Taking a trip... It's called a blog tour...

How is it that I'm participating in a blog tour, yet I've never published a book and am not sure that I ever will? I've never even officially written a book, unless you count the Sheep Tales scripts, written in French as a collaborative project, but that still have never been recorded... at least not as far as we know?

Well, I guess I'd have to say I decided to be a part of this one because of who invited me... I want y'all to be aware of and consider working through her recently published Bible study on the book of Hebrews. But, I'm also joining in because there are a few blogs out there that I've found encouraging... written by some neat gals who often see things differently than I and who are consistently challenging me with their thoughts... They've also either given me opportunity to write or have encouraged me along the way in my own writing journey.

My dear friend who's been like a big sister to me since our college days at Penn State is the one who invited me along for this ride. Nivine Richie is one of my most favorite people in this world and I wish we didn't live so far away. I can't think of her and her family without thanking God that our life paths crossed for a season many years ago. Even way back in those college days, it was clear that God gifted her in communicating truths from the Bible. She was always provoking me to ponder and process God's Word! She still challenges me, today, almost every time we correspond.

Wife, mother, and university professor, she has had the privilege of leading many ladies’ Bible studies or co-leading small groups with her husband, Pat, over the years. She is involved in women’s ministry in her local church and in the Christian faculty organization on campus. Her first book, Enduring Faith: An 8-week Devotional Study of the Book of Hebrews is published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and is available on Amazon.

Thanks so much, Nivine, most importantly for inviting me to be your friend so many years ago, but also for this opportunity by including me in a blog tour.

Now, to answer a few questions:

1. What I am working on now?

I'm not writing a book or anything. I tend to stick with essays that I publish on three different blogs: Our Wright-ing Pad - more family, personal and ministry related topics. I also continue to write for two collective blogs - a life overseas: the missions conversation and Missionary Moms Companion. On our personal blog, I'm participating in a blog writing challenge - writing for 31 days in the month of October on the same topic. My topic is the Book of Proverbs - a proverb a day. However, I'm tacking on another facet to the challenge. I'm only writing for five minutes (that doesn't include study/prep time). I'm continuing to write a series on Encountering Jesus, working my way through the book of John. I've got about seven posts left on a series dealing with longevity in ministry (inspired by a sermon my home pastor preached this summer). And last, but not least, there's always the aspiring-to-be-monthly-but-still-failing prayer letter that is a part of our missions ministry!

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

Frankly, I'm not sure. I write for a specific audience in each place that I write. My goal is to communicate in a clear and informative way what's going on in our lives (as a family), things God is teaching me, and to encourage all who read - but often focusing on the expat/missions community around the world.

3. Why do I write what I write?

I write for three reasons. Quite simply, I process life by writing. I learn, I test new-to-me ideas, I come to conclusions, I study, I remember... I really am one of those persons who has to write a grocery list but when I forget my list at home, I can still remember almost everything I need from the store simply because that action of writing helps me process and store information. I write because I am compelled to share what God is teaching and those words spill out more intelligibly in written than in oral from. I am a teacher, through and through. I also write so that our friends and family will know our children. Having spent most of the past 15 years overseas, I wanted a way to allow others to be a part of our children's lives, even when they couldn't be physically present.

4. How does my writing process work?

Usually late at night or early in the morning, when everyone else is asleep... if it works! I tend to plan out posts in advance, sketch out an outline, pray about the material (unless it is just silliness with the kids or fun stuff around our home and in our family life) - sometimes it takes a couple of weeks or more to actually write a post. Writing helps me to process the world around me, delve deep into God's Word, and keep accountable as far as Bible study and communicating with those who partner with us in ministry... so that's why I do it.

Finally, the really cool bit of this post and any blog tour. I get to introduce to you to lovely women I've been getting to know via blogging. Be sure and pop by their sites - they've got some really neat stuff to share! Maybe someday, I'll get to meet these wonderful women in real life!

Colleen Mitchell, at least as I've gotten to know her online, is an encourager. She is wife to Greg of 17 years and mother to five precious sons here on earth. She also has five precious children awaiting her in heaven.

In 2011, she and her husband formed a non-profit, St. Bryce Missions, and they currently work in Costa Rica among the Cabecar indigenous peoples. They run the St. Francis Emmaus Center out of their mission home to provide access to medical care, support and health education to indigenous mothers.

As a woman, wife, homeschooling mom, missionary and writer, Colleen wear a lot of hats in her daily life, but the most important thing to is to live the love of Jesus with all her heart.

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Liz Kamper almost always makes me smile - her facebook comments, lines in her blog posts, her comments on my blog posts! She lives in Costa Rica (I just realized that both of these ladies live in Costa Rica!) along with her husband and three boys. They serve alongside the great people at Iglesía Uníon. Her days are filled with wrangling boys and an occasional animal or two, and well as spending time over a cup of coffee with the other women God has brought across her path. She writes at A Part of the Whole.