Perfect or Prophet

This past Wednesday I was working at the hospital (which everyone calls "the station"). I was assigned the women's infection ward and the men's wards which have a combined total of 14 beds. After discharges I had 4 patients most of the day. Now let me just add that this is really unusual especially with the recent unrest in Togo. Right before I arrived there were more violent riots and so the hospital had a flood of patients injured in the protests. At that time it was "all hands on deck" but now things have settled down for the time being and hopefully for good.
In the afternoon I made my way around to most of the wards just to see if anyone needed anything while saying "Ca va?". I made my way into the men's ward where the "Jesus Film" was playing in one of the Togolese languages. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the movie which was encouraging to see. Each ward has a TV and in the afternoons when people are resting they play the "Jesus Film" or some other christian film. They play them in the different languages that are spoken in the area. Going into the room I didn't really have any intentions but I soon found out that one of the patient's brothers spoke English. I pointed out on the screen who John the baptist was and that he was related to Jesus. He came before Jesus as a prophet (keep in mind I'm trying to choose words that he would understand). The brother translated everything that I said to his mom and anyone else who had gathered around. I explained that baptism in water is something that we do to show the world that we follow Jesus and that I was baptized. Then Jesus came onto the scene. I watched and tried to figure out what was happening in the movie and figured out that it was Jesus wondering in the wilderness and being tempted by Satan. So I told the guy and he translated. (Don't worry, I wasn't interrupting their featured film, they liked talking to me). I told them how Satan tried to get Jesus to do wrong but He didn't because He is perfect. We talked a little bit more about Jesus, His perfection, and how He did miracles while on earth....then I realized that the guy thought that I was saying that Jesus was a prophet because "perfect" and "prophet" ironically sound similar. I had to chuckle once I realized the miscommunication. I corrected myself and emphasized that Jesus is perfect and that is why He is God. Okay, yeah now we were on the same page because then they started to disagree with me. They corrected me saying that Jesus was a prophet. I said that this is the difference between Christianity and Islam. This is what I believe and it is different from what you believe. The boy proceeded to tell me that Jesus couldn't be God because Allah is in heaven. I said that through God came to earth as Jesus. Well that was absurd to them. Once again, I kindly pointed out that this is the difference between Christianity and Islam. It seemed to be clicking, especially with the guy. I also pointed out that Jesus said that He was God and that He was perfect... So either Jesus is perfect and He is God OR He is a bad person for saying such things....making the point that He can't just be a prophet because of what He claimed and the authority He spoke with. I could tell the boy was thinking but I couldn't tell if he understood the point. I pretty much just left things there at that point. It was a very non-confrontational exchange. Funny thing was, I didn't go into that room planning on sharing the Gospel but it was easy and comfortable to do so. In hindsight I can think of more that could have been said but in that moment I felt very at peace with what was being said. I pray a seed was planted. Because of the major cultural differences I know that I have to choose my words wisely when sharing the Bible with people because it could be misunderstood and even offensive which is obviously not my goal. I did not wake up this morning and think that I would share the Gospel with a Muslim but God is faithful. He is good. He is using me in ways that I will not even know until eternity. The Spirit moves in beautiful prompting.
(I would like to add that I am also confident that I didn't offend them because after sharing about Jesus's perfection and deity the mom still wanted me to marry the son that was translating and speaking English.)

Fully Alive

So let me paint a word picture for you....
Today I worked a 12 hour shift at the Hospital of Hope where I cared for a total of 11 patients throughout the day. It was a steady day but not too crazy. I sincerely enjoyed today.  I have to mention that working in a hospital such as this one is an entirely other world for me, and this is an advanced hospital with a lot of western influence for this kind of remote area! Nursing with limited resource, paper charting, different kinds of supplies, and generally a different way of doing things takes a lot of retraining of the mind. I have worked at the same hospital for 3.5 years (and love my job there) so I knew that this would be an exciting adventure to enter into such an unfamiliar environment (and I'd be lying if I didn't say I experienced some anxiety over the unknown leading up to my orientation). Today was my first day on my own after a two day orientation. (Can I just say God totally used med-surg to prepare me for the multitasking and time management that comes with caring for so many patients). I made mistakes today though, and I asked a lot of questions to my very kind and patient coworkers so today was far from perfect. It was a long day. Then this afternoon the down-pour came. You could feel the cool breeze in the hospital which is unusual for the afternoon, the peak of the heat. Then you could hear the rain. Keep in mind, at 7:15 pm (after sunset) I have to bike home on two-thirds sand/dirt roads with already impressive potholes to dodge. Well the rain slowed up but didn't stop so....here I go...I sit down on my wet bike seat and start peddling in my long dress with a headlamp attached to my forehead. And I just started laughing!

