When Disaster Strikes
August 10, 2020
Are you paralyzed by disasters or able to find hope in the midst of the storm? What do you do when disaster strikes? … More When Disaster Strikes
Category: Middle East Musings
Worth the Effort
June 17, 2019
One of the hard things about the Christian life, and one that the world doesn’t get, is praying in faith. Two things are important to remember in this: The prayers are lifted up to the God of all creation through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not praying in blind … More Worth the Effort
New Year, New Life
June 14, 2019
The year was 1993. We were living in Damascus, Syria. I look up from my computer and out my window, thinking how long ago that seems. Yet the memory is clear. Her name was Kaokub. In English, it meant planet. I always thought that was a funny name to name a child, but some thirty years … More New Year, New Life
Sitting on the Edge
July 7, 2018
I scanned a bunch of old pictures the other night and came across this one from 1994. I was pregnant with our first child, and my parents had come to visit us. We were living in Syria. We took my parents all over the country and visited places that are now in ruins after seven … More Sitting on the Edge
Ramadan Kareem
June 3, 2018
Would you practice your faith even if no one around you did? Though you may not realize it, we are in the middle of a very special month for those of the Islamic faith — Ramadan. Having lived in the Middle East for over twenty years, I know how this month of fasting affects life. … More Ramadan Kareem
Whose baby is that?
May 8, 2018
A young 11-year-old girl sits in a Christian ministry center in Iraq. Her name is Mariam. For three years she has been separated from her mother, who was kidnapped by ISIS fighters in 2015. Today, she would see her again. She waited, unsure of what was to come. Mariam’s eyes brighten when she sees her … More Whose baby is that?
Good news from a distant land
March 1, 2018
You never know when God is going to surprise you. I had a beautiful surprise today–in fact, it gave me such joy, I shed tears while at my desk at work. Today, through a simple forty-five second voice message, a dear sister refreshed my soul. She knew of Raouf’s love for the Libyan people. She … More Good news from a distant land
Lay My Burden Down
May 20, 2017
I’ve been working on finding pictures for the book I’ve written about my husband, and I came across this one drawn by an Afghani man who accepted the Lord with Raouf back in the early 90s. He was an artist, and Raouf asked him to draw a picture of his life before and after Christ. … More Lay My Burden Down
What did Jesus say?
April 10, 2017
Today was a day full of emotions, for as I prepared to go to my church to celebrate Palm Sunday, I knew that most of our congregation had anything but celebrating in mind, as we awoke to the news of attacks on two churches in Egypt. Once again, a Christian holiday had been ruined by … More What did Jesus say?
An Afternoon Off?
March 25, 2017
Sometimes I take advantage of Friday afternoons, if I’ve stayed late at work and have the hours. Today was one of those days, that I could take off a few hours early. I thought throughout the morning about what I might want to do…two options came up: Go to a nearby bookstore to find a … More An Afternoon Off?