Mary Peace Ramos stayed home with her mother who was ill and did not go to church that day. Her mother was resting in the bedroom when Mary Peace noticed the orange and red light flickering in the skylight near sunset. At the same time she peered through the window to discover the next door neighbor's house completely engulfed in flames, the people across the street began screaming a warning from the front gate of their small wood-frame and brick house.

FORT WORTH, Texas (8/9/08) — How many Disciples does it take to create a very special pilgrimage? We’re not certain about a theoretical number, but we do know that during the summer of 2008 a group of 34 members of University Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, leaped across the big pond to connect the dots of Celtic, Reformed and Disciples history. Our journey took us across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

On a twisted road we traveled through lush green foliage in the Allegheny foothills, which gave us a clue to the natural beauty of Campbell's Bethany. The collegiate Gothic architecture of Bethany College intrigued us as we passed down Main Street. We then crossed the bridge over Buffalo Creek; up a hill and over the top we ascended for the seven disciples’ first vista of the Campbell Mansion (1790-1840) in its original setting.

I have a new brother. His name is Ali, a 39-year-old Muslim tour guide from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. When my husband and I decided to lead a pilgrimage to this often-neglected part of the Holy Land, I expected nothing less than a major culture shock, with the opportunity to take in some of the biblical sites I learned about in Sunday School. Our group landed at Queen Alia International Airport on Saturday evening, a smoky, noisy place. I was exhausted and overwhelmed, instantly thrust into situation where every sound, sight and smell, was new and different. By Sunday afternoon, walking down the Cardo in the ancient Roman city of Jerash, I felt connected to a people and to a culture more similar to my own than I ever imagined.

SENDAI, Japan (4/1/08) — Recently I was deeply honored to interpret at the "Inter-Religious Conference on Article Nine of the Japanese Peace Constitution", organized by the National Christian Council of Japan. Article Nine of the Japanese Constitution renounces war as a means of solving international disputes and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces.

CONCEPCION, Chile (3/24/08) — Not long ago I visited the section of Concepcion, Chile's second largest city, where the Bio Bio River, one of the largest rivers in Chile, flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is a beautiful place with a new avenue following the curves of the banks and a river walk jeweled with green parks and spaces for picnics near modern playgrounds. How this community has changed since I first visited nearly ten years ago!

(3/20/08) — Fundacion EPES' project, "Strengthening the Development of Leadership Among Women in Health Groups in Hualapen Community," attempts to address the primary reasons why public health rights are not enforced in the communities of El Bosque, San Ramon Hualapen and Talcahuano in the Eighth Region of southern Chile and in the greater-Santiago area.

INDIANAPOLIS (11/1/07) — On Monday, October 29, Global Mission Intern Alex Morse wrote from the Dominican Republic that he okay after a tropical storm hit the island.

BOCA CHICA (Dominican Republic, 10/24/07) — Since arriving in the Dominican Republic, I’ve been doing two things — making house visits to people living with HIV/AIDS and teaching English classes.

HONG KONG (10/3/07) — Christians for Eco-concerns is an environmental group in Hong Kong committed to environmental education and action in churches from a faith perspective. We want Christians to understand that caring for the environment is a spiritual matter because we’re all called to be stewards of God’s Creation.