–Originally published on FWB21 December 10, 2012– For the past three years, we have been living in a near-constant state of transition. After we returned from Spain, at no point in time did we ever expect to be in the U.S. for more than six months. A year seemed unfathomable. But after every few months, we were delayed again… and again. So here we are, almost three years later… still in transition, waiting for our visas so we can depart for a new area of Spain. Looking back over the past three years, there are a number of things we would have done differently had we known that we’d be here for such an extended period of time. But I […]

–Originally published on FWB21 December 15, 2011– Last night has been my lowest point so far since the news of our indefinitely delayed departure for Spain. The full realization of all the implications of staying here finally hit my emotions. The pain and sorrow flooded over me and the tears burned hot. I felt alone, hopeless, helpless, and purposeless. Honestly, I wanted to wallow in my sorrow. I wanted to just curl up in a ball and have a pity party. But I could not–my family needs me right now. That’s when another realization hit me: I have nothing left to give. A number of people are depending on me right now, and I am emotionally and mentally drained. I […]

–Originally published on FWB21 October 13, 2011– There are a number of spectrums available for analyzing cultures (time vs. event orientation, shame vs. guilt, dichotomistic vs. holistic thinking, etc.) One of these spectrums–task vs. relationship orientation–is of particular interest to me. Task-oriented people have the tendency to work on a task to the detriment of relationships. Relationship-oriented people, on the other hand, tend to focus more on people while ignoring or delaying the task at hand. Both have strengths and weaknesses, and neither are inherently wrong. As you are probably already aware, this week has begun 40 days of prayer and fasting. What does that have to do with analyzing culture? I’m glad you asked! Since we are immersed in […]

–Originally published on FWB21 September 9, 2011– How do you portray Jesus? Well, simply put, you portray Him the way you perceive Him. Let me explain. During this first week of training at CIT, we have taken tests to determine our personality and learning styles. Now, you may not put much stock in tests like these, but I think they are great tools for better understanding ourselves and why we each have certain tendencies. They can also help us to understand how to better relate to one another (as you will see). During one of the small-group sessions in which we were grouped according to personality similarities, we were asked to discuss the things we admired most about Jesus. I […]

–Originally published on FWB21 August 29, 2011– We are busily preparing for a move to the mountains of North Carolina to attend the Center for Intercultural Training with our teammates. One of the textbooks we are reading in preparation for class opens with an excellent illustration on the importance of contextualization and cross-cultural training, so I thought I’d share it with you. A typhoon had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a secure, protected place, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and in need of assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish. […]

–Originally published on FWB21 July 30, 2011– The first few times we tried to make tortilla ended in either disaster or a barely edible form of something that vaguely resembled tortilla. (For those of you not familiar with this delicious food, Spanish tortilla is a concoction of potatoes, eggs, olive oil, salt, and a healthy dose of labor. It’s the common Spanish equivalent of Southern biscuits.) Then I had a lesson from the master. Petra, the aging mother-in-law of José Manuel Parrón, invited us into her home–and her kitchen–to give us a lesson on making her perfect, tasty, gone-the-minute-it-hits-the-table tortilla. She walked me and my mother through the process from peeling and thinly slicing the potatoes, to cooking them down, […]

–Originally published on FWB21 June 18, 2011– After almost two weeks away, it’s good to be home. Our own beds, our normal routine, our comfortable life. In the car yesterday, with a few hours left to travel, our 4-year-old asked me, “Mommy, where are we going now?” “Home, dear! We’re going home.” His next question surprised me a bit: “Where is that?” Now, if you know our son, you know that memory is not one of his weak points. He knows full well where we live right now, but in his short life span he also remembers living in a trailer next door to my parents and living in an apartment in Spain. I think he was just looking for […]

–Originally published on FWB21 June 12, 2011– Tonight during E-TEAM training, we had the great privilege of hearing Mrs. Lorene Miley speak. At “fourscore and some years,” Mrs. Miley joyfully and personally connected with her audience of teens (and adults, too!) as she shared the testimony of what God has done in her life and the road down which He led her to Africa and back. Mrs. Miley’s recurring statement was this: God speaks the language of the heart. Even when we do not, or cannot, speak, God hears and understands our hearts. As she spoke, my mind recalled passages such as “obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” and “a broken and contrite […]