- Tell us something fun about yourself that is not in your author bio.
I have undiagnosed book-ADD. There are half-read, in-progress books in every room of my home including purses and my car. I am constantly checking out books from the library, adding them to my Amazon cart, and borrowing and swapping with friends. An ideal day for me would be in a chair, by a river, with a coffee carafe, bag of chips, and stack of books.
- What’s one thing you miss from North America when you are on the field, and one thing you miss from the field when you are in North America?
I miss the sensory overload that accompanies the foreign. When something is so familiar (and more contained), it can be boring! I long for the bustle of people, the sights, sounds and smells that come with open markets and narrow streets.
- What do you think is the benefit of writing and sharing your story?
In To Be Told, Dan Allender writes, “We don’t just have stories; we are story. It is our responsibility to know our story so we can live it out more intentionally and boldly for the Great Story, the gospel. God writes our story not just for our own enlightenment and insight, but to enlighten others and to reveal his own story through our story.” The end.
- How do you create time/space in your life to write?
Some of my best inspiration comes while waiting for kids – at playgrounds, in carpool lines. I carry a notebook (alongside my book) to squeeze in writing during those moments. I took my first two-day personal writing retreat recently and it was really challenging to have so much uninterrupted time!
- Where besides Connection can our readers read your writing?
I am a member of Redbud Writer’s Guild and contribute to our online magazine. I am also a regular contributor for Red Tent Living. I blog semi-regularly at bethbruno.org where I have a list of various places my writing has been published. My first book will be available where books are sold in January, 2018. It is tentatively titled, A Voice Becoming: Rites of Passage for Raising Strong Girls (Faith Words/ Hachette Book Group).
- What are you reading/listening to now? (especially something that is a helpful resource)
I have fallen in love with podcasts! When I can’t physically hold a book, I still crave words! (This undiagnosed problem probably warrants counseling.) Some of my new favorites include: Hope*Writers, Create If Writing, Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey and The Global Mom Show. The first two are really helpful for writers while the last two are just fun and encouraging and will introduce you to lots of great women!
- What do you think is the best kept secret out there (in terms of an organization or resource that is useful to global workers)?
Airbnb. I think this is a game changer for how to save and make money for traveling, and global workers do a lot! This year we listed our home and made it available for times we were already going to be gone. We rented it each and every time, covering the expenses of every single trip we already had to take! Furthermore, we often use Airbnb to find places for our family to stay, allowing us to cook more meals and have more space to spread out than we would in a motel room.
- Who (dead or alive) would you want as a mentor for life and ministry?
This past year, I took my mom and daughter to Corrie Ten Boom’s house in Haarlem, Netherlands. The tour is operated by volunteers who view the entire thing as a ministry. I was amazed at how many times the gospel was woven into stories about Corrie and her family. This woman inspires me. Her faith, perseverance in suffering, and resolve to choose justice despite risk is so compelling. After the concentration camps, in which she lost her sister, and after the war ended, Corrie began to travel as an evangelist. After one event, a German soldier whom she recognized from the camp approached her and asked for forgiveness. Can you imagine? She’s one of the women I plan to have coffee with in heaven.
- If you could choose a kitchen utensil or appliance that best described YOU, what would you choose and why?
I have long, bronze skewers from Turkey. Each one has an Ottoman image on the end and I love them! I love that they stay in the drawer for long seasons, visible every time I reach for a utensil, but frequently unused. Then all of a sudden I go thru a phase of using them weekly; where every meal requires grilling with kebabs.
I feel like those skewers. I don’t mind putting on the heat. In life, with work, the hotter the better sometimes. I tend to go through seasons of pushing into new tasks and taking on big risks. And then, as suddenly as it began, I long for the drawer where I can just lie for a while. Like right now. I’m looking forward to being tucked away in the back sometime soon!
©2016 Thrive.