing with… Read moreMelissa's Story
Imagine that you’re a six-year-old child. You’ve just left behind all that you know -- your home, friends, and relatives -- to start a new life in another country. You don’t know the culture or the language, and at school, the words coming out of your teachers’ and classmates’ mouths sound like gibberish. That sounds rather challenging, doesn’t it? Well, that’s the story of one our students named *Melissa, who entered BridgeWay at the beginning of this school year, not knowing any Spanish or English. When we first met Melissa, my fellow teachers and I were at a loss as to how to communicate… Read more
My Letter to Future Goers
I have now been back in America for a whole week. During this time, I'm having the opportunity to process these last two years, get used to the reality of being in the US again, and prepare for my next steps. I'm excited to say that I hope to continue working overseas for as long as God has me there. These last two years have been very foundational for my future as well as a major source of growth for me. He has taken me on quite a ride, and here are 7 things that I have learned these last two years. 1. Don't be afraid to use this time to develop yourself. Perhaps you will feel… Read moreA Clay Vessel (Two Blogs in One!)
3 March 2020 "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 2 Corinthians 4:1, 5-7 The thesis I took away from training in North Carolina is that I have absolutely nothing to… Read more