Stories

There is a scene in the Movie ‘Mother Teresa’. She is riding through the roads of Calcutta. It’s like she begins to see her surroundings from a different set of eyes as she drives through the streets and looks out the window. The cries of the hurting seem louder. Those who are begging in the…

Rwanda I look around this country. Green. Plush. Beautiful. Clean. Growing. Flourishing. You would have never known it was covered with such bloodshed 15 years ago. Around one million people slaughtered in 100 days in the genocide. One Million. The stories of forgiveness here after the genocide are simply more than human. It is not…

So many more blogs before this one… but this is the only one completed. And one of the most recent. Thank you for prayers and support – both financially and in your heart. Sitting down at the Catholic Guest house tonight to eat dinner. I am the only guest here and have been for the…

This is a blog from Bethany on her recent trip to Democratic Republic of Congo: At the foot of a volcano. Underneath a mosquito net. Surrounded by strength. In the heart of darkness. “Welcome Home” Jeanette said to me this morning. Her smile lights up the room. Short but Assured. She is not afraid to…

I have a sweet, sweet soul in my life that has been through similar experiences of abuse, exploitation and hurt in her life. She advocates for these children and has worked tirelessly to deal with her own trauma. Before Alaina and I left for this trip, she sent me an email that said: I hope…

I have a confession. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be Little Orphan Annie. I went around my house dancing and spinning with my arms outstretched singing about the sun coming out tomorrow and dreaming of having red curls. To be honest, I kinda still do that sometimes. And then there was…

  There are small things I have learned to love in this life of mine. Like how the shadow of my pen prances in the sunlight on the page when I write these words. Like how the denseness of the morning air causes a heaviness on the pages of my journal and how the ink…

When I first saw her, I knew something was different about her. When she speaks, she looks around the room. Her movements are somewhat odd and she touches her stomach at inappropriate times. She occasionally lifts her shirt up for no apparent reason, but not high enough to reveal her development. She has a difficult…

Sitting outside on deck 8 of the Africa Mercy under a full moon, on a breezy night watching the deck hands across the way load and unload cargo. It feels a little like I’m in the movie the Titanic. Except I’m in Africa doing ministry work on a Ship of 300 that provides medical services…

Some people talk about hunger, but they don’t come and say, “Mother, here are five rupees. Buy food for these people.” But they can give a most beautiful lecture on hunger. I had the most extraordinary experience once in Bombay. There was a big conference about hunger. I was supposed to go to that meeting…