mission trips

I have a bad habit of assuming that everything I learn or believe ought to be applied to everyone everywhere all the time. So because my life path has taken me from short-term mission trips to long-term immersive experiences (because I am much better suited to long-term relationship-based services), I assume that everyone ought to give up on short-term trips in favor of packing up and living somewhere for at least six months.

But, HEY. It turns out that the world does NOT revolve around me. This is both tragic and such a relief. Part of this realization came from several short-term mission groups we’ve hosted at HD. Continue reading →

I get to work as church secretary for Woodland while the official secretary is on maternity leave. This is merely the latest in a long line of jobs I’ve had here, and I’ve learned things from each one. For instance, when I taught piano lessons, I learned that sometimes you’ve got to let a kid run around the room for ten seconds when he gets increasingly frustrated with a difficult melody. But for all the things I’ve learned while working at Woodland, I’ve learned far more simply from jumping into the activities and relationships found with this group of people. Below are four valuable life lessons I learned while at Woodland. Continue reading →