The entire way home I could hear the bull frogs bellowing and I got a nice cool down shower all while getting a decent leg workout peddling in the wet sand. Of course, you want to peddle slowly so that you can swerve around the puddles that you think might be too deep to drudge through. I just laughed the entire way home. I have to say, I felt fully alive! Ken Davis wrote a book that I read about half of (I hope to finish because it really is a great book!) and it is all about how even pain or discomfort is an indicator of life! We learn that even in nursing school...if someone feels pain appropriately it means that their body functions and nervous system are working correctly and that is a GOOD thing. Not to say I want to feel pain, necessarily, but feeling and living are absolute gifts from God. I could easily see myself feeling alone, discouraged, or miserable after such a seemingly rough and exhausting day...but God redeems days like this to make me laugh. I can't help but stop and think "I am in western Africa, riding a bike through a rain storm, this is kind of awesome."

Instead of going to "work" I recognize that I get to go use my skills and knowledge to help people that otherwise would not get medical care and the hospital would be short-staffed! I get to work along side people from an entirely different background that share the same passions as me. I get to use goofy gestures and voices to attempt to communicate with people of about 7 different languages (none of which are English, and most of the time not French). I get to hold and play with the most beautiful little babies while I care for their parent or grandparent. I get to listen to the bullfrogs sing a deep and slightly creepy song and my soggy ride home through the jungle of Africa. I get to feel my thighs burning as I peddle because I have the gift of mobility in a young body. I get to cool of in a light rain when usually I'd be soaked in sweat on my ride home (sorry, I know gross). Sorry if I'm getting sentimental, but it is good to feel alive and to live with a purpose bigger than myself. And to soak up every experience as a gift from Jesus. This is not to say that I am not most often selfish. BUT I am convinced that God seriously takes me on the BEST adventures! The passions that God has placed in your heart for HIS glory will make you feel alive because, as I'm reading in John Piper's "An All Consuming Passion For Jesus," our joy and satisfaction coexist when God is most highly worshiped. What an amazing God I serve.

Meet Iesha. I could literally bring her home with me. Her giggle is one of the most contagious laughs I've ever heard and music to my ears....videos to come!

This little one's not too sure about us white people but still stinking beautiful and she humors me with a smile occasionally. Her mom and grandma were riding a moto (like a dirt bike which is  a common form of transportation) and they wrecked. This precious baby girl was strapped onto her mom's back when it happen. Both her mom and grandma broke their right femurs but the baby is completely untouched from the accident!

This picture does not do my trail justice. And see how only part of the ride is lit....yeah, it is quite a maze. I'm starting to find the challenge fun though!

