The restoration of all things. When you say it aloud, it seems big, grand, and unattainable. Instead of a banner to hold over the people of God, it more often feels like the disillusioned claim of a disconnected minority. Anyone who is tuned in to this...
Stop by 31 Calhoun Avenue any night of the week and you'll find a gym filled with second to twelfth graders playing games, working with tutors, and eating dinner together. Many children in under-resourced families lack a safe or wholesome place to spend their afternoons;...
Ketchup, milk, and laundry detergent. These three things may appear to be just your normal household staples. However, for my husband and I, the quantity of these three item have greatly increased on our weekly shopping list over the past month. This change happened as we welcomed...
Foster care. Sometimes, that first step can seem like the hardest one. The paperwork, regulations, and requirements may seem like more than you can handle. This post is for those who are feeling nudged- for those who are starting to see God move them to...
Because of what we believe about Christ, our energy and strength should be intentionally directed towards others in a multitude of ways. Often, the ways that we can do this are much closer than we realize; they are hidden in our strengths, our experiences, our...
Until just a few years ago, I heard very little about foster care. My husband and I were ignorant about the need and knew very few people who were or had been foster parents. It was nowhere on our radar....
Throughout the years, I have had several opportunities to travel overseas and to participate in "mission work". Those opportunities to engage in ministry within a different culture have brought immeasurable amounts of growth to my personal walk, and, Lord willing, have helped to bring life-change...
Reports of death are everywhere these days. It seems as if everyday there is a fresh report of some group attacking another. We often find ourselves so disheartened by these reports that we avoid turning on the news altogether. We sigh and excuse ourselves by...
Felista Wangui is a gentle, unassuming college freshman at Garissa University in eastern Kenya. On first appearance, she is such a quiet young woman that she seems frail and easily intimidated. But when she speaks, she projects an inner strength that commands respect....
There is a crisis in the foster care system. There's a shortage of foster homes and an abundance of children in the foster care system. There are over 4,000 children in the foster care system in South Carolina, and only 1200 foster homes....
I still remember the first day I heard his story. As I read, I sat at my desk and cried. His story and photos stirred something in me, and I found myself longing to somehow help him....
As we drove towards the village where the Bible school was to be held, I saw a road paved across a flat, wide plot of land with Mount Kenya towering over us on the right and the Aberdare mountain range running like hills to the...
In just a few short weeks, thousands of volunteers from across the Upstate will join together to serve their communities. As a church, we want the individuals and groups of our body to be key contributors to this community event....
Living in Kenya, I've experienced varying levels of homesickness. My feelings towards home have felt a bit like a roller coaster- with moments of exhilarating excitement in my new surroundings, times when my stomach drops suddenly and feelings of loneliness and longing rush me downward,...
My name is Elijah Mabonga Mangori from Kinyogori high school. As a child, I lived with my grandmother from my mom's side. When I was growing up, I didn't know my mom or my dad- only my grandmother. However, in 2006, my grandmother passed away. My dad lived...
I have spent the last four years studying and communicating the truths of God’s word for women pertaining to femininity, sexuality, and body and body image. And I have believed and taught that these truths transcend cultural differences....
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the...
Over the past few months, I have heard many great things about the OVC Kenya program. However, my experience with the program was purely superficial. I only knew how many advocates and children there were, the amount of money necessary to support a child, and...
For the Samburu women in northern Kenya, the term "homemaker" takes on a whole new meaning. The Samburu tribe is a nomadic people group that earns their living raising cattle and other livestock. As a society that is still functioning in a hunting and gathering...
Ebola. It's undeniable that the biggest outbreak of Ebola has been in our social media and news coverage these past few weeks. During my time here in Africa, I have watched the reaction of our country from afar. The response has been disappointing, to say...
Many of you may have seen the photo of one of our OVC Kenya children that I posted last week. Since I am friends on Facebook with several of the teachers at Happy Day, word got back around to Gachoki (pronounced gu-sho-kee) that her picture...
Istanbul, Turkey is certainly one of my favorite cities in the world. In matters of history, commerce and faith, no other city in the world can compare. Having just returned from my third visit in four years, the city once again exceeded all my expectations. ...
The gospel is the unifying force that crosses cultural and socioeconomic boundaries. Through the cross of Christ, we all have the same hope. Poor or rich, hungry, lonely, overworked or underpaid, incompetent or talented, drowning in debt, mentally unstable, overweight or athletic- all of us...
Imagine that you are a working woman in rural Kenya. Your husband is either not around or not interested in working (or perhaps both). You try to provide for you and your children by doing odd jobs, but you rarely have enough money to buy...
Born and raised as a missionary and pastor’s kid, I always knew the answers to all the church questions. I knew what I needed to say to sound genuine and theologically correct. And as I have grown more independent in the last years, I have carried...