When you have good news, whom do you share it with? Family, friends, co-workers and, in some cases, church members? Who were told about the soon birth of the Messiah? The people of Nazareth, the city Joseph and Mary were from? No. As far as their community was concerned Joseph was the father. The religious …
Back in Jacksonville
He was back in Jacksonville after spending eight weeks on a teaching mission in Kigali, Rwanda. He was still readjusting to the time difference. Rwanda was six hours ahead. "You still haven't told me about your mission trip to Rwanda. How was it?" "It was very good. I'm happy I decided to do it." "I …
An Unforgettable Summer
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields The glass of shells reminded him of the beach in Kigali and Kalisa. He met her when he went on a volunteer teaching mission. She was one of the community's poor and disadvantaged youths. She began staying after class to ask questions and then, they were seeing each other outside …
Anele and Hasani
I'm a young South African Muslim woman in my last year at the University of Cape Town. I'm studying. It was there that I met Hasani, a South African Indian Muslim. The first time I saw him, I was standing in the hallway, waiting for my friend, Mandisa. He was with a friend, an African …
A Letter From Cate
Boris was still trying to process the letter he had received from Cate. He hadn't thought about her for ages because of his relationship with Tulia and then, out of the blue, he received the letter. It was in the letterbox on Friday when he checked before heading up to his flat after coming home …
Behind These Walls…
Photo of Château de Saulxures - Wikipedia It sat there, languishing, the beautiful chateau, which used to be bustling with life. It was the place where everybody who was anybody went. Many extravagant parties were thrown there. The owner, Jean Monet and his lovely wife, Margot who left their vineyard in Bordeaux to move to …
Loneliness and Seniors
Two years ago, I read an article on seniors and how an alarming of them go an entire week without talking to anyone. Can you imagine going for days with little or no human interaction? How sad for these seniors who were once caregivers--parents who took care of their children, providing for them. When my …
Orphanage Tourism
Did you know that most children in orphanages aren't really orphans? According to research done by Research by UNICEF up to 75% of children kept in orphanages in Cambodia and Nepal are not even orphans. Many of the children come from poor rural families and are trafficked into orphanages because their parents feel this will give …
Father Desjardins’ Announcement
"Good morning, Ede." "Good morning, Father Desjardins." "Ede, I have news which I wanted to share with you before it is announced in church on Sunday." She looked at him. "I hope it isn't bad news." "No, it isn't bad news. I've been called to minister to Catholics in a parish in Ireland." For several …
Athens and Areopagus Hill
My wife, Althea and I decided that we would move to Athens because we love the city. We've visited it many times and we decided that we would leave England this year. As EU citizens, it is relatively easy for us to move there. We arrived a week ago to find a place to live. …
Notes to Women 