So here goes, my first blog entry... It's funny to me to even have one of these. Most of you know that I am not a "techie" by any means. I would much prefer sitting down with people to catch up rather than texting and checking their facebook to see what is going on in their lives. I guess that isn't always possible. I'm learning though. After a year of owning a digital camera, I'm finally uploading and posting photos. I'm also not the greatest at expressing my thoughts in ways others can understand (too much nursing shorthand) and truthfully, I am a little nervous that so many people will be reading this!
This journey to "the ship" has been a long one for me. As you will recall from the letter it started 8 years ago when I first found out about Mercy Ships. I have always wanted to go and be a part of something significant in another part of the world. When I heard that I could use what I was learning in nursing school to not only physically but also spiritually impact others, I said to myself that this was something I wanted to do at one point in my life. At the time, this was a distant dream.
After I graduated nursing school I attended a summer project in Southern California that taught health professionals how to ethically and relevantly address spiritual health. During our month there we also went to Ensenada, Mexico to set up a clinic for the weekend. I was stunned to see that some people in the world really did live and exist in dwellings made of cardboard. It broke my heart and changed how I view what we have here in the United States.
As I started my first job as an RN, I wanted to use the training I had from that summer with the patients I was caring for, but found it hard to do on a busy med-surg. floor. Occasionally, I have been able to speak to patients or pray with them. At the end of the day I usually feel drained and discouraged.
In 2004 I was able to go on another mission trip with my church to La Cieba, Honduras. That week was one of the best so far for me. We stayed with families who attended the church there who were very welcoming. In fact, my host family still keeps in contact with me today. By the end of the week, I had even picked up some Spanish! It was a refreshing time for me both professionally and personally. The people were so grateful for anything we did for them. They would wait in line for hours just to get in to see us. I came back to my small apartment and it seemed like a castle.
Over the years since I first heard about the Mercy Ships, I have visited their website, went to their booth at mission's conferences and talked to nurses who have also served on board one of the ships. Each time I became more interested, but the one thing that held me back was that I didn't want to be that far away for that long from my grandfather. Most of you know that I grew up with my grandparents and that my mother had been in a nursing home since the time I was 5. My grandmother died when I was 13, then my mother died when I was 20 and my grandfather died when I was 25. It was over a year after he died when I was checking out the web-site again and decided to take the next step and check Mercy Ships out further at an orientation week at their International Operations Center in Garden Valley, Texas.
Truthfully, it has been a struggle for me since this point when I decided to pursue the dream of going on "the ship." Satan has wielded all he can to keep me from going. It started with the application process. It seemed like as much as I wanted to go, I met just as much resistance. I'm not talking about outside resistance, but an internal struggle with what I believe and why I believe it. I ended up missing the first orientation because of this struggle with the lies Satan was throwing at me. With much encouragement from friends and with God's help, I turned in the first part of the application and went to Texas. This week fell on my 27th birthday and my gift was confirmation that this dream could become a reality.
I struggled again with the lies during the second part of the application and finally turned it in 3 months later. I heard back from Mercy Ships 2 months later and they accepted me to serve in Liberia from mid March to Mid June 2008. The problem was that this was already mid-January and I would have only had 3 weeks to raise the funds I would need to go. I wrestled with the decision and even had been granted a leave of absence from work for the 3 months I would be gone. After about two weeks, I decided not to go.
In August Mercy Ships offered me another position for 3 months in Benin. I wrestled again with this decision and the thoughts that I wasn't good enough or a strong enough Christian or that I wouldn't be able to raise the support. After talking and seeking counsel from friends and seasoned Christians I accepted this position and in December began the task of raising support.
Surprisingly, once I sent the letters out the support came in quickly. I can't thank all of you enough for being to generous. Because of you, I am about to experience this long awaited dream become a reality. Thanks also be to God, who has carried me through my doubts and fears and has blessed me with more than what I need for the journey.
This journey to "the ship" has been a long one for me. As you will recall from the letter it started 8 years ago when I first found out about Mercy Ships. I have always wanted to go and be a part of something significant in another part of the world. When I heard that I could use what I was learning in nursing school to not only physically but also spiritually impact others, I said to myself that this was something I wanted to do at one point in my life. At the time, this was a distant dream.
After I graduated nursing school I attended a summer project in Southern California that taught health professionals how to ethically and relevantly address spiritual health. During our month there we also went to Ensenada, Mexico to set up a clinic for the weekend. I was stunned to see that some people in the world really did live and exist in dwellings made of cardboard. It broke my heart and changed how I view what we have here in the United States.
As I started my first job as an RN, I wanted to use the training I had from that summer with the patients I was caring for, but found it hard to do on a busy med-surg. floor. Occasionally, I have been able to speak to patients or pray with them. At the end of the day I usually feel drained and discouraged.
In 2004 I was able to go on another mission trip with my church to La Cieba, Honduras. That week was one of the best so far for me. We stayed with families who attended the church there who were very welcoming. In fact, my host family still keeps in contact with me today. By the end of the week, I had even picked up some Spanish! It was a refreshing time for me both professionally and personally. The people were so grateful for anything we did for them. They would wait in line for hours just to get in to see us. I came back to my small apartment and it seemed like a castle.
Over the years since I first heard about the Mercy Ships, I have visited their website, went to their booth at mission's conferences and talked to nurses who have also served on board one of the ships. Each time I became more interested, but the one thing that held me back was that I didn't want to be that far away for that long from my grandfather. Most of you know that I grew up with my grandparents and that my mother had been in a nursing home since the time I was 5. My grandmother died when I was 13, then my mother died when I was 20 and my grandfather died when I was 25. It was over a year after he died when I was checking out the web-site again and decided to take the next step and check Mercy Ships out further at an orientation week at their International Operations Center in Garden Valley, Texas.
Truthfully, it has been a struggle for me since this point when I decided to pursue the dream of going on "the ship." Satan has wielded all he can to keep me from going. It started with the application process. It seemed like as much as I wanted to go, I met just as much resistance. I'm not talking about outside resistance, but an internal struggle with what I believe and why I believe it. I ended up missing the first orientation because of this struggle with the lies Satan was throwing at me. With much encouragement from friends and with God's help, I turned in the first part of the application and went to Texas. This week fell on my 27th birthday and my gift was confirmation that this dream could become a reality.
I struggled again with the lies during the second part of the application and finally turned it in 3 months later. I heard back from Mercy Ships 2 months later and they accepted me to serve in Liberia from mid March to Mid June 2008. The problem was that this was already mid-January and I would have only had 3 weeks to raise the funds I would need to go. I wrestled with the decision and even had been granted a leave of absence from work for the 3 months I would be gone. After about two weeks, I decided not to go.
In August Mercy Ships offered me another position for 3 months in Benin. I wrestled again with this decision and the thoughts that I wasn't good enough or a strong enough Christian or that I wouldn't be able to raise the support. After talking and seeking counsel from friends and seasoned Christians I accepted this position and in December began the task of raising support.
Surprisingly, once I sent the letters out the support came in quickly. I can't thank all of you enough for being to generous. Because of you, I am about to experience this long awaited dream become a reality. Thanks also be to God, who has carried me through my doubts and fears and has blessed me with more than what I need for the journey.
