We woke up on our last day of work in Havana feeling surprised that it had arrived so soon. Because we’d “worked out” the earlier neighborhood, we headed to two other neighborhoods for work. I joined a team working in a neighborhood called “Sports Casino” to help launch a church plant that was starting […]
Faith
Cuba: Day Four
Day four started like every other day – up early, rushing through breakfast, off to pick up interpreters and on to the church. Then we had a bit of fun. It’s always great to surprise team members with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday – particularly when it’s truly a surprise. Yet […]
Cuba: Day Three
Another early morning. And unfortunately very early for the Hayleys due to another “who knew” moment. Case in point: Who knew your cell phone would automatically adjust to Daylight Savings Time even when you’re 1) in Cuba and 2) have the phone in airplane mode? We didn’t know – that’s why we had adjusted our […]
Cuba: Day Two
We had an early morning Saturday – up, breakfast eaten and on the road by 8:15. We met our interpreters at Calvary Baptist then headed to our work site. Our four days of work were supporting a church in the Tamarindo neighborhood. The church, approximately 70 members, meets in a home. The owner of the home (standing […]
Cuba: Day One
I’ve somewhat struggled with how to write about Cuba. Our time in Cuba was extraordinary, which means that no ordinary blog post could do it justice. So do I write more or less about our time there? Complicating matters, I travelled to Cuba without a journal for recording my thoughts. I suppose it didn’t matter […]
Taking Time to Read and Reflect
Just before New Year’s, The Boy and I finished our one-year chronological Bible reading plan. It really was eye and soul-opening to read the scriptures this way, providing interesting historical context to what can at times seem to be familiar passages. I was also able to see greater themes within the scriptures of grace and […]
And That’s The Rest of the Story
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are basic things that we all need, but we rarely talk about. In fact, I think we not only shut off discussions about our core needs with others but we also refuse to admit them to ourselves. But wouldn’t it be better if we could just share the […]
Holiday Wrap Up: Part 3
Ok, last holiday-related post: The Boy and I, because of multiple reasons, didn’t really feel very holiday-ish this year. Lotsa drama, plus The Boy’s DI…it was hard to feel in the mood. Shopping was done at the last minute (very atypical for me). Decorations were only partially hung. We didn’t drive to look at lights […]
Wait for the Last Chapter
I’m faithfully reading through my Bible this year, joining alongside hundreds of others in my church to be focused on the scriptures. Yet despite reading scripture, it’s still sometimes surprising to see how scriptures can come to life. Take, for example, Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes everything to work together for […]
My Favorite Album…Live
I love Andrew Peterson’s album, Behold the Lamb. It’s everything that Christmas music should be – beautiful narrative, a story of a story and amazing musicality. I listen to this album all year long (really), but it’s especially meaningful during the Christmas and Easter seasons. We make every effort to attend the album’s annual Christmas tour. […]