Sweat and Cappuccino

May 24, 2015

It was 6:30 on Saturday morning and the sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains in the East. With clear skies, and the temperature already at 85 degrees, it was shaping up to be another steamy tropical day. I set out in my flip-flops down the pitted graveled road winding down the coastline, […]

Leaving the Tribe

March 20, 2015

We left the tribe. It involved a four hour boat trip over rough and stormy waters, a plane trip to the capital city, a visit to the embassy, and a separating of the family to different countries. We have spent years doing translation, literacy, and Bible teaching. They are the main 3 things we are […]

Reading Between the Clans

February 23, 2015

The program and curriculum had been designed for Patpatar adults who were unable to read and write, but that didn’t seem to matter. Now truckloads of the most highly educated folks in Patpatar were arriving to attend the week long training workshop. A month earlier, I had been visiting with the local elementary teacher. We […]

A Hike, A Helicopter, and A Hiccup

September 15, 2013

After several hours in the pickup we reached the northern tip of the island. From there we bounced along in a small fiberglass boat with a 40HP outboard motor for two hours with sprays of saltwater acting as a rhythmic timer counting off each wave. Finally we reached dry ground. Dry ground is figurative, for […]

Holding a Book

March 22, 2013

When we first started the literacy classes in Patpatar one of the students that attended was a young man who had a wife and several young children. He was a hard worker but quiet and reserved. His struggle with what might be anemia often causes him to be bed ridden on a mat in his […]

Hand-off

May 26, 2012

Yesterday, Lori and I sat in on the Patpatar adult literacy class. We each took a minute to thank the teachers and to encourage the students to continue to work hard and finish well. As we were getting ready to leave, one of the students stood and thanked us for developing the program, training teachers, […]

Family Get Together

July 4, 2011

I was in the village the other night when the sun went down and a blanket of darkness began to cover the coast. I eventually said my good-byes to the family I was visiting with and began to make my way back home. In the encroaching darkness the small light of a flashlight on the […]

Door Ajar

April 3, 2011

The boys taking a peek into the office. Remember that riddle from elementary school: When is a door not a door? When it is ajar! That riddle comes flooding back to my memory every time I see the little red icon of car with its’ doors open illuminated on the dash board. The built-in vehicle […]