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...
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...
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...
To the casual observer, Allendale lacks the marks typical of a beautiful city; Allendale isn’t marked by the amount of pretty buildings, Starbucks on every corner, or a surplus of grocery stores, but anyone who has spent time there will agree the people are what...
We are just coming out of election season, a time notorious for anger, disenchantment, or passive resignation, depending on your views. Often times we as Christians are perplexed when it comes to engaging culture through politics; separation of church and state, choosing the lesser of...
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. I was exactly 24 days old at the time. For me, Tiananmen is something I read about in history books, yet the implications still affect our world today and as Christians, we have a distinct...
"Actually, you have to be a resident of Kenya for 7 years before you can legally adopt." Bernard's words surprised me as we ate dinner with the team one night in Kenya. His statement surprised me not because I was hoping to return to the States...
It’s Saturday night, May 3rd, which means it’s Hands on Greenville (Community) day at Grace Church. Grace primarily participates in HOG day to build credibility within our communities. By working to better the community and working along side those within our communities, we are able...
Much has been written of late about "finding God at the movies" or what it should look like for Christians to have a proper, God-honoring relationship with Hollywood. And rightly so. Ever since the inception of motion pictures, the church has had questions and debates...
Why do we participate in HOG Day? It’s a question I receive around this time every year. Especially for those of us who have read When Helping Hurts or Toxic Charity it may seem a little contradictory to espouse both a belief in the principles...
Thursday, April 3, 2014. Opening Day of Cabela's in Greenville, SC, right on Woodruff Rd., where the traffic gods decided we needed a bit more traffic. Apparently, there's been an expansion effort on the part of Cabela's and there are cities all over the country...
This is one of the happiest weeks of the year for a lot of Americans, which may be a serious problem, but I would like to be sympathetic to them, because this week is pretty high on my list of good weeks as well. It's...
One of the harsh and undeniable facts of the universe is that you will rarely, if ever, observe someone observing Lent really well. Think about it. By definition, someone observing Lent well will not make a grand display of their self-denial and penitent spirit because...
Between work and family, it takes discipline to find time to read the Scriptures, discipline that at times we all lack. But this difficulty is an option we have the blessing to struggle through. In 2011 Joseph and Elizabeth Osborn moved their family to Papua...
Show me a culture's art and I will tell you what that culture values. My history professor in college would say something along these lines and then show how certain pieces of art reflected the cultures that produced them....
Photo Credit: Washington Post Ukraine. A country most people don’t think about on a regular basis, but one that has a storied. Recently, however, Ukraine has been making headlines in the midst of escalating political turmoil, violence, and uncertainty. After a few news cycles, it is not...
The Upstate of South Carolina recently survived our 2nd snow storm of the year – quite a feat for those of us who don’t always see snow each year. The 2nd time around we were all ready – bread, milk, and kayaks for sledding!...
This blog is part of our OVC: Kenya series. Over the next month we will be launching our campaign to establish advocates for orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya through our local partners....
The plight of an orphan in biblical times was bleak. In a patriarchal society, those without a father were defenseless; left at the mercy of those from whom they begged. Orphans, widows, immigrants, and the poor were all at the bottom of society, little above...
My roommates and I moved into a new neighborhood just in time for the holidays so we decided to make treats for our neighbors as a way to introduce ourselves. Lest you think I’m awesome at meeting my neighbors because it is my job to...