Airplane, Car, and Bike

I have made my way to Mango, Togo (pronounced "Mongo")!
Everything with travel went smoothly and I met some very interesting people on the plane rides. After a long day of flying on Thursday I arrived Friday evening in the capital, Lome, where 3 missionaries from the Hospital of Hope greeted me.The third missionary who is a nurse, Laura (who is from Ireland), was on her way out of the country to visit her family for a week. Gary and Deb are from Michigan and they are such warm people. Gary, Deb, and I woke up and hit the road at 6 am Saturday morning with our driver Pariko.  I enjoyed getting to talk to them about the Hospital because they're involvement with it dates back to its very beginnings. They have taken trips to literally build the hospital and its facilities and they have been a part of sending supplies from the states. I loved getting to hear about their love for the Hospital and the people of Mango. Talking with them really made me excited to be a part of something that is so obviously bigger than myself. We had a 8-9 hour drive to Mango which is in the northern part of Togo. We drove through villages and over mountains with a lot of patches that had insane number of giant pot-holes! I have no idea how these vehicles function in this kind of terrain! We arrived in Mango mid-afternoon. Most of the missionaries that weren't working were at a pool party on the hospital grounds for a birthday of one of the missionary's sons. I got a quick tour of the grounds and then I was driven to the house where I am staying with a bunch of other single ladies. Most of the ladies are about my age and everyone is incredibly welcoming and kind! Here I learned that I do not have an option for air conditioning which I thought would be the case...but when on mission flexibility is the name of the game! Like the other women in the house, I will be taking lots of cold showers to stay cool when at home. I also learned that I will not have an individual interpreter. There are so many different dialects that it wouldn't even really make that much sense to have an interpreter. So I will have to grab a local nursing assistant whenever I need something translated. This just means that I will have to be creative in my communication! Tomorrow, Monday, I will start my orientation at the hospital. Today, Sunday, is a great day of rest for me. I slept about 8 or 9 hours last night and it was glorious! The electricity kicked off twice during the night which was basically like an alarm clock because my standing fan turns off too.
But with so much sleep I felt like a new woman this morning. This evening I will go onto the hospital grounds to join the other missionaries for some wiffle ball and then we will have a church service. We had pizza for lunch which is quite the treat. My main form of transportation while here will be bike so I should be in good shape when I return to the states!

I pray that I will continue to be able to sleep well, that orientation will go well tomorrow in the hospital, and that I will be able to retain French phrases to use while here.
Merci beaucoup.... for all of your prayers!

Everyone who comes to the hospital flies into Lome and then travels north to Mango.

Can you see me?...Just kidding, we were following this vehicle (but not for long because everyone passes each other like a continual game of "chicken").

Cars would have wood or luggage piled high like this. Not sure how these vehicles last any length of time.

My bedroom on the 2nd floor of the "Beyonce house" which is a joke just because all of the ladies there are single.

The bathroom that I share with Monan who is from Wyoming.

Unlikely

I'll tell you what...God is so good. The sermon this weekend at Lifehouse Church by Pastor Patrick about Deborah the judge spoke directly to my fears and insecurities about going to Togo. "God chooses the most unlikely people to do the most unlikely things." I know my weaknesses and strengths and I can tell you that I am not the most qualified person to go to Togo. I am not brave, I don't know any French, I adore my coworkers, family, and friends, I really appreciate comfort, and I don't really usually like international foods. Even more than those things, I have been listening to the voices of people in my past and my own fears. These words drill deep insecurities into my heart about doing medical missions. I don't have the strongest faith and I'm not the smartest nurse. I have recently felt very underqualified to go to Togo because of these whispers.

BUT

the most awesome thing about serving God is that these things actually qualify me to be used by Him. In my weaknesses He is strong. At the end of this month I can only give God the glory for whatever transpires in Togo. I am chosen by God and I am chosen for His purpose. I can have God-confidence in place of self-confidence because He wants to work in and through my weaknesses. He alone will deepen my faith and understating of His grace and character. He alone will use me and my skills to help heal. He alone will give me the words to speak truth into the lives of others. I don't have to be qualified. I don't have to be anything other than obedient. This reassurance has been like a weight lifted off of my shoulders as I prepare to go to Togo.

I will also add that when following Him scares me, and requires faith, it is probably a God-size dream that He has placed in my heart. This comforts me in knowing that I am going where I am supposed to go. I am going where only He can lead me. 

I am evidence that God really does lead us on the wildest and most amazing adventures.

What is your God-sized dream?

Stay tuned for more about Togo!

Here is a link to watch the sermon that I reference...

http://www.lifehousechurch.org/sermons/series/43/

India

So when you first saw this blog post you may have thought it would be about my beloved dog named India but its actually not. (Although she is super cute and sweet). 

