Rereading the words that follow in this issue, I am humbled again by the hearts of my fellow staff members.
It seems we all struggle to truly understand “simplicity.” See, we don’t take a vow of poverty here at Word Made Flesh. Rather, we commit to celebrate simplicity with our lives. We all strive to live simply, but we all are still trying to figure out exactly what that means, especially in context with friends who are very poor.
As Marcia addresses in her article, hospitality in the name of being hospitable — or simplicity in the mere name of simplicity — will be insincere at best and a deep source of resentment at worst.
We want to live lives that bring honor to God and to our friends who are poor, but we want our hearts to be in it, too.
I invite you into the reflections of some of my beautiful, genuine co-workers, and into the question:
How can I celebrate a lifestyle of simplicity?
Finally, I want to let you know that Daphne Eck Coppock (Director of Advocacy and Editor of The Cry) will be moving on from Word Made Flesh. We will miss our dear friend and her leadership, not just for the work she led us in but for the people she called us to be. She has written a farewell letter below. It is a great honor to step into the role of editor, and Jara and I will do our best to continue to share, with respect and grace, the collective story of Word Made Flesh.
Mandy Mowers
Dear reader,
Hello again! I am home from an absolutely wonderful sabbatical. The time was surrounded by beauty and love, from the home we lived in to the friends we lived with to the beautiful Minnesota scenery, lakes and trails to the great Minneapolis art scene.
The gift of sabbatical gave me the opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the past, especially my last 10 years of service with WMF. I celebrated my 10-year anniversary with WMF during my time away and was able to simply be thankful for the time I’ve received here. What a gift the past and its memories and experiences have been to me.
During my sabbatical, I was able to just be in the present. There were many days I sat on the porch with an unread book sitting open on my lap. I would gaze at the garden, soak in the sun and simply be. What a gift to rest in the present — to receive the moment simply and fully!
I began to think about my future. I had the chance to assess and to dream. My husband, Caleb, and I began to see a new future open up before us, one that is more suitable to our new married life together — and one that surprisingly leads me away from WMF. I did not anticipate that happening, but it was so helpful to pull over to the side of the road for a bit and to give thought to where the journey was taking us. What a gift to be given a vision for the future!
This next season of life is moving us toward more involvement right here in Omaha. Although I have loved being internationally focused with WMF, this new chapter of life is going to be locally focused. A friend and I are starting a new business called Del Marie Creamery (www.delmariecreamery.com). Our first product will be a cream-top yogurt made naturally from grass-fed, kindly treated Nebraskan jersey cows.
I have loved being a part of WMF and leave with so many wonderful stories, with hope in my heart and with the richest friendships one could ever be given. In particular, it has been a joy to serve as editor of The Cry. I have been forever changed by the stories of WMF, and I hope you have been changed, too. Thank you for following the stories and traveling alongside us.
I have transitioned out of WMF as of December 31, 2009, and the talented and most wonderful Mandy Mowers is serving as the editor now. I am so excited to see where she takes The Cry!
Keep reading!
Daphne Eck Coppock