2019 is a little rocky so far. I am stuck in this in-between, like a kid right before they go to college, like those days between winter and spring when our world can’t decide which season it’s in. In less than a week I will travel back to my other home, the one that’s 9,000…
On Reminders
Earlier this week, my family celebrated Christmas together. The entire crew invaded my parent’s house on Friday night. Cozy and warm by the fire, we ate good food and played silly games. The kiddos ran around and tugged on our fingers, begging us to play one more round of hide and seek. We stayed up…
The Privilege of Being
I had been in Mae Sot a whole minute before the Father whispered into my ear, “Mary and Martha.” It was a slow morning, the first slow morning I had since leaving the States almost a week earlier. Kristy was on a short trip to Bangkok, and I was home alone fighting the kind of…
I am a Writer
I was a college freshman when my thinking began to change. This college decision had been easy for me. I knew I wanted to attend a Christian school, and I wanted to study writing. The Professional Writing program at Taylor University seemed to be the perfect fit. I walked into that space both certain and…
On Running From
Stop running. The Father’s kind whisper made tears fall hard and fast, mixing with the sweat pouring down my face. It was a Thursday afternoon on a particularly hard day for so many reasons that were difficult to even put into words. It was the kind of day that beckoned me to grab my bike…
On Daily Life
Lots of people have asked me or my family how I’m doing in Thailand. They want an update, something tangible they can understand and wrap their minds around. Here’s what I’ve learned–This life that I get to live is a gift, and I love getting to share it with others. So here’s what life looks…
This is my World
My world has transformed from the cornfields of Indiana, the sound of cicadas in the fall, dinners around the table with my family, my one-light small town, a 40-hour-a-week job at a church of 3,000, and English words and writing to something so very drastically different. The words and tones and writing of Thai and…
On Stillness
For me, there is a certain kind of beauty that comes in the stillness of the morning. These days, it seems as if the world around me struggles to wake up every day, like the sleep has clouded its eyes, like it’s a kiddo rubbing her eyes to stay awake. Or maybe, this stillness is…
The Rally Cry of my Soul
I lean not on my own understanding My life is in the hands of the maker of Heaven Song lyrics are incredibly meaningful to me. I tend to latch onto words or phrases in different seasons, searching out the perfect ones to connect me to the Father. In April, I had the chance to visit…
The Question He Asked on the Porch
My parents have an amazing porch. It stretches across the entire front of the house, and it has three porch swings with plenty of space for two people. I grew up on this porch. I remember sitting on the wooden swing in the summers, lost in a good book. I remember walking up the steps…
Always Together
Together. Always Together And He says, “Let the seasons change. Let’s do something new and Scary and Different and Unlike anything we’ve done so far.” He says, “Together. We will do this together. Always together.” In November 2017, my world felt like it was spinning out of control. Events happened that I did not, could…
This is No Man’s Land
There is this space between Thailand and Burma. It’s no more than a half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. It runs right up to the river separating the two countries. This space of land belongs to no one. Thailand doesn’t want it. Burma doesn’t want it. This is No Man’s…