Rather, I have news that I am so pumped to share about! I have been praying a lot recently about going to India. Why India? My senior year of high school my mom went to India with Mountain Christian Church on a medical missions trip to India where she worked with the Central India Christian Mission (CICM). On this trip my mom was deeply moved for the poverty and spiritual darkness in many parts of the country. She was also inspired by rubbing shoulders with passionate and sold-out followers of Christ as they shared their testimonies of faith and persecution. She came home telling lots of stories of how hopelessness and ashes have been turned to hope and life! Just from her time there I felt God work in my own heart and it was then that I decided to go into nursing because of the opportunities that physical healing brings for spiritual healing. Since my senior year God has taught me so much about the culture in India and the needs there just through simply educating myself and getting involved in supporting missional organizations state-side. I knew that the past 6 years were waiting years and so I have involved myself from afar by supporting organizations that are working to meet the spiritual and physical needs in India and in Asia. After waiting 6 years God has opened the door for me to physically go and serve at the place that my heart has been drawn to for 6 years!

I have been accepted to join a team with Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism (FAME) on a trip to India for just under 2 weeks during the summer of 2016. Not only will I be going with FAME, but we will be partnering with CICM which I am so excited about because my mom loved working with them back in 2009! CICM has a nursing school, orphanage, seminary, and medical outreach. I am still waiting for my starting packet but the estimated cost is $3,600 for the trip so, as excited as I am, its time to get to work raising the money for this trip!

A few ways that I will be raising money so please let me know if you would like to utilize any of these services:

Babysitting (yes, I am putting back on my "babysitting apron")

Photography

Homemade cards (assortments of 8 cards or 8 Christmas cards for $10, I'll be posting pictures soon of some examples)

Handmade scarves (pictures to come as well)

Handmade bookmarks ($1-2 each)

And if you can come up with anything else let me know, I'm open for suggestions!

I will also follow up on how you can donate once I get my start up packet in the mail. If you know me and my passions then you probably understand how excited I am for this opportunity!

Wrapping Babies in China with Love

Earlier this month I hosted my first blanket making party through an organization called "All Girls Allowed." This organization works to show love and support to families who choose to keep their baby girls. Due to China's One Child Policy and the cultural desire to have baby boys gendercide is a serious problem in China. Baby girls are far to often aborted or abandoned by their families because they are seen as undesirable. All Girls Allowed wants to tell parents that every child is valued by God and to come along side of these families to help them through the journey of parenting. (Their website is www.allgirlsallwed.org)

https://vimeo.com/64890601

So the blanket making ministry was started to give mothers something of a baby shower present in order to celebrate the life of their baby girl. When I hosted it at my house 13 people attended and 6 others donated either blankets or money to help with sending the blankets and many more people showed an interest in participating next time! After I collected all of the blankets I took them to the laundry mat to wash all of them and carrying in 5 laundry baskets of blankets made for a great conversation starter to tell people about what we are doing! (One lady said, "You either have a lot of kids or you have a daycare with all those blankets!") :) 

24 baby blankets were sent to China!!!!

With each blanket sent I tied a picture of the person who made it with the blanket and a hand-written note from the person who made it. I LOVED reading the notes from people as I tied them to the blankets! I can only imagine how loved the mothers will feel when they read these after being translated!

After subtracting cost for washing the blankets and mailing them I am still able to send a check for $133!!! That goes to show how generous so many women were in donating to financially support this project. A private company covers all of AGA's office costs so all $133 will go to the families that AGA serves and loves!

Thank you to everyone involved....I can't wait to host the next one....but I think we'll need a bigger space for everyone interested in making blankets!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy of the party:

Brooke

Anna

Jillian

India "helping" Trish and Brooke

Jamie Bayliss with her cow blanket :)

Ashley and Rosalyn

Mom using her blanket while tying it 

Billie Jo

Jamie Messer

Becky and Anna

Emma

Trisha

Me :)

The Wagner girls made 6 blankets and donated 3 of their own blankets even though they weren't able to come the day of the party.

All of the blankets washed and ready to be boxed for shipping!

