I am SO thankful the Lord brought this lady across my path 3 years ago. When she moved in across the hall, I had no idea what a dear friend and encouragement she would be to me! From the start she was a kindred spirit, and freshman year would not have been the same without her :) I still remember Kate and I's first lunch ... and that first dinner with Benj not too long after! From Sunday school, to hiking, to birthday milkshakes - you two are a blast to hang out with. I am excited for the incredible things the Lord has store for your life together! Congratulations!! Getting Ready~ The Wedding ~~ Bridal Party ~~ The Meltons~Party Time!Once upon a time.... a bubbly, young lady fell in love.... and the rest is history! I still remember sitting in the dorm room when Victoria first told me about Jan :) She was so happy, and each time since as she talked about the wedding her excitement grew! It was a joy to be a part of their special day. Everything was lovely. May you enjoy the new journey together and continue pursuing Christ! Getting Ready...first priority is stress relief... jumping on the bed! time for coconut oil, curling irons, and lots of laughing.... ~ The Dress ~Bridal PartyWedding Time! ~ Mr. & Mrs.~Let's eat cake!off to new adventures!She... a compassionate school teacher, beautiful pianist, genuine and faithful friend He... a brilliant medical student, humble leader, loyal soldier, and thoughtful confidante Together... surrendered followers of Christ and a lovely couple! Here's to new adventures :) Congratulations!!!Once upon a time not very long ago when I was nervous about going to nursing school and leaving my family, another wise mother told me a story about her daughter... This sweet family is true blue {literally} and was an example of humility, trust, and love to me when they did not even know it. Thanks to Teenpact we got to meet a couple years later! These bright smiles were the highlight of my day, and the cheery handfuls of wildflowers picked for me were a close second :) Little Hands, Little Toes, Much LaughterYou have a radiant smile, sharp mind, gentle glow, quick thinking, and tender heart. All the makings of a great future nurse! I am so excited to see all the Lord has in store for you. Congratulations on your graduation and the next step in college. Keep trusting Him in the journey! ~ Sisters ~This family has been such a blessing over the years! I am so thankful for all the laughs we have shared. From listening to Jungle Jam episodes to hiking up Paris Mountain, it is always an adventure :) They are faithful friends, incredibly hard workers, and bonded brothers. Congratulations Brennan, I know the Lord has incredible things in store for you! Because all good men have sidekicks... I mean dogs ;) Because we like to have fun!Here is a photo journal of sorts for my week in Honduras with Medical Mission Outreach. It was such a blessing to see how God is working there! The ministry of Team Honduras lead by missionaries Matt & Dallita Goins, Jon and Sarah Stammen, and Mark and Amy Coats in incredible. Their humility, dedication, and love for Jesus radiates in all that they do. Thank you for your prayers and support! Iglesia Bautista El FaroPreparing meds at the church before clinic starts! El Progresso, YoroThe Medical ClinicThe team's reaction when they saw the early morning line as we drove up for the first day of clinic! During the four days of clinic we treated 3,618 patients. For the first time, we ran out of so many medicines we had to close clinic a few hours early on the last day. The Lord blessed greatly and even brought the most patients on the rainy day! Over 70 members of Iglesia Bautista El Faro volunteering during the week serving as translators, patient guides, registration, and did the evangelism. Triage: takes blood pressures, pulses, chief complaint, and oxygen saturation. 10 Doctors and nurses served as providers; they send patients to our lab, diagnose, and prescribe. As I saw patients come through the clinic one after another, something struck me. So many did not appear to be sick; on the outside they were smiling, carrying their children, feeding a baby, and talking amongst themselves. Granted some had obvious wounds and bandages or limps and crutches, but at a glance most seem to be doing fine. I was convicted that this is often how I can view people around me. I can dismiss the urge to talk to someone, get distracted by my phone, forget about someone sitting beside me because they seem ok. No one is dying right? Sure, if there was an emergency I would help, but they're ok; or are they? Then, once the young and older patients sit down beside you and tell you about their chronic pain since an accident 5 years ago, or the problems since delivering her last child 36 years ago, or the injury at work 2 months ago, or the inability to eat for the sake of pain, or the sudden chest pain that will not go away anymore - the seemingly normal looking patient becomes complicated. Every person has a story. While we saw many of the same diagnoses, each life has it's unique struggles; we sometimes had to dig with our questions to find the root of the complications and untreated diseases. Many patients had parasites, and all were treated for parasites. The parasites are like sin and sneak in with contaminated water using all the food's nutrients and starving the body. They grow and must be rooted out. While we treated the illnesses we could, it was a constant reminder of their greatest need, Jesus Christ. This is why we do clinics - to give them real hope. But it is often only after someone knows that you care and are listening that we can introduce them to the Healer of their sins, the One who extends to us a gift of eternal life because of His payment for our sins. As I go home, I pray I will not miss opportunities God gives to introduce others to my Father. May we live redeeming the time, be sensitive to the Spirit, and be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within us Members from the church sat down with each patient to pray for them, and explain the gospel. MMO is careful to make sure the patients hear it in their own language from someone they can follow up with afterward in the local church. This builds a foundation for relationships with new believers. We praise the Lord for 51 who accepted Christ! While the patients heard the gospel, the pharmacy prepares the prescriptions. Here is a video I pieced together, I am not a videographer! But it should at least give you an glimpse of the week and show what the clinic days are like :) The Vision ClinicSo many patients came for the vision clinic. Many of them receiving glasses for the first time. First: they read the eye charts on the wall and either wait on the doctor if they have cataracts or pterygiums or wait for the autorefractors. After receiving a prescription, the volunteers look for a pair of reading glasses or a close prescription from the donated glasses. It is a lengthy process and hard work, but many were very thankful to see clearly again! One little boy came having injured his eye a week prior to have the doctor find a metal shard in his eye. Instead of losing his sight in that eye, it is likely it will heal with the eye drops. Other AdventuresBesides working at the clinic, we were blessed to meet all the children at Hope of Honduras Children's Home. It is an incredible ministry with 18 children with contagious joy. The older kids were a huge help at the clinic too and several helped as translators. We enjoyed playing soccer, and jumping on the trampoline, and basketball with them. On the last day the whole team took a fieldtrip to the waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking! So majestic and powerful. Some of the team went cave exploring and diving while some took the kids ziplining. It was great fun! Also pictured are a few of the exciting critters we met during the week :) As I flew home a beautiful array of clouds passed below. Fluffy peaks, wispy trails, golden crowns, and frosty shades of blue, and a hundred shades of white and pink as the sun reflected off a million suspended water droplets. It was a gorgeous sight and always changing with the wind the farther we flew. It is a sight we can never appreciate from the ground below. I thought of it like a picture of God's perspective. He sees an entire other side of our lives. He sees the beginning and the end. He sees the rain to come and the next sunrise. He holds blessings in store and is orchestrating tomorrow. Without going to Honduras, I would have never seen how He was working in the believers there, but God saw. He is working in Guyana, in the Middle East, in China, and so many places far from our limited sight. As I think about graduation and the future, I look up and just see clouds. From my perspective it is all still gray. I have hopes and dreams and do not want to waist any time in serving the Lord, but I wait on His direction and pray. I do not wait idly but trusting. I can trust Him who made all things, whose thoughts are above mine, whose ways are above the heavens.
Ps 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass. |
AuthorI will be the first to admit that I am not a writer, but have a sincere aspiration to articulate Truth with grace, in love, seasoned with salt. Here is a journal of sorts, or photo documentations of a journey - one currently around the world in Papua New Guinea working at the Kunai Health Center. Thanks for visiting and your support! Archives
May 2019
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