"Hey, could I drop in with one of the counselors just to 'declare' my program of study?" "Um, drop-in hours are Tuesday and Wednesday—" "Sooo... Can I drop in?" What's the magic word? What am I missing? "It's Thursday." Life has been so lovely lately. God is working (as always, of course), God loves me, and … Continue reading thursday
Here is a short story I wrote for my writing class that is loosely based on a Mark Twain speech. “Gertrude!” a woman yelled up the stairs to her young daughter. A pudgy, young girl of short stature bounded down the stairs, taking each one as if falling from the one before. Her short brown … Continue reading Advice Applied: A Humorous Short Story Based on a Mark Twain Speech
We had to leave for the airport to go home at 5 am. I woke up at 4:55 am. Thankfully, I had been very detailed in my planning and had everything ready to go, so I just had to throw on clothes, grab my things, and run out in my bear feet! It was cold. … Continue reading Stories from Germany, Day 10
We completed the major projects that the missionary had for us a bit early, so on Saturday, we went out for another day of sightseeing. We went to Heidelberg and ate lunch there (I think - we may have had lunch at the house, I can't quite remember.) and then walked the streets and bought … Continue reading Stories from Germany, Day 9
These were the work days. We worked on a building that will someday be a meeting center for missionaries in Germany. My job was mostly cleaning and organizing, but that first day, I did a fair amount of heavy lifting up and down stairs. That was not a cup of tea. There was a retired … Continue reading Stories from Germany, Days 5-8
This is the second post about my time in Germany. Day 3: Sunday A German church service is longer than an American one. Or it just feels that way because it was all in German and I didn't understand a word of it. Then came the part when our group got to sing In Christ … Continue reading Stories from Germany, Days 3-4
From March 3rd through March 12th, I took a trip to Germany to help out in the building of a center for missionaries there. The place will be used for training and hosting many people who go to minister to Germans in this beautiful country. I am so thankful for the opportunity and for the people who … Continue reading Stories from Germany, Days 1-2
It was a quiet, calm, slow Summer Sunday evening. I hopped on my bike and rode for maybe ten minutes, going to a place I often went to think and pray and hope. It was a forest trail; a long, winding, rising and falling path that welcomed the thoughtful soul. Birds chattered in the earlier … Continue reading Quite Conversational: 7th Day Adventists
All sixteen years of my life, I've talked to everyone. One day last summer, I had a conversation with two Muslim women I met in the park. That day, I had gone through a rather usual routine of going to the library, getting a book, and running down to the gas station to get a … Continue reading Quite Conversational: Muslims in the Park
It is August 7th, 2002. It is a bright, warm day. I am born; a boy, twenty-one inches, seven pounds, two ounces. My ‘ami and ‘ab give me the name “Najma,” which means “star.” On the two-hour drive from the hospital, they are hopeful. They have been married seventeen years. They have just restarted the … Continue reading Najma – A Short Story
