Embracing change
My world began to turn upside down when many of the familiar ways I was used to for years threatened to unravel. Our long-term housing contract ran out, and one by one th... »
Iris Richard
A small act of kindness
Receiving the sad news of the death of our friend Willie, and thinking about the times we were able to help this dear man who’d had a tough lot in life, I was reminded ab... »
Adversity = opportunity
What can you do when the storms of life are greater than you are, when the winds and waves crash into your hopes and dreams and leave you shattered, to the point where yo... »
5 ways to relax
Every morning, I wake up and board an express train leaving from fast-track station. As I speed along life’s rails, I stare out the window and think. Where has the time g... »
The gift of faith
Recently, while I was waiting for my appointment in the lounge of a local business, I watched a large screen displaying the company’s products. Each one was given a “befo... »
A ray of light in the dark
I was on my way to an important appointment, which unfortunately was scheduled during the city’s much-dreaded morning rush hour. If at all possible, I try to plan my day... »
Small beginnings
Countless stories and parables are told of small beginnings that lead to greater ends. This is my own small beginnings story. It was a comment from a stranger that got me... »
Boiling stones
By May 2020, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had created serious conditions for thousands of families who live in informal settlements in Kenya and rely on day-labor... »
A different take on goals
As the 2020 new year began, I had a long list of goals and plans. I had high expectations and hoped to reach at least half of the items on my list. The year started off w... »
The will to live
Last year, during one of our aid projects in a poor community, we met Benson, a young freelance reporter. He offered to take some professional photos for our website. On... »
The road to faith
I was born in 1955 into a family of blue-collar workers. At the time, Germany was in reconstruction mode after the devastation of WW2. “Work hard and grit your teeth” see... »
Willie and the five-minute favor
We were just finishing up the distribution of 50 ten-kilo care packages to poor people—most of them widowed or disabled—in a hall at the edge of one of the largest slums... »
When at the bottom of the barrel
The other morning I read a passage from Acts, where Paul, in his farewell speech to the church of Ephesus, talked about living life generously and working hard to make su... »