We met at an ancient grave—a sacred tomb near the center of the slum. Someone had swept away the trash and spread large woven mats on the hard-packed earth. A handful of women met us there and invited us to sit down. Over a dozen more women soon joined us. […]
Baptized in the Arab Gulf
It could have been a night like any other. The strong smell of salt hung in the warm breeze as we walked towards the water. I could hardly believe what was happening. Joy fluttered about wildly in my heart. Steps away from the water, our group of six men sat […]
Awaiting Spring in the Muslim World
“So this is what it feels like to be a sardine,” I say to myself. I’m squished into a mass of humanity as half the population of this teeming metropolis attempts to enter this one subway car all at the same time. I hoist my backpack and steady it on […]
Word By Word: I Am Very Happy!
Ever wonder how Frontiers workers go about learning language? Some workers have access to language schools. But many others live in remote locations or study obscure dialects, and for them, language schools and curricula simply don’t exist. Some languages don’t even have a written alphabet or script. In this final […]
Word by Word: Ladies-Only Chai
Tea is the universal friend maker. This is what I’ve learned in my first months overseas. An invitation to drink chai can transform a nameless neighbor into a dear friend. One recent evening, I walked through our new neighborhood and knocked on several doors. With my limited vocabulary, I was […]
Confessions of a Xerophiliac
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 […]