The Cry for Community — Vol. 23 No. 1
Articles In This Issue
What I learned in Word Made Flesh Romania by Emily Ong
Last May, I had the privilege to visit the Word Made Flesh communities in Romania and Moldova on a Discovery Trip with my alma mater, George Fox University. During my time in Eastern Europe, I heard stories of the children and youth attending the centers. In Romania, we walked through the streets the children call…
Where Broken Ground Bears Fruit by Kelly Rohr
When I first joined Word Made Flesh, the term “brokenness” was introduced to me in a way that challenged everything I knew. At Word Made Flesh, brokenness is not seen as a weakness or flaw, it is something to be celebrated. This radical perspective was difficult for me to grasp at first, but I knew…
Save Me Too by Mary Grimm
A Meditation on Luke 7:36-50 and the celebration of brokenness: Simon, Pharisee, “man of God” had the Teacher to his home. While he scrutinized his guest a woman crept in weeping. She touched the Rabbi with her sin stained hands. She kissed his dirty feet with tainted lips—an altogether disgusting display! Why didn’t he stop…
Celebrating Brokenness by Louise Akimpaye
Translated into English by Christelle Dufitumukiza How do I even talk about brokenness without first mentioning the Master of Brokenness? His whole life was marked by it—this is Jesus. In Kinyarwanda, the word for brokenness is “gushenjagurwa.” It means more than just being broken; it means being shattered, beyond repair, like a clay pot smashed…
Expressing Hope While Broken by Greg Burch
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . . I have fear. Is that how it goes? Brokenness is hard to embrace. It is hard to live in the shadows of both my own pain and the pain of others. At least for me it is. Shadows represent darkness, uncertainty,…
My Kitchen Adventures by Ishmael N’gaujah Mattias
The clatter of pots and pans was a familiar symphony in Aunty P’s kitchen—a sound that echoed with love, laughter, and the comforting aroma of spices. With her weathered hands and a smile that could melt the coldest heart, Aunty P poured her love into every meal. Each dish she prepared was more than just…
Jesus Wept by Rachel Dyachenko
I have a friend and colleague who once pointed out to me the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” The context is Jesus as he learns of his friend Lazarus’ death. This is a short, powerful statement that calls for a dramatic pause and a deep breath. Our Word Made Flesh community…
What We Carry by Emily Fales
We each experience brokenness in our lives, through personal failure, loss, and vulnerability. Many church services I grew up attending were quick to discuss our personal brokenness and personal pain. In some ways, it makes sense to begin our journey of faith here. Before we can recognize the image of God in others, we must…
Choosing Trust over Certainty by Emily Fales
January is often embraced as a symbol of renewal in people’s lives. It is filled with visioning, planning, goal setting, scheduling, reorienting, and refocusing. For those who have a clear goal in mind, they are excited to share the story they are hoping unfolds in their year. I had already been asked the question What…
From the Editor – Winter 2023
Letter from the Editor – Emily Fales Prior to this year, my vision of service was exclusive to the day to day around my college campus and tight knit community. From volunteering on the weekends, to dropping my schedule for a friend in need, to late night calls from younger sisters states away needing…
His love, His comfort, and His fruit by Krystal Born
I was reading my devotional of the day from Henri Nouwen’s book You are the Beloved when I read this sentence; “We are called to give our lives to others, so you and I can bear fruit.” It encouraged me to go deeper and to reflect on giving one’s life to others in service and…
Sitting in the Discomfort of Service by Kristen Stiefel
“Sometimes I wish serving others was easier.” I told this to my husband over dinner last week. The previous evening we had the opportunity to host our friend Gus* in our home for dinner. He hadn’t been over in a while, and it gave us quality time to catch up while he ran a few…
The Upside Down Nature of Service by Ariel Alexander
Service is one of those buzzwords that permeates Christian culture. A lot of talk about service centers around the idea of “servant-leadership:” defined as emulating Jesus’s leadership style. Service can indeed qualify Jesus’ type of leadership, but we do his example a disservice when we limit service to the sphere of leadership and don’t consider…
Who is this God they worship? by Krystal Born
Krystal Born wrote this narrative in response to individuals in vulnerable situation who she has listened to and learned from during her service with Word Made Flesh Moldova. She started by scribbling down her own questions, which quickly fell into a narrative illustrating the point of view of someone living on the streets. It is…
The Least of These by Jennifer Seo Ney
Eleven years ago, when I was an intern from Canada with Word Made Flesh Sierra Leone (WMF SL), one of the books that influenced me to move to the edge of the Kroo Bay slum area in Sierra Leone was Ron Sider’s book, Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger. In his book, he shares…
STOP Service by Cami Goble
“STOP throwing things!” I yell angrily, slapping my five-year-old son’s hand. He had chucked his glasses. AGAIN. Daniel Tiger’s song plays in my head, a moment too late, “Take a deep breath and count to four. One…two…three…four.” Then, swirling eddies of regret, shame, and self-loathing flood in. Perhaps you are like me? I am a…
From the Editor — Winter 2020
Even as I undertake the complicated process of putting an issue of The Cry together, reflecting on this year and all its complexities, I am struck with my need to remember the simplicity of Christ and His peace. A God-Man clothed in humility and authenticity, a carpenter, whose ministry juxtaposed that of the Pharisees. There…
Annual Report 2019
Thank you for being friends and allies. Every donation and purchase, each sacrificial volunteer, a story shared or a prayer offered, all contribute to an army of believers who care enough for others to change the reality we share. Thank you for being a part of it. We’re excited to share the results of our…
Rooted in Christ…and Growing Together!
Painting by Ana Rase, Former WMF Romania staff Upon my 10-year anniversary of service with Word Made Flesh I was blessed by a time of celebration and many gifts, including the unique painting pictured here. The leaves of the tree are thumbprints of children and adults from WMF Romania. They represent the uniqueness of each…
“Tu Tambien Tienes Una Madre”
“Recuerda que tú también tienes una madre-“ (Remember that you also have a mother), the man said, just loud enough to be heard but soft enough to not further aggravate. On that dimly lit street, and for reasons that I don’t fully understand, this phrase defused the rage in the other man, who slumped his…