According to Webster, 'grace' is defined as: an unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. Big stuff.


I like to think of it in terms of your grandma's favorite rocking chair on her front porch listening to Alabama crickets, late-night ice cream runs with your best friends during finals week, having the privilege and joy to watch two people you love give their hearts and promises to each other, feeling the warmth of the sun, tangible joy - the kind you can taste and see, puppies. The knowledge that, "weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5). Christ's message of love and redemption.


I'm convinced that there are these moments in life when we are given the opportunity to fall, stumble, trip, crawl towards, cartwheel into pockets of grace. And they exist not only in moments, but in people. In decisions. They are the very essence of God's grace - his lullaby to us as he cradles and protects us.  


This summer I've been given the opportunity to journey into a huge pocket of grace - I'll be going to the Solomon Islands, the place where I actually grew up, with a Discovery Team from Wycliffe, participating in and helping with FOPA (Festival of Pacific Arts), an Arts festival that happens every four years that brings together 25 Pacific countries to share their cultures and their hearts through artistic expressions. I am so incredibly humbled and terrified. And excited. 


I'll be using this blog as a means for communication and updates as much as possible - stories, quotes, prayer requests, etc. I can't wait to share the awesome things God has already done, and will do. 
Training starts tomorrow! It feels like Christmas Eve. 

Our tentative schedule:

June 17 - 24: Dallas, Texas - The Ethnoarts half of our team will participate in the Arts for a Better Future workshop. The linguistic half of the team will visit professors and missionaries at GIAL and SIL International in language survey, literacy, translation and Scripture Use. The whole team will do some language and culture learning.

June 24-27:  Travel - We will fly to LA, then on to Fiji and then to Brisbane, Australia. We will spend one night at the SIL Pacific Area flats. Then we will fly to the Solomon Islands.

June 27-28: Acclimatize - Rest and meet people. Learn places and how things work.

June 29-July 1: Story telling workshop - Tentative plans to receive training in Biblical story telling from Margaret Love, the New South Wales Rep for Wycliffe Australia. We may assist with storytelling at FOPA.

July 3-6: Malaita - Most of the team will travel to Malaita. Ethnoarts members will pre- sent and help at FOPA activities. Language members will meet with national translators. The team will assigned in pairs to stay with local families.

July 7-14: Honiara - We will return to the SITAG center in Honiara. The ethnoarts mem- bers will serve in the FOPA activities in Honiara. Language members will work with translators or help with a literacy workshop or help with the follow-up survey from the Megavoice distribution.

July 15-24: Serve locally - Ethnoarts members will serve local communities and churches through small group and one on one interactions in ethnoarts training. Language members will continue to work with translators, help the Literacy Agency Solomon Islands (LASI) and assist the Scripture Use Specialist.

July 24-31: Debrief in Fiji - We will spend one week in Fiji debriefing. We will process personal experiences, discuss future plans, and plan and practice presentations.


Thank you for your prayers! 


Kathryn