My kitchen is overrun with fruit flies. I have vinegar traps set, but they seem to serve more as refueling stations for the tiny pests to congregate and laugh at me—and to make more fruit flies. Our daughter-in-law walks around with one of those racket-shaped bug zappers, lighting the house up with satisfying little electrical…
A few years ago, tragedy struck repeatedly, as John’s brother died from a fentanyl overdose, Snoden, our Malawian HUGS for Tomorrow co-founder, lost his brother in a violent flood, and a university student where John worked lost her brother in a car accident. Each event was shocking, and, together, they all felt eerily spaced, as…
I absolutely love critters. Insects and creepy crawlies fascinate me. I probably should have been an entomologist or a herpetologist. My husband, on the other hand, is not as smitten with the bug world and has accused me a few times over the years of not being sensitive to those around me who do not…
I promised a friend I would make this post. She’s like a lot of other people I know, quietly grieving the choices our kids have made. I warn you this is not light-hearted, but maybe it’s time to go deeper with our spiritual discussions because, even though the Christian community is the best community on…
(Photo: The workers prepare the foundation for the long-awaited pavilion/chapel.) Here we are, a quarter of the way through 2025, and that little group of kids we started feeding in 2018 has grown into a pre-K through fifth-grade school. We’re building the sixth grade now to be ready for next year, and the pavilion, where…
It seems like John was just there yesterday, but he’s back in Malawi at the HUGS for Tomorrow campus, and exciting things are happening! He sent me this video shortly after he arrived. He and Snoden are standing in front of the pavilion we’re building. I’ll let them tell you about it…
Have you seen the Tunnels to Towers commercials? Of course you have. They’re on TV all the time, asking for money to support our veterans. They’re high quality productions and sometimes even feature very famous people. They must cost a fortune and, in my opinion, are worth every penny because there’s no group of people…
(photo: John and Snoden with the teachers and students in the new fifth grade classroom) We’re about one month away from meeting our first grandchild! (Notice how I said “first” because we’re going to expect more?) Also, our project to raise money for travel to Malawi on DonorSee recently funded. When I posted that project…
We just sold our house in Nebraska, so I was reminiscing with our kids about when I was a real estate agent. John and I were young and broke, and God came through for us in a big way. You may find this story encouraging, especially if you’re struggling financially right now like so many…
Did you know that the continent of Africa is actively splitting into two pieces? It’s true. It’s in the process of breaking into separate tectonic plates at a rate of approximately eight millimeters per year or so, according to the people who study that sort of thing. The Great Rift Valley, as the dividing line…