America to Tanzania and Back Again: February 2016

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Little Judas

Jude. It's a great name! It's been pretty popular lately, being in the top 200 for US boys for the past several years. It's delightfully short, easy to pronounce, easy to spell, and comes from the Bible. Judas was one of Jesus' brothers (biological son of Joseph and Mary - a "real" brother).

Wait - Judas?! Yes indeed, our dear friend Jude is actually Judas. Not Judas Iscariot, but Judas nonetheless. It was a popular name back then, too, thanks to the Hebrew forefather, Judah. In the Greek New Testament, there is no Jude or Judah, just Judas. In English, we like to have the good Judas distinguished from the bad Judas, so the former goes by his nickname.

Oh, if you're interested in the stats, Judas is ranked in about 5,000th place for popularity.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Happy boy

Jerod is now 14 months old, and he is one happy little boy. This fellow thinks every day is a great day! Here he is, having a good laugh just because, well, why not laugh?

About Me

I grew up as a homeschooler in Washington State, doing a lot of reading and swimming. I thought going far away for college sounded fun, so attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan. While at Hope, I realized God was calling me to missions, specifically Bible translation. My next step was the Canada Institute of Linguistics at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. A few months after graduation, I was on a plane to Tanzania as a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Two years into that venture I met my husband, who quit his job and moved to Africa with me. Four years and two kids later, we are on a new adventure - living in Pennsylvania.