by Abby Alleman on September 28, 2017
My hands are shaking in a jerky vibration. My legs are unsteady as they threaten to give way. There are one hundred people in front of me. It is a group from a church which has just begun to support our ministry. My husband just introduced me. Now they are waiting to hear a part […]
by Jonathan Trotter on September 28, 2017
May of 2013, A Life Overseas co-founder Laura Parker wrote an article celebrating the site’s six-month anniversary and its first 100 posts. At that time, our Facebook community numbered about 800 folks. As of this writing, regular and guest writers have published 742 articles, with a community on Facebook exceeding 11,000 people! Thank you for […]
by Craig Thompson on September 27, 2017
When you visit a country where the people don’t speak your language, there are several important phrases you should know how to say: things such as “Hello” and “Goodbye,” “How much is this?” “Where’s the bathroom?” and “Can I have ice with my water?” But when you move to that country, the stakes become higher. The […]
by Elizabeth Trotter on September 25, 2017
For months now I’ve had writer’s block at A Life Overseas. I’ve been busy, yes, but mostly I’ve had writer’s block. So you haven’t seen me around here much. I have so many things to say in general (and I do so, on my personal blog), but when I sit at the computer and ask […]
by Editor on September 22, 2017
By Kris Gnuse I went from zero to sixty in the time it took to realize that the internet was down. Again. From nurturing wife planning a trip to the grocery store, to snipping, snapping grumpiness. The previous 10 days had been busy with blessings. A long brunch at a cozy café shared with other […]
by Jerry Jones on September 20, 2017
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” (Jim Rohn) Soak in that for a minute. Think it through. Is it true? For you personally? For everyone? For me it is one of those brilliantly profound and profoundly frustrating statements. It makes sense. A lot of sense. So much […]
by Rachel Pieh Jones on September 18, 2017
Dear expat friends who have my back and hold my heart, When I say my husband and I are arguing about packing suitcases and that my back hurts, you know what I mean. You’ve also slammed doors and said things you regret because peanut butter weighs a lot and tennis rackets don’t quite fit. Thanks […]
by Amy Young on September 15, 2017
Years ago, standing in our parent’s basement one of my sisters wondered what it would be like to deal with all of our dad’s paperwork. While not a hoarder in other areas, every piece of paper the man had touched through his life, he kept. In that moment, the Lord gave me this insight: All […]
by Anisha Hopkinson on September 13, 2017
This year, we needed a lot of extra money – $38,000.00 extra to be precise. Even though we’ve been at this whole support raising thing for more than a decade, that big number left me feeling a bit wobbly. I had two major doubts: Yeah God has provided in really cool ways in the past, […]
by Editor on September 11, 2017
By Anthony Sytsma Should churches send out “ordinary Christians” as missionaries? That is the question that came to my mind when I read an intriguing tweet from Chuck Swindoll: “Missions aren’t just for superstars. A missionary is just like you. Ordinary folks through whom God does the extraordinary.” On the one hand, I agree with this […]
by Marilyn on September 8, 2017
“So” said the kindly woman at the Baptist church. “You must want to be a missionary too when you grow up! Do you think God will call you too?” I recoiled. I hoped she wouldn’t see the visible distress on my face. She was so kind. She was so excited about my potential. How could […]
by Kay Bruner on September 5, 2017
Hey friends, I usually write a self-care post in January, but I just wanted to run through a quick self-care check-up with you this month, and give a few ideas if you find yourself needing a little pick-me-up. I like to use the Biopsychosocial model as a guide to make sure that we’re covering all […]