grocery shopping, lessons in hoarding

October 27, 2015

Cooking can be a stressful thing in any country and culture. However, there usually helps or shortcuts to make it just a titch easier. There are packets, powders, cans, and pre-sliced everything. If you run out of something or decide at the last minute you want something else, you can pop into any store or […]

grace in the pronouns

September 20, 2015

Language learning is hard. At the end of our 5th and 7th weeks in the class, we took an evaluation (my final one was on Friday). It’s not a test, as much as it is a tool to see where you are and what you can do to continue growing. After my first evaluation, I […]

rain

August 30, 2015

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down to write to you. Life has been moving so quickly the last couple of weeks. I have really struggled with fitting everything in during the day, and unfortunately blogging took a major hit. Time seems to work differently here. In many ways we live very simply and […]

planty wok

August 15, 2015

(that means “plenty work” y’all) Time seems to have sped up exponentially. The last two weeks have been jam-packed with so much that I’ve barely had time to cook supper, let alone clean my house. As an aside, please don’t wear white socks or gloves when visiting me right now. Josh and I have just […]

hodgepodge

July 30, 2015

Thank you for your outpouring of love after my last post! Those hard days are hard, but wonderful when they come… but they do pass. I feel like I’ve settled here now, that this is home, and I love it. Here’s my hodgepodge sort of list of an update about what we’ve been up to […]

erin’s expectations

June 30, 2015

This is the week y’all! The week of packing, hugging, cleaning, hugging, tears, hugging, suitcases, hugging, carry-ons, and hugging. We leave for Papua New Guinea this week. I’ve been encouraged not to pack any expectations in my suitcase; to leave them all on this side of airport security, and not bring any with me. It […]

senioritis

June 18, 2015

I’m calling the last week and a half “missionary senioritis.” It’s been ups and downs. Lots of feeling caught in-between two worlds. Home and not home. Almost there, but still here; yet not quite here either, because we’re almost there. It’s enough to make your head spin and your heart ache with confusion. And just […]

lead me

June 2, 2015

We are coming into the last four weeks (ish) before we get on a plane and fly to Papua New Guinea to begin the next phase of our lives. This is the phase that nobody really talks about – maybe because they’re too busy to pause long enough to – but mostly because it’s hard. […]

erin’s essential list of things to bring to a new kitchen

May 12, 2015

Just wanted to drop a quick note saying thank you for your response to my last blog post. Thank you for your emails telling me your stories, your heartache, your joy… for sharing that you “get it” or honestly that you don’t. I actually feel quite tongue-tied and blog-shy now, as I’ve started, finished, and […]

strangers

May 4, 2015

I’ve been toying with the idea of sharing this, as I’m not totally sure it will be received well, but here it goes… Being a missionary means being a stranger at home. What I mean is… there comes a point as a missionary where you become a stranger in your home town, or church, or […]