Recent Blog

We’re not paying our teachers their full salaries this month. It’s true! But let me quickly qualify that: they are going to be paid—just not entirely from your donations. For the first time in nine years, the revenue from school fees will cover half their salaries. That means your gifts can now go toward developmental…

(7-minute read) My father passed away last week. I saw it on Facebook. His wife posted it along with a photo of a man I barely recognized. She calls him Bobby; my mom always called him Bob. But those blue eyes are unmistakable. The more I stared at the photo, the more that old face…

I want to introduce you to a very special family—the Thengezas. The oldest girl in the bright pink shirt is Marita. She’s twenty-six and takes care of all her siblings through temp jobs, washing clothes, and cleaning houses. She is doing everything she can, but she simply cannot provide enough for all eight siblings on…

I grew up believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, looking forward every year to the presents and the candy they would bring. Christmas and Easter were the two most wonderful days of the year in my house and how I learned to believe in things I couldn’t see. I never heard about Jesus…

(I wrote this five years ago, but it seems to be relevant today, so…) Ah, the season of scares! It’s upon us. Whether you love Halloween or pretend it doesn’t exist, much of the world is preparing for something frightening at this time of year. If you look up the history of Halloween, you’ll find…

I first wrote this in 2012—back when two spaces after a period was standard—so I feel confident that it will be either new to you or at least forgotten. With summer here and gardening season upon us, I thought it might be appropriate to share an updated version, hoping that it speaks to you on…

Let’s talk about forgiveness—or, in this case, lack of forgiveness and how it weighs us down. I’m writing a memoir and have wrestled with this topic over recent years as part of that project, because who wants to read three hundred pages of unresolved issues? Let me share with you what I’ve learned—and am learning. First…

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…