By Norris Burkes Aug 12, 2018 Two weeks ago, I invited you to go with me to Honduras in 2019 to create children’s libraries through my daughter’s nonprofit, Chispa Project. So often, those in mission work will talk about the differences we can make in the lives of others. But as I’ve discovered, the experience of working
Last winter, my wife and I went to Honduras for three months to help our daughter in a small, grassroots nonprofit called Chispa Project. One night as we left a restaurant, a man followed us to our car. “Por favor,” he said, handing my daughter a note. “PLEASE, can you help me get to America?”
By Norris Burkes Published Mar 11, 2018 “Is your daughter’s nonprofit Christ-centered?” asks an American missionary here in the Honduran capitol of Tegucigalpa. The man is among hundreds of missionaries headquartered within the comforting amenities of a big city. They represent various faiths, but most, like the one asking the question, are Evangelical. Most do
By Norris Burkes Jan 21 2018 I graduated from high school in Atascadero, California. In the 1970s, Atascadero was a town without a stoplight or chain stores. However, we had a lot of churches and liquor stores. Truthfully, it fit the Spanish meaning of “miry place,” roughly translated as “pigsty.” Of course, our rivals from
Nov 26, 2016 Friends thought we were crazy last year when my wife and I downsized our life by selling our 2,800 square feet McMansion and renting an ancient mobile home. If things weren't crazy enough, we halved our salaries by shifting to part-time hours. Now, for the past 18 months, instead of buying kitschy
May 15, 2016 by Norris Burkes As a spiritual columnist, I feel especially close to my readers - maybe that's because my words sit just a few inches away from your face as you read the newspaper. Or maybe it's because you listen so well to the many personal stories I've shared about my family.
Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 12:01 a.m. Does everything happen for a purpose? Or is God able to give us a purpose in spite of the mess we get ourselves into? These are questions I pondered in 2011 when the Peace Corps sent my daughter’s best friend, Ruth Bennett, to Catacamus, Honduras. Several months after
