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No child chooses her family or handpicks his mother. We don’t pick our church of origin, either. It’s given to us as naturally as mother’s milk, a nourishing force that comes to us before we know how hungry we are for faith. My birth family most likely was Catholic, judging from the fact that they turned to a Catholic adoption agency with an unwanted pregnancy. Handing me over to nuns instead of nurses must have meant something. It was through…

There were two things I came across Monday morning – a photo and an article. The picture sent to me showed a beaming Burundian mother holding her newborn son. The article came via The Guardian’s reporting on a break through in maternal health in Burundi. Both pushed me toward the vision of Isaiah. The Batwa tribe exists on the margins of society in Burundi, often invisible and so without rights, access or dignity. Our community development efforts have, in essence,…

[caption id="attachment_412" align="alignleft" width="150"] Tina Francis, photo[/caption] Twinkle lights are strung, shining everywhere I look. Glossy food magazines feature holiday tables bursting with roasted meats, savory sides and sweets galore. Discussions now turn to plans for the coming feast days – who will be around the table, what family recipes will be made, how will the celebration take shape this season. As a host, I tend to make a long list of ingredients and a shorter list of guests. I…

There is an ancient song. It's been sung for generations upon generations, passed down like a bloodline. The song is deep in me. It's a song of hope I carry like blood just under the surface, whizzing about with purpose, with promise. It's the hope of a new city where transformation has come and wrought it's best work, crafting a masterpiece. In the new city we see granaries, not armories. We're busy making food, not war. The department of defense…

http://vimeo.com/53189507 Every song has a story. This one has a story - and a lesson! Our friend, Donald Butler, is the worship leader for Community of Faith (a church in Texas). Two summers ago he traveled with a band of friends from COF to Burundi for some time on the ground with our Batwa friends. You see, these two communities have been cultivating a friendship over the past set of years. You'd be hard pressed to find two more different…

http://vimeo.com/53189185 Take a look at the progress in Bubanza... school is underway and the future looks bright for our students! NOTE: This video was shown at Community of Faith in Cypress, TX this weekend. Matthew Crook and Sherry Naron put the video together with love and skill!

Last week I posted some thoughts on the nature of adoption over on Deeper Family. As an adopted child and adoptive mother I’ve heard my share of uneducated and thoughtless comments regarding adoption. As a member of the company of the adopted, I felt the need to raise my voice and testify to another experience – my own. I’m the well-adjusted adopted child who always knew she was adopted and celebrated being wanted by a loving family. Growing up adopted…

The Nikondeha Family is headed for Houston, Texas! We will be spending time with our friends and partners at Community of Faith in Cypress, celebrating Serve the World Weekend. We're excited to share stories from our community development work in Burundi, reunite with friends who visited us in Africa over the past years and meet new friends during our stay. It's always fun to travel as a family, to be received as a foursome. Our kids are as excited as…

http://vimeo.com/51453976 I thought I'd share two intriguing clips I stumbled upon that address elements of the election. Why listen to me when you can hear from Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Brueggemann and Peter Block? I discovered these over a set of weeks, but they are interesting to watch together. Both point to a shared theme - this election is about electing a commercial version of candidates / party platforms, it's more about the best sales pitch. This makes sad sense to…

Not too long ago I wrote a piece for my friend’s blog. I wanted to dig into the often-quoted statement “The poor you always have with you.” There are really two things happening in this Gospel text. (I wrote about the other at SheLoves Magazine awhile back). But this interaction stuck with me throughout the weekend, the text that won't go away. I wonder if Jesus had a bit more snark in Him (like me, sadly), if He might have…