Personal Accounts
Absence makes the heart fonder
Several months after our third child was born, I found myself struggling to pull out of a “post-birth slump.” My daily routine was blurring into a continuum of chores and... »
Two secrets
Everyone has an idea of what peace and contentment look like to them. I think of green rolling hills and a cottage in the woods with a beautiful garden. I think of spendi... »
How to eat a bison
“I just can't do it; it's too much work for me!" Robbie cried with despair in his eyes. I'd been helping to homeschool Robbie from first grade, and at the start of second... »
The hobbit mirror
I finally got around to changing something that had discouraged me for years. We had put a rather cheap, full-length mirror on the back of our bedroom door some years ago... »
The reward of faith
“Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” Elisha’s servant asked. The king of Aram (present-day Syria) was at war with ancient Israel and had sent an entire army to the city of Do... »
Climbing Mount Dinara
It had been a long, busy summer with many projects and activities focused around keeping our Croatian volunteer center functioning smoothly, and my husband Paolo and I we... »
Overcoming today
I spent a lot of my youth traveling on public transport. The buses in Poland were often so crowded that you could literally be held up by the crowd without putting any we... »
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... »
A sound mind
I am by nature something of a worrywart, almost constantly preoccupied with one worry or another. I am also a multitasker. I can do just about anything and worry at the s... »
Growing pains
During a weekly spelling test with a class of first-graders, I noticed that one of my students, Cindy, hadn’t written anything on her test. “I can’t remember any answers!... »
A pilgrim’s journey
My favorite railway in the world is Australia’s Indian Pacific. The line runs between Sydney on the east coast to Perth on the west coast, traversing a whole continent an... »