By Butch Whitten-- On February 7, 2019, I was headed to the gym in Beaverton, next to City Hall. It felt like a normal day to me. After working out, I caught the MAX to the Beaverton Transit Center to catch my bus home. Arriving at the transit center I saw my bus was about to leave. I hustled...
By Susan Schmidt-- Mother’s Day is approaching and I find myself thinking about my grandmother. Gram as we called her. Memories came to mind as I assisted my twelve-year-old granddaughter in sewing her first skirt. I was twelve years old when Gram taught me to sew. I still remember the...
By John Brunton-- The impact of COVID could have easily resulted in a decrease to our giving to both the general fund and the GP fund. However, our faith community continues to be incredibly generous, and, as a result, we have been able to not only continue to support our many Global Partners...
By Heather Murray-- In countries like Switzerland in the spring, a skier shouting a few words can set off tons of snow thundering down the mountainside. In my children's Operation World (Intervarsity Press, 2018) prayer book we are reminded that, "In the same way, a few words spoken to God our...
By Wayne Williams-- I am always inspired, motivated, encouraged, and convicted when I hear the stories of what God is doing around the world through our Global Partners (GPs). Stories about how one of them has led relief efforts in the Philippines after the islands were hit with a trio of...
By Dave McLaren-- Recently I was in Florence on a “golf junket” with several friends. Two of us were sharing an RV in which I was sleeping on the hide-a-bed in the main living area. I awoke one morning chilly because the propane tanks had emptied sometime in the evening. I pulled a...
By Jane Lewis-- Today is Good Friday. “GOOD” Friday. On this day, as we remember and reflect on Jesus’s excruciating suffering and death, it seems counterintuitive to call it “good.” And yet it’s what Jesus accomplished for us through His suffering and dying...
By Gina Smith-- I have a co-worker who has a four year old daughter named Eleanor who is precious and precocious. One of my favorite Eleanor stories is when when my coworker told me he walked into the living room and Eleanor was sitting on the couch. She was alone and she was crying. Alarmed...
By Stephanie Ramella-- I have been reflecting this past week (as I’m sure many of you have) on the fact that it’s now been exactly one year since the pandemic began. I’ve been struck this year as I talk to people who aren’t followers of Jesus and their perspective on...
By KJSA-- Recovery: it’s a word that both expresses something positive and negative. On one hand, recovery demonstrates that things are getting better every day. At the same time, it also has to acknowledge that something bad happened which caused you to be in a time of recovery from that...