It was a miracle. Danny had always been a challenge. We understood. He endured years of abandonment, neglect, and abuse before he came to...

The angry little girl stood beside me with stiff shoulders and a mulish expression on her face. Paul and I were smiling in the picture,...

The pickup rounded the corner onto our property – and what I saw in the back almost made me cry with joy.

A guttural, outraged growl suddenly shattered the peace of the seaside. The lighter feminine voices screamed and the little ones...

Home at last! We are finally moved in and mostly settled in our new building. What a joy it is to have all the kids and activities close...

Home dedication ceremony. I slung the heavy, wet blanket over the clothesline and stretched my aching arms. This was load number 12 of...

The blinding rain fell in heavy sheets of water. It's like standing beneath a waterfall, I thought as I slogged through the mud to the...

“Can I have this, Grandma?” one of the kids asked, holding up a pair of snazzy sunglasses. “Sure,” I replied cheerfully. “But you will...

“The spider I saw in the kitchen was as big as the palm of my hand!” I exclaimed. Molly wasn’t impressed. “Lahu people like to eat them,”...

The smoke hangs in the air like a heavy fog, hiding the sun and making it difficult to breathe. The slash and burn agriculture at this...

I carefully stepped around the pungent piles of pig manure. Next time we come, I vowed silently, I will bring a shovel and at least clear...

They swarmed in, clutching their coloring contest pages and grinning in anticipation. It was English Camp day, and we had more than 100...

Faster than a speeding bullet. No, not Superman, but our lives. Some seasons of life are waiting seasons. Even here in Thailand, we...

“HOW many people are coming?” I asked in disbelief. “They said 100,” Nora answered. We had heard that some people from a nearby village...

“Grandma, I’m sorry for yesterday,” she said. Her eyes were soft and a little abashed and her tentative smile was sweet. Best of all, she...

I looked with surprise and some dismay at the bright pink tent. It was a very nice tent, but its location was troublesome. “Um. We...

I was going to fall. The tires skidded in the soft dirt on the shoulder and slid sideways. Desperately I tried to regain control of my...

More updates are coming soon, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows about our big news. Here is Paul’s latest newsletter in case you...

“Why did they think this was a good idea?” I muttered.  I stopped to catch my breath and looked with dismay at the steep path still...

Sweat dripped into my eyes as I bent down to open yet another box. I sighed. Why was this move more difficult than the others, I...

We sat in eager anticipation, not really minding the discomfort, because it was a big day. Graduation day. Each of the graduations are a...

Some days make all the trials fade to nothing.  Some days are worth it all. Like Sundays when we have baptism. We had that joy recently....

I shoved the last book into the bookcase with a sigh of satisfaction. Empty boxes and packing paper still littered the tiny living room,...

The boy’s brown eyes lit up and a smile broke across his grubby face. The stuffed toys we brought were unceremoniously A ladies’ group...

I plopped down on the chair and looked at the clock.  Only 7:30 in the evening.  I sighed.  I’m not quite old enough to go to bed at...

The truck shuddered and slipped sideways on the slick clay. With a bang it slammed into the side of the mountain. We all gasped and clung...

Running sores dotted the baby’s legs and he looked lethargic and ill. That’s not what concerned the mom, though. Moses translated, “He...

I grabbed my stomach and groaned. “I have diarrhea and vomiting,” I bellowed. “I have diarrhea and vomiting,” the crowd of men shouted...

“Paul, please don’t do it,” I begged. “There’s no other way,” he insisted as he put the shaky ladder on top of the patio table. “Let...

I slid into the car and took a deep breath. I had a complicated message to give in Thai to the Grab driver. Grab took over from Uber here...

We clutched our thin raincoats around us and shivered in the cold wind. The kids had an unexpected day off so we had traveled to Doi...

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call...

I pawed through the drawer with desperate haste. Where did I put the candles? I had a one-shaped candle and a four-shaped one put back in...

The dragonfly-sized bug fluttered near the desk lamp, it’s stiff wings rustling as it buzzed near the light. With lightening-quick hands,...

On second thought, she pulled it back and looked at it doubtfully.  Then she smiled, pulled off the doll’s head and handed me the...

They call it the Twilight Zone — or at least, I call it that. The place where you feel suspended between cultures and time zones. Neither...

The icy wind whipped the tent surrounding the open grave into billows and slapped the mourners standing nearby with aching chills to...

Late! I stumbled out of bed and began throwing on my clothes. The rice won’t be done in time, I thought frantically. They won’t eat...

“Tomorrow where you go?” Danny asked. “Say it correctly, please,” I answered. He paused, his thick black eyebrows drawn together in...

I awkwardly folded my legs under me on the bamboo floor. Definitely should have picked a fuller skirt to wear today. It was December 25,...

The tears pressed against my eyeballs. I fought them, but they won, as usual. They overflowed and slid down my cheeks. These were just...

“It is illegal. It will have to be destroyed.” I gulped and looked at the expensive – and borrowed – suitcase full of dental equipment....

“Watch,” Paul replied. He took three of the fried bamboo worms out of the bowl on the table and tossed them in his mouth. She looked a...

I swallowed hard, trying not to cry. The rain beat on the roof of the partially enclosed pavilion and shrouded the bridge over the...

I jerked awake with a start. “What was that?” I mumbled, still befuddled by sleep. “Phone,” Paul said as he fumbled to find and answer...

“Time – 845 hours, 46 minutes, and 16 seconds per mile,” the impersonal voice announced. I stopped running and looked at my phone. I know...

“Where are you going with that?” I asked suspiciously. My things have a way of disappearing, not to be found until days later in some...

I ran up the steps, panting and struggling to hang onto the armful of red heart-shaped balloons. “Hurry up,” I called back to the teens...

Seizure. Spastic jerks wrenched Andy’s body as he lay on the dining room floor. Foam flecked his mouth and his eyes gruesomely rolled...

The kids and the store clerk burst out laughing. What? All I did was ask where I could find the sugar. “No, Grandma,” Moses said through...