By Nell Green It was a marvelous Thanksgiving. The house was full to be sure, but everyone had a place to rest, even the dogs! The table was expanded with an extra table set for the younger ones in our group. The fridge was full, the counter tops laden, the desserts aplenty. Were we missing … Continue reading
By Jenny Jenkins, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Children and books—there is just something about that combination that gets my energy up. I get excited about the possibilities when a child learns to read—the windows of the imagination and new ideas that are then open. Seeing a child’s face light up when reading something funny or … Continue reading
By Nell Green A few years ago, my son introduced me to a song, “I’m Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table”. It is a song they sing weekly at the beginning of their Sunday gathering. The anonymous author of the spiritual was likely an enslaved person. The song was adapted and used during the civil … Continue reading
By Dianne McNary, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel The English language discussion club, meeting at the State Scientific Library in Kosice, recently began in-person meetings again. After more than two years of virtual meetings, it was odd to walk back into our meeting space—to see members who have become friends through the years and to … Continue reading
By Nell Green Norma lived very simply in a one-bedroom apartment in Ohio. We were in France for language study having just arrived on the field when the first letter from Norma came. I do not know how she got our names, what prompted her to write, or if she was searching for a long-term … Continue reading
By Nell Green It was my senior year of high school. Two of the girls I would be rooming with at university were having a luncheon to celebrate their graduation. Everyone was invited, including my best friend. Everyone except me. I wondered what I had done to be excluded or why I was considered so … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.“ —John … Continue reading
By Jenny Jenkins What to do when you don’t have all the ingredients for a cake? A good cook will improvise, find substitutions, and will perhaps even have a bit of fun doing so. In life, it is sometimes fun to improvise on projects and play the part of the innovative chef but other times, … Continue reading
By Matt Norman The core vision for the ministry in which we are engaged in here in the Barcelona area involves creating and assisting in the development of “safe” spaces that express the fullness of the gospel message where people can come to recognize both themselves and others as valued creations of God. That vision … Continue reading
By Grayson Hester North Macedonia (commonly referred to as simply “Macedonia”) doesn’t loom large on the radars of many Americans. In the shadow of much larger and more influential European countries, this small nation near Albania tends to get overlooked. Whereas France and Germany, for example, contain internationally renowned metropolises, Macedonia by and large, features … Continue reading