Maggie's March Blog

Men shout, shake their ebony fists, shout more, storm off sweating and exhausted, only to return shouting louder. I found myself often in the middle of this angry mass, a tinderbox ready to explode. Land disputes are common in Uganda. Our ministries are enmeshed in one now. Villagers have lost land to these land grabbers as well. The villagers worry that our ministries will be shoved off land – exposing their children to more suffering. Every meeting, someone comes to get me; to make sure I am

“A Protestant minister named Charlie Andrews comes to join Gandhi. The two men are walking down a city street when three teenagers emerge from an alley, carrying rocks, calling names and threatening violence. Charlie pauses and suggests the he and Gandhi take a different route. Instead, Gandhi moves forward and beckons Charlie to come along. As they walk. Gandhi notes that Jesus taught that if an enemy strikes a blow on one cheek, you are to turn the other. The danger grows with each forward

African Hospitality Institute is a storytelling community. As we share our stories, we learn that God allows the first part of our story to be written through the choices of our ancestors. Some of us have been blessed with a Godly heritage – generations of decisions to follow God. Others have suffered from generational sins that have wounded and destroyed. Yet for each of us, there is a point where God invites us to co-author the rest of our story – we must choose how we will respond to the

I was reminded this afternoon of wondrous African memories: lizards falling from roof beams, down my shirt and trapped in my bra - a respectable reason to give up wearing one; a green Mamba jumping from a basket into my hair before slithering down my arm. Slipping in muddy red clay after a thunderstorm. Lying in bed debating whether the drip from the ceiling was a rain drop or lizard  pee. Monkeys everywhere, Lieutenant Dan moments of screaming at God over the harshness of life and earning my

There hasn’t been much time for ‘Porch Ponderings’ – it’s been wildly busy with one large team after another – staff and students have worked for weeks without days off; up at 4 AM to bake bread and muffins and falling into bed around 11PM after full days of cooking and cleaning. These are the months we give the students a taste of what working in the hospitality business is like year-round. These are days of the great exams; faced with multiple groups, followed by a group of 38 on retreat for

CHANGE. – It’s a word I fear. It’s a word I yearn for. I am learning much about resting in the mystery of God. I am learning about my need for self-care, compassion as well as unconditional acceptance of myself and others. I am learning about saying “Yes to life from the belly of sorrow”. At this season of my life I stand at a ‘Threshold’. Thresholds require a ‘crossing over’ into the unknown; demanding vulnerability, surrender and an ‘opening to receive new life’. As I live a mindful and

Living in the remote bush of Africa without daily news, radio, internet has made me an observer of world affairs. The lack of current news creates detachment from world events and keeps me focused on my community. When people come to the ranch, I see the polarization of politics through our visitors’ eyes and emotions. It will be interesting to see how history writes itself of our current times. As a student of history with many historical events playing out in my own life, I keep learning to

​Dear friends, I am being bold in this blog asking if you would consider supporting one of next year’s students or contributing to AHI’s general fund.  Financially, this has been a difficult year.  We have been blessed over the last few years to not have to raise our sponsorship costs.  We have lost the support of several large foundation supporters recently that covered the costs of our after school work program, internships, and staff wages during the erratic economy. We would still like our

My sending church, Eastside Foursquare Church in Bothell, WA is going through a transition. Change is painful and confusing. This is what I shared last Sunday. Many wanted copy of my notes – I think it may be a good word for all of us. I hope it speaks to your heart and gives you strength and courage to step out and do that One Small Thing God is calling you to do. DJ – I want to thank you for your years of service at Eastside. I want to thank you for modelling how to listen to God and then how