Fresh Perspective

  I met Adelle soon after moving to Beirut.  Her sincere love for people is what captivated me, no matter the person’s socio-economic status or their country of origin.  She is often used by the foreigners as a translator when they are working with refugees. Later, Adelle became my Arabic teacher. She had great patience with me and was always encouraging as I tried to wrap my mind and tongue in directions they didn’t want to wrap. When I started working, while still in graduate school, I chose to stop learning Arabic. However, I will always say that there is a special bond formed whenever you have a language teacher. They see you at very vulnerable moments as they stretch you beyond where you are comfortable. It was during those lessons that trust developed between Adelle and me.  I remember clearly the days she would show me her lab work and explain her desire to become pregnant. Adelle had 5 doctors declare that she would never become pregnant. Five. O...

When God weaves a picture, He is intentional to use the right thread at the right moment. Often, we can’t appreciate the handiwork He is crafting in our own lives or circumstances until we get a retrospective glance back and then the woven pattern becomes clear. I have questioned how I, as a nurse, can possibly be running an NGO in the Middle East.  Do you know how on packages of toys a disclaimer will often be give, such as “no batteries included”?  I kind of feel like I should have a disclaimer also, “no business skills included”. Undoubtedly, my faithful team felt this. We began asking God, for more than several months, to provide someone with a skill set and experience that could lead our Woven Dignity staff. God heard those prayers, but He needed to get me to Ras Al Khaimah so He could weave in the right thread at the right moment.  In March ‘22, I happened to be there for some training.  One morning while in Ras Al Khaimah, I awoke and felt STRONGLY im...