Own Your Ripple
Jen Dotzert, from our partner church in Indiana, recently joined us on a trip to Uganda. She shares about her experiences here… I remember traveling to Uganda for the first time, just shy of two years ago. I was with…
Category Bright Hope Blog
In Pictures: Motherhood Around the World
As we approach Mother’s Day this weekend, we are celebrating mothers around the world. From Africa to South America, we honor the women who give their lives to loving their children, protecting and praying for them…working tirelessly to care and…
At Mealtime, Remember the Starving People of Kenya
Rolling down the cereal aisle at my local grocery store, I had a kid in the cart, one riding on the side and another browsing the shelves trying to convince me to buy chocolate puffs. As I stepped back to…
A Few Kids, a Few Dollars, and a Chicken
All the kids in my little Sunday School class sat around the table with a $1 bill in their hands. In the center of the table I had a variety of food items—bread, a bottle of water, a can of…
I Would’ve Been a Kenyan School Dropout: Stories from the Slums
If I had been a student in Kenya, I would’ve been a dropout, I thought. It was so stiflingly hot in the crowded Grade 8 classroom. This wasn’t a patronizing thought giving a nod to students in developing nations who…
She wants to be a Biomedical Engineer: Stories from the Slums
There is a large, unidentifiable animal carcass floating downstream towards me. I watch it as I walk along the flimsy-feeling metal pedestrian bridge that crosses the river in this slum outside of Nairobi. The carcass is being carried along in…
Open Hands
“How was your mission trip?” It is such a simple question yet so hard to put a week’s worth of experience and impact into a few sentences. No words seem to give clarity to the whole experience. I too find…
Third World Country Synonym: How else can we say it?
What Does “Third World” Really Mean? I’m sure you’ve heard the term “third world.” If someone says, “third world nation,” you probably think of some place in Africa, Asia, or South America that has no running water, dirt roads, unreliable…
Why Do We Always Capitalize the “H” in Hope?
Have you ever noticed that in our blog posts and newsletter the “H” in the word Hope is capitalized? This isn’t a typo or grammatical error that has gone unnoticed. It is a purposeful and willful acknowledgement that Jesus is…
Crocs and Clorox Wipes—How to Pack for Your Mission Trip
Anyone else out there find packing for a trip to a developing nation—like for a mission trip—a sigh-inducing task? Totally worth it, but it sure does take a lot of time and brainpower. Soooo many decisions to make, right? What…