Sustainable Living in Iraq This isn’t about what you think it’s about. Sorry? Too often we associate “sustainable living” with recycling, cutting emissions, gardening, and getting rid of single use plastics. But what about living in a way that we are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually able to sustain for the long term? One of the [...]
Hannah and Colleen have a conversation with Victoria, who spent 28 days in Kurdistan on our teacher training trip back in August of 2021. Hear her reactions, culture shock, what she learned, and whether or not she'd ever go back! Also find out about what to do when you break your ankle on a mountain [...]
Everything and Nothing Today, I did everything and nothing. That’s what keeps running through my head as I reflect back on my first day. I can’t possibly put into words what it was like - pictures, videos, things you read before you come - nothing described it the way I experienced it. And listening tonight [...]
1996-2000 Adapting to Change In the years 1996-2000, Servant Group staff and volunteers learned to adapt, a great quality to possess in any cross-cultural service. In Nashville, that meant a new approach to interfacing with the existing Kurdish community and a new platform for welcoming thousands of those newly arrived. Internationally, that meant responding to [...]
A Crazy Day - Life in Kurdistan The painter was coming at 10 with a friend’s father, although it would probably be 10:30 because life in Kurdistan runs on Kurdish time. When I got the call that the painter couldn’t come until 5 pm, I wasn’t terribly surprised. My car was stuck in a store [...]
Here’s an update from two of our teammates who are networking with refugee relief workers in and around Athens, Greece in order for us to be better able to serve there. Today we spent all of our time in a Park. The need there is tremendous! The majority of refugees are from Afghanistan and Algeria. [...]
I served with a Servant Group International team on a Greek island. Each day we accompanied approximately 1,000 refugees arriving on the northern coast. The refugees arrive on shore wet, hungry, thirsty, exhausted and frequently in shock from the 6-mile journey. Most have been displaced from their homes for at least a month – many [...]
There was a flurry of last minute packing on Saturday morning. Some of our team had already flown out, but emergency blankets and ponchos were added to already full bags. They were weighed, measured, and found within the required limits (after some shuffling). Twenty bags in all were packed with supplies for our team to [...]
Upon arriving in Iraq, each family member had assigned jobs. Mine included all things pertaining to the kitchen and to laundry and to cleaning. Sounds easy enough, right? I clearly remember the day we arrived and unpacked our suitcases. Naturally, I found my way to my job---the kitchen. I began to make endless lists of [...]
