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... »
Iris Richard
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... »
The power of gratitude
In a video clip I watched on YouTube some time ago, one of the participants in a panel was talking about a trying time in her life that had led to serious depression. A f... »
My tapestry
Have you ever felt like life took you down the wrong road, or that things just weren’t meant to work out for you? There was a time when my life didn’t seem to make any se... »