Today, we celebrate one of the amazing multicultural moments in Jesus’ life when the magi from the East came to worship Jesus, bringing special gifts. Truly, Jesus is for all peoples.
Matthew 2:1–2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (ESV).
The multicultural aspects of our lives continued throughout 2025.
Living in Sweden, Anya completed her master’s program in mathematics in a joint program at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Stockholm University. She had a Spanish supervisor and a Russian “opponent” for the successful defense of her thesis, entitled “Solvability of Dirichlet and Neumann Boundary Value Problems on C1, α Domains.” We celebrated with Chinese hotpot! Anya continued through the fall as a teaching assistant at KTH and taking Swedish language courses.
To celebrate her master’s degree (a bit early), I invited Anya to come to Tanzania as I wrapped up my two-years of the mobility phase of my postdoctoral fellowship (see MamaAnya.com). I invited Hemming, her Swedish boyfriend, and his family who live in the same area, to come with her to Tanzania. Hemming’s mother and sister joined us for two weeks of visiting friends and former places where we lived, as well as a bit of safari and visit to the coast for sand and snorkeling.
My two years in Tanzania for facilitating a collaborative creation care project for the Maasai were fruitful and rewarding. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of collaborators. It is a gift to be part of something that has a sense of God’s blessings bringing everything together. This last year is dissemination, where I’m finishing up projects and writing a book about it to share an adaptable model that leverages the underutilized church in response to the climate change crisis.
Anya was able to visit China in October with Hemming and his parents, to visit his grandparents and other family members in Beijing and Shanghai. Anya totally loved it.
This year, I’m based in Uppsala, Sweden, but I will take the train to Norway for conferences, seminars, and meetings. I also was able to represent Wartburg Theological Seminary (where I will return in the fall to again teach Old Testament) for 12 days of consultation on theological education and a Jubilee anniversary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. I shared in jubilant, joy-filled worship and heartbreaking, tear-filled stories of apartheid, including the death of the father of my host family while the father was in police custody in 1969—when my host was only 11 years old—leaving his mother a widow of eight children.
Finding his father’s name on the Wall of Names at Freedom Park, Pretoria.
This last account illustrates that for some the Other is not one who invites us to live our sacred calling to love one anOther, as Jesus loved us. In the midst of the upheaval in the world, may you be enriched by the special gifts of the Other, as Jesus was honored by the gifts of the Others from the East.
With blessings,
Beth
Blessed Epiphany to you. Thanks for sharing so beautifully.
Beth and Anja, Thank you for your news. You lead such interesting and productive lives and it is good to catch up with what you are up to now. Congratulations Anja on the completion of your degree! It is so wonderful to hear of the multi-cultural dimensions of your lives. What a blessing to experience the global nature of the Gospel! I confess it is a bit of a battle to be a global Christian in NE Oregon. While your world expands mine has shrunk to the size of my backyard, but I am making the most of it. I am becoming a flower farmer on a 120 sq. ft. plot and was able to take flowers to the Farmers Market this year. I learned a lot and plan to keep growing more and different flowers this coming season. God’s blessing on all your endeavors! Peace for the world in this coming year is my heartfelt desire.
Hello Beth & Anya! So good to hear from you and catch up with your global adventures. Huge congratulations to Anya on completion of your Masters. I freely admit that the title of your thesis made me wonder if you are defending a foreign language degree or a mathematics degree!! Beth I am so impressed with your work on behalf of the Maasai people. Glad to hear you call it fruitful and rewarding, knowing that you set the bar high. May God continue to bless your & Anya’s efforts, whatever & wherever you are.
So happy to receive this update and I agree with Heidi, you lead such interesting and productive lives! Someday we may catch up in person! Until then, you are in my prayers.