Last spring our host city was transformed into a battlefield. Rival militant factions fought for control of the government and cared little for the citizens living through it. Some of the fiercest fighting occurred just a mile from our apartment—a place my family had called home for years. Despite the […]
The Essential Ingredients of Ramadan
As Ramadan begins, Muslims around the world will observe Islam’s holiest month in an effort to gain God’s favor and forgiveness. While the starting date varies year-to-year based on the lunar calendar, the essential ingredients of these important 30 days remain constant. Fasting & Feasting For Muslims, fasting during Ramadan […]
In Times of Darkness
Several months ago, my husband and I woke to the sound of explosions in the distance. We’d lived in this region for several years, and this wasn’t the first conflict that crept too close for comfort, but this time we weren’t prepared for it. We fought our fear as we […]
The Great Plate Exchange
I wiped my forehead, warm from baking all afternoon in my tiny kitchen, and grinned at the fruit of my labor—dozens of cookies. It had been a few weeks since my family arrived on the field, and my husband and I were eager to meet people and start building relationships. […]
Miles of Hope
No one could have predicted the military conflict in a neighboring country that forced its citizens to surge across the border to safety. Our town of 25,000 people more than quadrupled in a matter of days. Almost overnight, once quiet streets flooded with Muslim refugees, many going door-to-door asking for […]
The Woman in the Painting
I hung my painting of Jesus’ hand on the gallery wall and stepped back to take in the full display. Five paintings of covered Muslim women, scarred with golden fractures, were displayed between two paintings of hands with gold wounds. Six months earlier, I had rented this art gallery with […]
Sohan and Sweet Conversation
After dinner had been eaten and the dishes cleared, Sammadah presented her gracious hosts with a tin of sohan, buttery, pistachio-filled treats she’d brought with her from Southwest Asia. “Please, enjoy. It’s a gift for letting me stay with you while I visit my son.” “They look wonderful.” Greg, a Frontiers […]
A Friday Stroll
The call to prayer from the local mosque blasted through crackling speakers, drowning out the usual hustle and bustle in our neighborhood. It was my husband’s day off work, and we had decided to go on a family walk, retracing the steps others on our Frontiers team had already walked […]
Pictures of Jesus
The day had been frantic thanks to the busyness of Ramadan. Our city is fraught with traffic issues on the best days, but the month of fasting brought particularly bad traffic jams thanks to the heat and hungry drivers. Both my wife Katie and I were glad to step inside […]
Near to the Brokenhearted
Aromatic steam curled from Rola’s tea as she clutched her cup in trembling hands. Rola and I had both adopted our host country around the same time a few years ago. Eventually we became great friends, despite our very different circumstances. My arrival as a Frontiers field worker was completely […]