Category: History
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George H. W. Bush, from a dung floor under a tin roof in Chebitet, Kenya
I have mental snapshots and memories of the main house on the family compound. We were living with a Kipsigis family on their rural Kenyan land, surrounded by rolling hills, grazing cows, and red dirt. In this main building, we shared meals around a long table and the boys slept in the corner, having given…
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The superlative fortress of Sucidava – Corabia, Romania
The road was average, until the part funded by the EU began. For now, that’s how you know where to turn to reach the Roman fortress of Sucidava – the turnoff road from the main road is paved with a new concrete curb and a surprising sidewalk (not common in these parts). If you drive…
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Curating Legacy in Paphos, Cyprus
I spent several days with a friend in Paphos, Cyprus last week. Passionate about people and cultures and how God’s glory is manifest in diverse ways through them, we determined to visit the small Cyprus Ethnographical Museum. We walked by columned government buildings and museums to the aging facade of a large residence, iron gates…
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Peleș Castle, Sinaia, Romania
Western Europe does not hold a monopoly on enchanting castles. Romania holds its own when it comes to the influence of monarchs and their illustrious abodes. In May of 1866, at a time of great tension in western Europe wherein Austria and Prussia were on the brink of war, the German Karl von Hohenzollern crossed…
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Memorializing the Night – Elie Wiesel’s boyhood home in Sighetu, Romania
In a remote corner of northern Romania, a mile from the border of Ukraine, sits a modest blue home at the intersection of two city streets. A small plaque memorializes this abode, the house whence Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and his family were deported during World War II. The home, which is now a museum, supposedly…
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9/11 Memorial and Museum in NYC – a hot tourist spot for foreigners
“. . . And please be respectful. There are always families here.” The security guard, a former Marine, was absolutely serious as we exited the screening room. We watched the 9/11 Memorial and Museum introduction video in a hall filled with non-English speakers. Maybe they were new Americans. Maybe not. My guess is mostly they…
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October 31 – Halloween pales in comparison
On 31 October 1517, one man took a single brave action and changed the course of western civilization. After a series of significant events and after careful study of the Bible, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The wooden entrance of that church has since been replaced…
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Indelible Scars- Verdun
In-del-i-ble (adj): not able to be forgotten or removed One hundred years ago the Great War – the war to end all wars – began. Years of carnage and devastation followed. I have seen the scars. Millions upon millions were killed. This war reached the furthest corners of the globe. I once visited a military…
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Death in Spring
Reflecting on new life brought on by spring, it is a challenge to meditate on death. But this is also a season of death. Why would we ever talk about death? Death is separation. Death is the avoided inevitable. Why do we visit places marked by death – cemeteries, concentrations camps, Golgotha? We visited Dachau…
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Turmoil in South Sudan – Interview with American family who calls South Sudan home
On Christmas Day you probably were not thinking about South Sudan. At least not very much. I wasn’t. But, if you are the Faders, you were. They left their home and relationships in South Sudan for a Christmas holiday, not knowing their return would be tenuous. A year ago the Faders were featured on willtravelwithkids,…
will travel with kids 