Taking a Break Until Life Slows Down

I’m not sure how I get so busy when I live in what’s supposed to be a slower paced culture, but life is happening a bit too fast in my little Aegean corner of the world, so I’m taking a break from blogging until March 7^th.

I’m hoping to heed Jesus’ call to his disciples in Mark 6:31:

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

May the Lord give you grace and moments of rest, even during your busiest days.

Five Ways to Help Kids Growing Up Overseas

My kids with their Turkish abla, 2010

I still remember the circumcision party of my neighbor’s boy. My son followed all his buddies into the boy’s bedroom, and suddenly the door shut.  I realized the circumcision was about to happen behind that closed door, and without making a scene in front of our whole neighborhood, there was no way to get my son out!  I thought that was a pretty big step of independence for a 5 year old.  Just the other day my 13 year old daughter rode the bus downtown by herself for the first time.  Growing up always involves bigger and bigger steps to independence, but somehow that journey seems a bit more perilous when you’re overseas.

When It's Hard to Trust God with Your Kids

When I saw my minutes-old son kicking and screaming in the delivery room 15 years ago, I had no idea how much joy and heartbreak being a mother would involve. I had no idea that he’d go from speaking Spanish to English before learning Turkish and that he’d learn to navigate anywhere alone by bus, metro or ferry in our Middle Eastern city.  I had no idea that my biggest challenge living overseas would be agonizing over whether we’re messing up our kids by raising them here.

Slowing Down to Enjoy Cooking: Turkish Cabbage Rolls

I like slow food because it reminds me that I don’t have to live life in a hurry.  So often we buzz through life on high speed, and meal preparation turns into a stressful quick fix, whatever we can get on the table the fastest! Of course, most evenings I want a nutritional meal that’s quick and practical, but once in a while I slow down to enjoy cooking as a hobby. Slow food is “produced or prepared in accordance with local culinary traditions, typically using high-quality locally sourced ingredients.” **

Last weekend I took the time to make a traditional Turkish dish that I love:

Etli Lahana Sarması (Cabbage Rolls Stuffed with Meat and Rice)

Called Overseas to Cook and Clean?

When God called me overseas, I had no idea how much time I’d spend cooking, cleaning, home schooling, playing games, and driving kids to sports practice. Just as if I were still back home in America. I even asked myself, “Why am I here, anyway? I can mop floors and teach reading back home.”

I had no idea that when I led a women’s study group, I’d feel bad about leaving my kids home with my husband, and when I spent days on end caring for a sick child without leaving the house, I’d feel vaguely guilty for neglecting my “ministry” responsibilities.

Years ago I asked a more experienced woman, “How do you manage to have a ministry outside of your home?”

Her answer flabbergasted me.

Visit A Cross-Cultural Mom's Companion to read the rest of this post.

Grocery Store Adventures

Some days I think, “I can’t believe I have lived in the Middle East for 12 years, and everything seems so normal.” Baklava, belly dancing, Turkish baths, and volatile tempers sound exciting, but I’ve gotten used to them.  Other parts of my cross-cultural life are commonplace, like going to the grocery store. It’s not glamorous, but it’s still a cross-cultural experience.

Grape molasses and tahin (sesame paste) 

Here’s my scoop on shopping in Turkey:

When You Have a Case of the Doldrums

Do you ever feel like a pendulum? One moment you’re filled with thankfulness for God’s good gifts, and the next moment you’re complaining? One day you’re excited about life, and the next day you’re in the doldrums? This January I feel like a pendulum.

A Compass for When Life Gets Crazy

This cross-cultural life can get wild and crazy enough to send you into a tailspin some days. Many of you, like me, strive to balance ministry with caring for your families. Living cross-culturally can bring new challenges like language learning, fewer household conveniences, and visa paperwork. If your kids are small, caring for them can be overwhelming; if they’re teenagers, they need special encouragement to thrive and make the most of their TCK lives. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you ever struggle to keep balance?