Back in 2021, I was hiking up a mountain with a group of English students and friends. It was a steep and seemingly endless climb of hand-placed stone steps leading ever upwards. The sun hung low in the sky as my friends made plans to race to the top before sunset,...
I was sitting on a woven mat in a bamboo-walled house with other people who were talking in a language I did not know. I had no idea what they were talking about, so not surprisingly, I felt a bit lonely. Another time I was conversing with people in a language we all...
Many of our overseas workers live in places with limited access to goods and services that much of the world’s population take for granted. During a recent visit, the mother of one of our teammates saw stark differences between her home country and the rural location...
When we landed in West Africa for the first time, I naturally took everything in through my own cultural lens, though I mistakenly believed myself to be open-minded and impartial. It is a noble goal to be unbiased in our assessments of life, but since the only way we...
What is holiness? Is it purity? Being set apart? Or is it being chosen, dedicated, or sanctified? Holiness is all of these, and how these aspects interconnect can be illustrated with a story about a peanut butter jar. In Papua New Guinea we used lots of matches....
It was 1993. I was in junior high at the time, sporting fluffy bangs, big glasses, and braces, and my main worry was navigating the crowded halls of Kirby Junior High so as to ensure a seat in class next to someone I knew. Activities at school and church consumed most...
Checks and Balances The air conditioner gently hummed behind me, making a valiant effort to cool the room and remove some of the 95% humidity of Madang, Papua New Guinea. I sat at one corner of a conference table, staring into my laptop screen, comparing what I was...
Our God is merciful. Every day He lovingly provides for the needs of His children. With the unusual situations they face, missionaries are in a position to be keenly aware of these daily mercies. Martha Wade is a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea. The village where...
“You will be my witnesses,” Jesus told His disciples soon before He ascended to heaven. “But first, wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.” Wait? This was the beginning of Jesus’ plan to change the world? It’s certainly not the way...
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, 21st Century KJV) In January 2021, we found out we were having twins, taking our family from three to...
Believe it or not, there is a road somewhere under all that water! During the rainy season in semi-arid North Africa, rivers overflow and dirt roads can become nearly impassable. As missionaries, sometimes the road ahead also seems impassable. First there are...
It was hot that day, I remember. And not just because every day in this West African capital city is hot, but hot because the sun was shining with an unequaled intensity, pulsing in waves through the air and saturating every surface. Stepping into the African taxi, I...