I kept hearing a voice calling to me, but I couldn't make out who it was that was saying my name repeatedly. I turned over in my dream and was instantly awake. I realized that the voice in the darkness was my roommate's terrified whisper. "Shawn...Shawn...Shawwwwnnnn..." I groggily answered her with a sleepy, "What's the matter, Cindy?" "Don't you hear that "ping" … [Read more...] about Laughing at Fear
DRCongo
Thoughts on Burned Grass
"But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Burned Grass
Friday Night Fun, Congo Style
"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16 (New International Version)Our first four years in Congo were spent with no television. VCRs were not to be had by the general public in 1978 or 1979, even in the United States. I spent hours and hours reading and keeping a diary during those … [Read more...] about Friday Night Fun, Congo Style
A Lesser Gift?
"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:13 (New International Version)The taxi drivers unloaded all of our trunks and suitcases and roared off down the street leaving the choking smell of diesel fuel behind them. It was December 8, 1978, and our family of five had just been dropped off at a guest house that no guest in his or her right mind would have wanted to … [Read more...] about A Lesser Gift?
Well of Salvation
“‘Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:2-3 (NIV)We had no running water in our house growing up in the Congo. My grandmother, Marcella, had found a spring in the forest across the lake from our home long before I lived at … [Read more...] about Well of Salvation
Longing’s Disappointment
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to … [Read more...] about Longing’s Disappointment
