current prayer needs

As Sunday quickly approaches, I have many things to pray about, and would like prayer for. Two big ones come to mind:

First, pray for everything to go smoothly with my travel. That I'll pack everything I need, but be concise. That I won't lose my passport, money, or any of my travel documents. That my luggage will all arrive to the same place I do (lots of people lose their luggage, so I'm preparing for that possibility). That I'll find where I need to go in the airports and flights won't be delayed to the point of missing other flights. And above all, that I will represent Christ to the people I travel with, and make the most of every opportunity for the gospel (Col. 4:5-6).

Second, please pray for my health. I woke up Sunday morning with a sore throat that still hasn't gone away, and I don't quite feel myself. I've been loading up on vitamin C, drinking lots of hot tea, and getting as much sleep as I can. I'd really like to be on the mend by the time I fly out. Also pray that I don't have any crazy side effects from the anti-malaria medicine I started taking last week. I'm on Larium, and common side effects are anxiety, agitation, horrible nightmares, and hallucinations. They say the longer you're on the medicine, the greater your chances of having some of these side effects, so this will be an on-going prayer for me as I continue to take it over the next 6 months. If I do go off the deep end from taking it, it won't be the end of the world; I can see the crew physician on-board and he can switch me over to Doxycycline if necessary.

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!

farewell, Temple

Well, today was the day. I spent the last month, and especially the last week, preparing for this day. Life has been a hectic jumble of family visits, saying goodbye to friends, getting travel documents in order, taking care of business like banking and medical insurance, finding as much time to spend with Pat as I could around his new job, shopping, organizing, and packing. Needless to say, sleep has been close to the bottom of the to-do list. I'm exhausted.

Today I finished cramming everything I had in Temple (minus a bookshelf and desk) into my car and drove 3 hours north-east to The Middle of Nowhere, Texas. I'm not sure if I'm in Garden Valley or Lindale, but either way it's a tiny town close to Tyler, where the Mercy Ships International Operations Center (IOC) is located. I'll be here all week for the Foundations of Mercy Ships program (FMS). I feel like I'm at summer camp or a retreat - the IOC is on a large piece of land with a warehouse where medical supplies are collected, HR buildings, a dining room, dorms, pool, cafe, meeting rooms, gym, cabins, and I don't know what all else. Oh, and they raise livestock here too, so there are pastures with different animals. Lots of trees, with walking trails all over the place. And wild hogs. They warned us about the hogs.

This week will be spent in classes and seminars and meetings, learning more about the history and mission of Mercy Ships and things to expect when I join the ship, getting to know HR people and other volunteers and hopefully getting some much-needed rest. It's a treat to have a normal schedule, if only for one week, where I have somewhere to be at the same time every morning and the option of going to bed early at night. And to have some time to just sit and think, read my Bible, pray, and crack open my neglected journal. Maybe take a few walks. Hopefully not run into any angry wild hogs. ;-)

In one week from now I'll be in Africa. It doesn't seem quite real. Hasn't sunk in yet. Your prayers are much appreciated, my friends.

bon voyage

Last week, instead of having our usual Friday night Bible study, Pat and our friends threw me a going-away party :-)

the ladies...and Chris

crazy boys

as a lovely surprise, my parents came down for the night :)

my boyfriend is wonderful.

the end.

the clock is ticking

How is May almost over?!? I finished my contract at Scott & White hospital the end of April, so haven't been working the past 4 weeks, but I seem to have been even busier during my "vacation." Preparing for Africa, visiting family and friends, and spending time with Pat have made this month fly by. I'll be leaving Temple on June 6 for a week of training and seminars east of Dallas, and leaving America June 12 for 6 months of service in Sierra Leone. Getting more excited and nervous as each day passes, and trying not to develop anxiety over leaving my honey. I'm so glad for this opportunity, but it's going to be a tough 6 months. To live is certainly an awfully big adventure.

getting my ducks in a row

God is so good! I needed to have at least 75% of my finances raised by the end of this month, and I just found out today that I have close to 100% already. :-)

The past couple of weeks have been full. Besides working full-time at the hospital and spending time with Pat, I've also purchased my round-trip ticket to Africa, bought the malaria medicine I'll need to start taking a few weeks before I leave, been to the dentist and had a cavity filled (yuk!), gotten 6 vaccines (I'm finally finished getting shots!), been to the eye doctor, bought 6 months worth of contacts and a new pair of glasses, renewed my nursing license and CPR certification....and I feel like there's more, but I can't remember it all because it's 2:30 AM and I'm in a constant state of sleep deprivation.

Learning to trust God more and more every day.

preparing for africa

Around the same time I was getting more settled in Temple renewing my nursing contract and getting to know new friends at church, I was also busy applying to serve with the charity Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone. It was a lengthy application, but I finally got it all sent in and at the beginning of November I was accepted to work as a ward nurse on board the hospital ship Africa Mercy for 6 months starting in June! Ever since I spent a month working in a mission hospital in Zimbabwe 5 years ago, I've been hoping for another medical missions opportunity, and am so excited to be returning to Africa!

Anyway...that's another reason I've been dead to the blogging world these past few months. In-between my regular nursing job here in Temple and spending as much time as possible with Pat, I've been preparing for this next adventure. So far I've raised a large portion of the finances I'll need, and this week should have my plane tickets purchased.

Getting all my travel immunizations has been a chore. I discussed it with my doctor a few months ago, and she suggested going to the health department to get my shots, since they're more expensive in the doctor's office and my insurance doesn't cover adult immunizations. After calling around to various travel clinics and health departments, I drove 45 minutes up to Waco to get my first round of shots. Technically I could have gotten all my shots at once, but the idea of getting stuck 6 times in one day just isn't a very pleasant thought. I'd rather not risk a drug reaction, and quite frankly, I don't think my deltoids could handle that many needles at once. So last week I went to get the most important immunization - Yellow Fever. It's the only one that's required (all the others are just suggested, and I'm getting them to be on the safe side). I didn't think much of it until the nurse handed me my yellow WHO card (the form that comes with your passport that you document all your health information on) and said "Now, be very careful not to lose this. Not only will it get you INTO Sierra Leone, it will also get you OUT. If you misplace it, you'll have a hard time getting home." Wow. Scary thought.