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... »
Iris Richard
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... »
The snowball effect
Fred was 19 when our paths crossed—a troubled ambitious youth in search of purpose. After leaving home as a teenager, he’d tried many different ways to make a living and... »
The big leap
It was snowing when we packed the last items into the container that was waiting at an appointed lot in an industrial area, almost ready to be shipped. This was the last... »