Some photos, a few faces, are still etched in my mind. After 30-plus years for some, I'd like to say they are there "forever", permanently burned on the pixilated screen of my memory. But I know better now.In some darkened file folder, I still have the photos of my first and only visit to India … Continue reading Fading Memories
Author: Cory Trenda
Away, In a Manger
It was our team’s final weekly prayer call of 2015, just a couple of days before Christmas Eve. I dialed in a few minutes late, expecting to hear a cheery devotional, or the infancy narratives from Matthew’s or Luke’s gospels being read. Instead, in seeming rapid fire were a succession of three scripture-plus-reflection-plus-prayer meditations concerning … Continue reading Away, In a Manger
Treasuring Our Debts
“Forgive us our debts,” we pray. But may we never forget them. There is one type of debt I hold tightly in my mind and heart: my debt to others along my journey. The past few years, I've had some amazing opportunities to honor some debts (I can't possibly repay them), and the other day … Continue reading Treasuring Our Debts
Empathique
"Choose a word, no more than two syllables."That was our instruction for doing a session of Centering Prayer.It’s the perfect day for this retreat, in light of last night's horrific attacks in Paris and the beautiful weather. Plus, it doesn’t seem right to be cheery or chatty or ‘productive’ this morning. I've never visited Paris, … Continue reading Empathique
Getting MADD
"It's great that you are helping children recover after they have been trafficked. But what will you do to keep it from happening in the first place?" I was having lunch this week with a supporter who is very passionate to address the huge issue of child trafficking in India, and we had just started … Continue reading Getting MADD
Zumba!
It was the ragtag collection of broken and discarded mirrors leaning on the walls surrounding us that first captured my heart and imagination. Last Thursday, I had the privilege of spending a half-day visit to World Vision's program in Tijuana. It's been a few years since my last visit, so I was very glad to be … Continue reading Zumba!
The Famine Plot
Our day began in the small town of Kenmare in County Cork, Ireland. Janet and I were traveling through the region and wanted to make a short visit to an ancient cemetery plot, which had grown up like wild clover around the site of an early monastic settlement dating from the 7th century.It was a … Continue reading The Famine Plot
Stamps or Stories
I read a report from UNICEF that "More women and children have been used as suicide bombers in Northeast Nigeria in the first five months of this year than during the whole of last year" and that one-third of all attacks so far this year have been conducted by children--specifically girls--aged 7-17. UNICEF believes most of … Continue reading Stamps or Stories
And On the Sixth Day, They Played
Tonight, I watched a moving video. It was less than two minutes long, but in that short glimpse my “practical” side, my hard head, grasped an aspect of "soft-ware" that I hadn't paid much attention to in the past. In World Vision, we talk a lot these days about "software." Having worked in IBM's computer mainframe … Continue reading And On the Sixth Day, They Played
Looking Beyond the Fence
I’m flying home from an encouraging, albeit hectic, trip to Malawi to see World Vision water projects there. We ended the trip in a lovely setting for some decompression and debriefing along the coastline of Lake Malawi, a ribbon of water that snakes along most of the length of that small nation. My grandson Sam … Continue reading Looking Beyond the Fence