It was October 2018 when we sat down with one of the bosses for the state’s Department of Education. She was very gracious to share her time as we told about our desire to open a school in January 2020. She explained that it was not possible to open the school by January 2020 … More Not Possible!
Soy and I began our ministry in Guatemala without any clear directions. It seemed as if the Lord was only giving us the next step no matter how much we begged for detailed plans. So we were open to do anything as we sought clearer direction. When I was determining what to … More Naive
Many years ago, Soy and I were talking about life. We were talking about what we wanted to accomplish by the end of our life. Things that matter for eternity. Things that will change the lives of people. I gave a list of all of my dreams. Dreams that God has placed … More Only One Person!
It was August 2023 and we had just finished our summer run with teams. Our ministry had grown so rapidly that the short-term mission teams are only a piece of the entire ministry. When the teams are not on the mountain then we are busy with the school, church, medical clinic, etc. We … More Move Us!
We had landed in Guatemala with our 3 babies and we were physically and emotionally exhausted. Thankfully, we had previously traveled to Guatemala and set up our apartment. We were thrilled to enter our apartment after delays and a long ride to the mountain. No one had to rock us to sleep … More Strategies!
We have spent a lot of time learning to live our new normal while continuing to move forward in our personal lives and ministry. Everyone handles grief differently. Everyone handles trials differently. For me, I have tried to be intentional about seeing God in the details of our lives. My girls were playing … More Promises!
I can open a library filled with books about grief. Reading is not my favorite thing to do, but I chose to read a few of the books that were given to me. One of the books that I read was Life Can be Good Again by Lisa Appelo. In the book … More Help Needed!
I think it is very normal to always look for ways to work more efficiently. To evaluate any activity and see if there are ways to be better. To be somewhat critical of everything because there’s always room for improvement. I really believed this was how everyone thought–until I married Soy. Soy … More No Regrets!
In a span of only ten days, we had returned to Alabama, made funeral arrangements, had 5 visitations, and 1 Celebration of Life ceremony. It was a lot—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Celebration of Life for Soy took place on a Thursday at noon. I knew that a weekday service meant that the attendance … More Speechless!
We said our good-byes to our family. When we finished saying good-byes, we received a notification that our flight had been delayed. I looked at Soy and said “I can’t say good-bye again.” Soy could detach without any emotions. I have always been an emotional wreck at good-byes. I can actually remember hiding in … More Deep Breath!
Shining Light Abroad Ministries 