Year 21

I really have so much to be thankful for when I reflect on this past year. This year started off with my one and only brother's marriage in September. The wedding was gorgeous and over this past year I have been blessed to get to know my wonderful sister-in-law better.

In December I graduated from nursing school. There is certainly a sigh of relief in graduating, but the anxiety quickly picked back up when it was time to put out applications and to take my boards. I passed my boards and was offered a job the next week from Chambersburg hospital which was my top choice for a job. I had done an internship there so I felt way more comfortable there. The job market in this area for nurses is not good at all so I felt incredibly blessed for the opportunity.

My Bible study group, family, friends, and mentor had been praying for me and my job decisions and our prayers were answered. Soon after I was hired my parents threw out the idea of going to Brazil with my aunt and uncle's church in May. I was not very confident that it would work out but once again, I asked people to pray and I began praying....and as you may know from the previous 10 posts...I went to BRAZIL! It was absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to go on more service trips like that.

I also started my bachelor's degree at Towson University which has been quite the transition but I am happy to get it over with. I don't enjoy all of the classes but it is something that I need to do.
One of the more negative events this year was the passing of my dog, Sadie. We got Sadie as a puppy when I was in 5th grade so she was with me through middle school, high school, and college. She was an absolutely lover and I really did love her. One afternoon we noticed that she was running into things and struggling to get up on her right side. She was also very anxious and shaking. That day and night was incredible difficult as we realized that she had a stroke. I stayed awake all night crying and hated seeing my precious dog suffer. So we had to put her to sleep. We tried to get use to not having her around, but I never really felt like I was okay with her gone.

 

We went to Brazil and then when we got back we were introduced to India Grace (aka Gracie). She was pulled out of a kill shelter in West Virginia. She is not Sadie, but she is an absolutely lover and she is such a joy! She has definitely been an incredible companion and comfort to me already. She almost seems to know that she was saved. Her adoption was my parent's gift to me for my 22nd birthday.

Going into my 22nd year of life I am to see what is ahead. I already have 2 nursing missions trip that I am praying for clarity and wisdom for. I am also hoping to grow in my faith by discovering true rest through Christ and to work on daily living for Christ as I after being challenged by David Platt's secret church on Good Friday. Since becoming a Gospel for Asia volunteer, I am praying for this year and that I can spread awareness of how God is using this organization to spread His love and help the needy of the world.
I am excited for what God has in store for me and I pray that He uses me to glorify Himself.

Brazil Day 9: This trip ain't over yet!

Today, Saturday, was our last full day in Brazil. We foresaw it to be a day of travel with maybe a little sightseeing in Manaus. We arrived at the airport in Belem to head for Manaus. As we were waiting in line I noticed that my aunt was being pretty quiet. As we checked in our language I noticed her leaning on the gate. I almost asked her if she was okay, but instead I figured that she was just tired. While we stood at baggage check-in I looked over and I saw my aunt’s eyes glaze over and then she stumbled backwards until she fell straight back onto the tile floor. She had passed out. A man behind her put his foot under her head as she fell to keep her head from hitting the floor. Mom and I jumped down and I grabbed her head. My uncle put her feet up in the air. Her pulse was regular and she came to in a minute or two. They took her to see the doctor in the airport who checked her out. Her blood pressure was a little low but the exact cause we still don’t know. Earlier that day she had been sick so she was dehydrated, she had a rash on her arms and neck from an allergic reaction, and she was exhausted. After resting and drinking some water we decided to go wait for our plane. She drank some Gatorade and slept the entire plane ride to Manaus. I journaled on the plane and was just so thankful for this somewhat surreal experience. I did think that the one thing that did not happened that I was looking forward to was seeing exotic animals on the Amazon. We were told that we weren't far enough into the rain-forest to really see a lot of unique animals, plus we stayed on the boat for the most part. Besides some parrots, a giant dead bug and a dead Parana, we didn't see many interesting creatures in their natural habitat.
When we arrived in Manaus I sat and waited for my family who all had to use the bathroom. A man sitting beside me asked if I was European (which made me feel a little sophisticated) and I corrected him and said no, that I was American. He asked me some questions about our trip and one thing led to another and he told me that he knew a man who owned a boat who could take us out to see the rain-forest and animals. I had a mixture of emotions: oh my goodness this sounds amazing and this sounds like a trap to kidnap us and my family will never go for this. So when the rest of my family came back I told them what the man told me and come to find out the man’s brother was washing his hands at the same time as my dad in the bathroom and he was telling him similarly. We stood there and all looked at each other trying to read each other’s faces. We automatically turned to Julie and asked if this was even an option for her because of her health. She said that she was good enough to go. We talked to each other and asked about a few details with cost and time because we only had a 10 hour layover in Manaus. He said that they could definitely have us back in time and all we had to do is say the word and we could come back. Ok, let’s give it a shot. I whispered to my dad and mom that this could be really awesome, or this could be really bad. We were also making jokes to each other in private about how this would be the last of the Parkers and Drapers, insinuating that this might be a dangerous idea. We got into taxis and road to the Amazon Theater where we met up with the man who would show us around Manaus and then take us to the boat. The theater was the nicest place in Manaus and it was very historical. We went from there to eat pizza and then headed to the boat. We walked through the city and past tons vendors until we reached the dock.

