xerophiliac (n.) one who loves dry climates and arid lands Xerophiliac would normally refer to cacti or desert shrubs. But I feel it most aptly describes us—my teammates and I. The hot season is upon us. And it is hot. It is the season of four showers a day, of […]
Word By Word: The Horse and the Spider
How do Frontiers workers go about learning language? Many workers live in remote locations or study obscure dialects for which there are no language schools and curricula—and sometimes not even a written alphabet. In this three-part series, you’ll discover what language learning looks like for a few of our field […]
Life on a Knife’s Edge
He holds the blade above me. With dark eyes and no emotion, he positions the razor-sharp edge on my neck. The way he handles this potentially lethal instrument is simultaneously clinical and affectionate. He has done this many times. He is the best barber in the neighborhood. I swallow uncomfortably […]
Stories Left Untold
We sped along the winding road toward a town nestled high in the hills. My traveling companion, Mansour, chattered along in Arabic, describing the town where he had spent his childhood and how he had left many years ago to attend university. “Back then,” he said, “this road wasn’t nice […]
God Is the Greatest
“Allahu Akbar.” It’s a phrase that brings fear into the hearts of many Westerners. “Allahu Akbar” means, “God is the greatest.” But others have commandeered these words of praise for evil purposes. What a tragedy, that God’s acclaim is invoked by those who wish to kill and destroy! A Frontiers […]
Unwavering Faith
“I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” 2 Timothy 2:10 The apostle Paul endured a whole lot more than most of us have: imprisonment, death threats, shipwrecks, and more. My family and I […]
An Unintended Witness
Public transportation is not always convenient. But it’s part of daily life here, and it makes us accessible to those we are trying to reach. Recently I was commuting home on the tram when a very excited ticket collector recognized me. “You’re the one who prayed for that man who […]
The Scent of Honor
We are in the days leading up to Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. I invite a group of Muslim friends into my salon—a Middle Eastern-styled living room. On the coffee table, I’ve arranged an assortment of intriguing objects. Each item tells part of the Easter story. Some objects come […]
He Makes Me Brave
I have God’s light, His hope, His word in me. I know I’ve got His Spirit dwelling in me. Still sometimes I find myself quaking in my boots (or rather, trembling in my sandals). I am afraid. Kind and well-meaning people have said things like, “You’re brave,” “I could never […]
Syria: 4 Years of Conflict
The conflict in Syria has lasted now nearly four years. The official death toll is 200,000 and rising, and the UNHCR calculates almost 4 million registered refugees in the region. My family and I live close enough to the Syrian border that we sometimes hear the faint sound of towns […]