my youngest, Sumini and her friend Christina picking the stones out of the beans to prepare for friday night madness 🙂 making some music in the fromt yard friday night fellowship the food line in my back yard. we go through about 50 pounds of rice and beans in one night! my daugther Scovia’s 6th birthday party. (since none of my children actually know their birthdays, i wrote the numbers 1-365 on a paper and had them each select one.... Read more

Last night there was a rat in my room. I really wanted to go to the bathroom, but when I heard his little feet scratching around, I literally couldn’t move. I was paralyzed with fear. Now, I’m usually a pretty fearless person and have been told so on many occasions. Why did this little mouse scare me so? I don’t know, but it led me to think about how often, as human beings, we are crippled by our fear. We... Read more

For the last two days, I have once again woken up to a tiny brown hand rubbing my face. “mommy, mommy, mommy its time for wake up”. Once again I have remembered how much I truly enjoy a big bowl of rice after a long hot day. Once again I feel, every minute of every day, humbled beyond belief. This morning, Agnes looked at me and said “There it is! It came back!” When I asked her what, she replied... Read more

a piece of paper tumbles in the wind. on it is a picture that we have all seen – the face of a white male with long brown hair, a matching beard, and a crown of thorns. a child looks up from picking through the garbage pile and snatches the paper. “auntie kate!” he grins, “this is Jesus!” i look around me. at his bright dazzling smile, a stark contrast to his dingy, torn clothing and mud-caked feet, at the... Read more

“Who will sing my lullaby?Who will hold me when I cry?When I awake and no one’s thereWho will sing my lullaby?” Africa is a beautiful place, a place that I love to call home. When writing, I try o paint a picture of this Africa: a place where people love each other and the Lord, a place of hope and resilience, a place of blind faith, of renewal and life. But today, I want to tell you a story that... Read more

its this feeling of euphoria that overwhelms the whole of me. its the feeling i get after spending three hours slashing my grass in the hot african sun and then tumbling into my freezing shower sweaty and exhausted. its the feeling i get when there are 30 kids taking a bath in my house and soap and water is flying EVERYWHERE. its the feeling i get when i am woken up at six am by being jumped on by three... Read more

the purpose of life is to discover your gift.the meaning of life is giving your gift away. Read more

140 children are going to school.with uniforms and shoes and socks and supplies and meals and everything. busy doesnt begin to describe it.more joy than i can handle doesnt either. 🙂 Read more

she called me mommy.my heart swelled up into my throat. i have only known these little people 4 days and i feel a love for them that is different than my love for anyone else. this is love that wants to protect, and comfort and take away all pain. this is a love that consumes my every move. she called me mommy. our God is a God of miracles. about an hour ago, my oldest daughter was discharged from the... Read more

“What is it? I know that you love Africa, but I’m just not sure why. So what is it?”Let me tell you a story… It is Sunday morning and church is packed with beautiful, mahogany people dressed in their Sunday best. Amidst all the noise and cheerful greeting of neighbors, one hardly notices the small boy, who slips through the crowd to stand in a corner. The boy is about twelve, though small for his age of course. His clothes... Read more