I Would’ve Been a Kenyan School Dropout: Stories from the Slums
If I had been a student in Kenya, I would’ve been a dropout, I thought. It was so stiflingly hot in the crowded Grade 8 classroom. This wasn’t a patronizing…
She wants to be a Biomedical Engineer: Stories from the Slums
There is a large, unidentifiable animal carcass floating downstream towards me. I watch it as I walk along the flimsy-feeling metal pedestrian bridge that crosses the river in this slum…
Open Hands
“How was your mission trip?” It is such a simple question yet so hard to put a week’s worth of experience and impact into a few sentences. No words seem…
What Does “Third World” Really Mean?
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “third world.” If someone says, “third world nation,” you probably think of some place in Africa, Asia, or South America that has no running…
Why Do We Always Capitalize the “H” in Hope?
Have you ever noticed that in our blog posts and newsletter the “H” in the word Hope is capitalized? This isn’t a typo or grammatical error that has gone unnoticed.…
Crocs and Clorox Wipes—How to Pack for Your Mission Trip
Anyone else out there find packing for a trip to a developing nation—like for a mission trip—a sigh-inducing task? Totally worth it, but it sure does take a lot of…
Fresh, Clean Water in Haiti
In Paulette, Haiti, they are struggling to find clean, fresh water. Here is one solution we are looking at to help our partner church, their elementary school and the community.
Grandmothers On a Mission
I just returned from Uganda with a medical team. It is amazing to visit our church partners’ communities and see for myself the impact Bright Hope is having. We visited…
A Polar Vortex, a Lost Puppy and the Extreme Poor
Just a couple weeks ago we experienced the chilling effects of a Polar Vortex here in northern Illinois. For two days it was colder here than it was in Siberia.…
The simple, but deeply moving prayers of the extreme poor
One of a few defining moments in my life happened when I was 21. I was in the Philippines, in the mountain city of Baguio, and the mission team I…