By Mary Van Rheenen Have you ever thought you were really doing a good deed only to discover that the intended beneficiaries did not appreciate your efforts at all? I can visualize parents all shaking their heads “yes.” The daughter did NOT want that sweater washed. At least not like THAT! I can visualize children … Continue reading
By Macarena Aldape We are from South Texas and have always been in the wrong place at the wrong time. We had never seen a snow fall. We have seen it on the ground, melting and mixed with mud, but no white winter wonderland. When it snowed in San Antonio, we were in the Rio … Continue reading
By Gennady Podgaisky “It pays to know how to play Backgammon.” This past January, my wife, Mina, and I were on extended medical leave in North Carolina. In one of those days, we met with a friend and ministry partner from a local Presbyterian church. As a part of her church’s ministry, she was helping … Continue reading
By Mary Young adults from around the world gather weekly for Bible study in our town in Southeast Asia. We were graced with the opportunity to initiate this group about three years ago. By and large, it’s a transient group. Many young adults come to our town for three months to a few years for … Continue reading
By David Bass Last year, we moved to a house not far from the airport. From the time she was about eighteen months old, our daughter started taking note of all these planes now flying overhead. Whenever she heard one, she would stop whatever she was doing, her mouth would open in amazement, she would … Continue reading
By Missy Ward-Angalla Two years ago, I sat next to Sherry at the hospital while she was in labor. She looked into my eyes, placed her hand. over mine, and said , “Thank you, Missy. I don’t know what I would have done without you all. I had completely lost hope.” Nine months earlier Sharifah found herself in the … Continue reading
By Tina Bailey Over the past few years I have written several times about Anne. She is one of the women I have mentored over the years in the prison in Bali. Well, Anne was freed (sort of) on February 21. I say sort of, because she really is not free yet. As I write this … Continue reading
By Karen Alford The last several weeks of March were all about death and dying. I suppose it was an appropriate precursor to Easter. I’ll tell you about just one of the several cases I’ve been dealing with, the one has been the closet to my heart. Marie came to our wound care clinic about six … Continue reading
By Laura Foushee We knew that when we could eventually return to Japan, we would be returning to a different Japan than the one we knew before the pandemic. We have been back in Japan over a month now, yet the differences are not as readily apparent as I thought they might be. For our family, much … Continue reading
By Greg Smith From time to time since 2017, our immigration legal services program would get a call from a youth-age or young-adult immigrant asking, “Is it time yet? Can I apply for DACA?” Every time the question was asked, I would usually respond, “Have you ever had DACA?” and if the answer was no, my response was … Continue reading
