Month: April 2019
To Stop and To Be
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps volunteer Nadia Barnett reflects on the importance of finding moments to pause and invite God to reveal their presence through our surroundings. It is imperative that we all remember to stop and to be – with God, with others and with self. I find the concept being, not doing does…
Read MoreSolitude Amidst the Woods
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps volunteer Kevin Ruano shares a poem inspired by reflective moments spent in nature and the struggle to stay present. I sit straight up and rest my head against the tree. I put on an alarm on my phone, close my eyes, open my hands, and face the sun. The fallen…
Read MoreBeyond Language
Editor’s Note: Missioner Sabrina Portner reflects on language barriers and ways she can better connect with her surroundings as she begins her ministry in Cochabamba, Bolivia San Martin, the home for boys that has become my new place of service and source of contentment, cares for one singular cow, Betty, and her bull calf. Beyond…
Read MoreInto the Stations
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member, Amy Brandt gives a behind the scenes look at the motivation and process of her interpretation of the Stations of the Cross. This Lent I had the opportunity to create a collection of visual prayers and reflections based off of the Stations of the Cross. Inspired by Scott Erickson’s…
Read MoreInto the Barren Winter
Editor’s Note: As we transition from winter to spring, Programs Manager, Emily Norton reflects on the vulnerability of winter and the lessons that can be learned from sitting with the bareness of nature. Do trees in the winter feel ashamed of their nakedness? Or do they fully embrace the colder months when their beautiful leafless…
Read MoreInto The Fog
Editor’s Note: Executive Director, Liz Hughes reflects on the trust required when facing the unknowns and uncertainties of daily life. Last January, I was driving to St. Raphaela Retreat Center in Pennsylvania when I encountered a fog so thick I could barely see. I was scared, claustrophobic, and wondering if I should pull over. As…
Read MoreIs God in the Wild Flowers or is He in the Church?
Editor’s Note: Tim Shelgren, FMS missioner, reflects on a powerful experience in Kingston, Jamaica where God revealed His presence through a day at the pool. About thirty years ago when my children were little, every Sunday morning before church I used to go running behind our home on the “dikes” along the Allegany River in…
Read MoreGlimpses of the Kingdom
Editors’ Note: Missioner in Guatemala, Becky Kreidler, describes a moment of receptivity as she encountered the children of Xela. Sometimes I get caught up in the intended purpose for each chapter of my life and underestimate how God is at work all around me. When I came to Guatemala my eyes were fixed on the…
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