Liz Ortiz

You know that scene from the movie Home Alone when the family is running through the airport and arrives to their gate moments before the door closes?

For most of my youngest brother’s life, our dad has been battling MS. There have been uncertain times for our family when we didn’t know if our dad would make it or not. Recently, my brother shared with me that in middle school he wasn’t sure what the future looked like for our dad. He began to pray then, “Lord, help my dad be there to see me graduate college.” Last month, God answered that prayer. My little brother proudly walked across the stage to receive his diploma as we

When I walked into my sending church a few weeks ago, there were flags on the walls from many different countries, signaling the start of missions week. An older missionary couple and I were the featured missionaries for the week. As I walked into the church as a missionary and saw the flags, my memory took me back to 24 years ago. I was nine years old and walking into my church for the missions conference. The flags were on the walls. I was in awe and sensed that something s

One of my insecurities is the fear of not being understood and lost in the language. As a child, I struggled with a speech impediment. Other kids sometimes teased me for how I sounded. I spent several years in speech therapy. When God called me to Togo, I was nervous about learning French. Could I learn another language well enough so people could understand me? He affirmed in my heart that all things are possible through Christ. I was determined to follow God’s leading in my

Last New Year’s Eve I started a new tradition. I watched the Prince of Egypt and decided it would be my movie to start off each year. Why? The end of the year is often a time of reflection of the past. In the New Testament, Moses is mentioned over 70 times. Throughout the Bible, God tells his people to remember the marvelous works that God has done, such as when He rescued His people from Egypt. I find that story fascinating. I love how Phil Wickham writes about it in his boo

During a recent call to my mom we were discussing holidays. “Did you know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday?” I told my mom. “I don’t know if I knew that. Why?” I thought for a moment. “My love language is quality time. Each year I look forward to a delicious meal shared with loved ones as we give thanks to Lord for all that He has done.” As I prepared for Thanksgiving with my teammates in Togo I continued to reflect on why I like Thanksgiving above the other holidays

I love the days that I go to the school. Whenever I open the door to my truck, I hear cheering and the sounds of footsteps running towards me. I am greeted by big smiles and hugs. The students help me carry in the boxes of books and supplies from my truck. As we walk into the classroom, I am greeted by Divine, a new student this year, who is non-verbal. The first couple of times that I came, she feared me and was on the verge of tears if I came near. But now, she is the first

In August, my social media feed was flooded with back-to-school photos. Seeing these posts had me anticipating seeing my students again. However, here in Togo, the school year doesn’t start until mid-September, so I had to wait to see “my kids” again. As I waited and prepared for the first day of school, the excitement built inside me. And when the day finally arrived and I pulled up to the school, the excitement that had built up did not disappoint. The children exited the s

Seven years ago, I walked into a 2 nd grade classroom. The students began pointing to an empty seat shouting in a mixture of French and...

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 My friend Kristin and I had been talking for nearly 4...