In front of the theater. This monument represented all of the continents. 

This was created to represent where the Rio Nigro met the amazon river.

"The Amazon Theatre"

the dock with the boat we would be taking

We rode out to where the Nigro Rio meets the Amazon River in order to see the difference in color up close. The texture of the water was definitely different but it was difficult to see. We could see it from the airplane though before. We then rode past a river community with houses, a school boat, and church. We arrived at a restaurant that had a walkway out behind it to go into the rainforest. We walked on this rickety path above the water to a swampy area with giant lily pads. There was a camen sitting on a lily pad when my mom and aunt walked up and then he slipped off and watched us from the water. Here we could also hear the Howler monkeys calling in the distance. Now that was eery! It sounded like a growl that echoed throughout the entire woods. On our way back we also saw spider monkeys up in the trees.

Just leaving Manaus dock.

The bay outside of Manaus. 

river village

On this house you can see how high the river had been where the line is on the side.

The Pentecostal church

They were pretty excited about the world coming up.

We walked back this path above the water, into the jungle.

This caiman was sitting on a lily pad before I walked up.

giant lily pads

Next we road to a little boat house. This house was floating on giant logs. As we approached I thought one of the little girls was holding a stuffed animal but as we got closer we realized that it was a real live sloth. We got out and each held the sloth. We didn’t cuddle up too close to him because mom pointed out the flees on him. Then they brought a boa constrictor out of this little house. They had caught it in the rainforest and they keep it in their home. We each got pictures with it too. I stood with it behind my neck and I could feel its muscles contracting like it wanted to wrap around my neck and its scales rubbed on my neck. 

We road through openings in the forest where there was enough room for a boat to ride through the trees. I thanked God for this very special treat. We all said that we looked forward to seeing Amazon creatures but we weren't disappointed with the trip in the least, and then God decided to give us an extra treat to see more of His creation that He knew we would enjoy.

We then went to another boat house. This house looked like multiple families lived in it. They had sections of river water separated for bathing. They also had a collection of fish. They gave mom a rod with a fish tied on the other end to try to catch one of these enormous fish. These fish were insanely big! Mom actually got over half of the fish out of the water before he slipped back in.

Mom catching an enormous fish! This fish was about 150 lb!

After that we went to a more open area to watch the sunset and to look for pink dolphins which we did not see any of. Once it got dark we could look for caiman. Another man stood at the front of the boat and shined a light in the marshes that lined the river. We could see the bright red shining eyes of the caiman when the light shined on one. Then we would slowly, and somewhat quietly, ride closer to where the shining eyes were seen. They caught one and then we were each able to hold them and have our pictures taken. Of course they were just baby caiman but still pretty neat to actually handle. The one man rubbed the caiman’s belly to put it to sleep.

First they dropped the caiman at mom's feet which is why she is screaming. They were putting it to sleep by rubbing its belly.

We then had a relaxing ride back to Manaus where we went to dinner and then back to the airport. We all slept through the night since our plane left at about midnight to fly back to Miami. The airplane was very empty so we each were able to find an open row and stretch out and sleep for the 6 hour night flight. From Miami we flew to BWI.

It’s always like a dream when you go on trips like this. The anticipation for months is over and the 9 days fly by. I tell people that I loved every minute of this experience and I was blessed in many ways through this trip. I was blessed by the church that we met up with and even though we couldn't speak the same language, they have a special place in my heart and we will always have a special bond. 

I also was blessed by working with the people of Brazil in those towns. While we did make some impact medically, many of those people came onto that boat to be heard and to be loved. They’re illness were easily treated, but the time we took to look them in the eye and hear them and to then pray for them is what made the impact and that is something that I can do here in the USA with my nursing job.

I was also blessed by the American medical team. Every single member of this team worked for the glory of God and they worked hard. Most of them were seasoned travelers and missionaries. Dr. Glynn and Patsy lived in Africa for years serving people and they have also served in China and India. Dr. Jim and Pam have traveled around the world and Jim served in the military as a doctor and so he had many stories and expertise to share. Kevin shares a passion for medical missions, music, photography, and different cultures. Bill had a passion for Brazil that added tremendously to my experience while we were there as he talked to people and encouraged us to meet the Brazilians. Dawn is an RN who works in cardiac here in the USA but helped organize a trip to Africa for at team with Glynn and Patsy. Tom has a passion for people and life that is contagious. He told me about his time in Brazil planting churches and while raising his family in Brazil. He is now a pastor at Mountain Christian Church for their global ministry. I love my aunt and uncle and they define hard work. They are also seasoned travelers and love taking opportunities to explore and meet new people. Who else am I forgetting? Oh ya, my parents. What a blessing to work with my parents in ministry. I love working with my mom as a nurse and watch her use her expertise in nursing. I also absolutely love finding my dad on the boat, on the pier, or on land making balloon animals for children for hours.

I am extremely excited to serve with this group in the future and I absolutely pray for more opportunities to work with these brothers and sisters. I am definitely going to need to visit them in Bel Air soon.