Day 7: Yo quiero zapatos. Friday

We started off the morning with Khadijah's devotion and then we shared personal prayer requests. We then prayed for each other.
Today we first drove to the dump. This dump is the largest in central America and 3rd largest in the world. Pablo explained that the men and women that come into this dump are in a position where they either scavage in the dump or they sell drugs or prostetute themselves for survival. That reality is so hard for me to grasp. I live in a country where even if you have absolutely no money and no assests, you have opportunity. We have scholarships, we have wellfare, we have social services, we have OPPORTUNITY. These people have 2 choices.

Driving through the cemetery to get to the overlook of the dump.

Shacks that lined the cemetery.

Overlook of the dump. We prayed for the people and their families in the dump.

After seeing the dump we went to Safe Passage. They work with children and adults to educate them and teach them different trades so that they don't have to scavenge in the dump. We learned about the organization and then shopped at the jewelry shop where women make jewelry out of trash from the dump. Safe Passage teaches the women how to manage their microbusinesses.

After that we went back to the feeding site outside of the dump. It was the same place that we went to on Tuesday with Pastor Mercedez. This time we washed the children's feet and gave them new shoes. After we fitted the children for their size we gave them a card with a picture of one of the kids form Valley Grace Brethren Church because the kids raised money for the Guatemalans during VBS. I found kids their shoes after they were sized. I loved being able to take the time to tell them in Spanish about the kids from Valley and telling them that they are loved by Jesus. One child looked at me and said "Yo quiero zapatos" and I understood that she said "I love the shoes"! I was so excited to finally use my minimal spanish. Toward the end of hanidng out shoes a mother was crying. I asked her in Spanish if something was wrong or if she was having pain. She said no. Then it hit me, I said "conenta?" and she shook her head and said "si." This mother was moved to tears as her children received new shoes. That was such a special moment for me. The women who washed feet said that it was very humbling because the hygiene was extremely poor and the dirt was on their feet was so dense.

When we were driving away I saw these kids with their new shoes!

 After giving away the shoes we went back to Dorie's Promise to spend the rest of the day with the kids. I played with Alex and we played cards with Louis and another little girl. They love Uno!

Louis

Louis and his many expressions. The bottom 2 pictures are of him "shuffling" and handing out the deck. Which was him handing out the cards that he wanted to to who he wanted to. He liked me because I had a good hand with lots of wilds! :)

Alex and Wendy

The little girl beside Karen took Uno very seriously and she was good at the game!

Alex and Leslie

Alex and me at dinner! I love this precious boy!

We had a dance party with disco after dinner! So much fun!!!

Honestly, my heart was very sad to have to say goodbye. God definitely worked in my heart in a special way to love these kids and especially Alex and Elvis. I pray for them daily and it still warms my heart when I think of their giggles.

Day 6: What it feels like to be hungry Thursday

Becky opened up the day with a really impactful devotion. She asked if we have every been really hungry. Although most of us agreed that our experiences of hunger are not nearly the same as true hunger or starvation, we were able to think of a time that we might have felt hunger of some sort. When someone is really hungry they will do anything to get food. She made the connection between this physical reality and being spiritually hungry for God. If we are truly hungry and thirsty for righteousness we would do anything to know God more and to be satisfied by Him alone. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6. To take this a step further we talked about he correlation between that and fasting.
Today was something of an off day because we were able to go to Volcano Pacaya and ride horses up it. That was amazing! My guide's name was Micheal. When we reached the top there was a volcano shop with really awesome jewelry and trinkets that were made from the volcano rock.

The view during the ride up the volcano was insane! Guatemala is a beautiful country!

My guide, Micheal. He looked like he was having back pain so I prayed for him during our time together. 

Abel was in charge of teaching children how to brush their teeth at the feeding site that we went to. He used my aunt and uncle's dental horse puppet to show kids how to brush their teeth. So it was only fitting that he had a random toothbrush with him on our ride and pretended to brush the real horse's teeth.

The view!

The scariest part of the ride was down some loose dirt at the top of the volcano. That was exciting to say the least.

The Volcano shop. The last time Pacaya errupted it destroyed a village. The village took this negative event and decided to make it into a positive by taking the lava rock and making it into jewerly. It was very inspiring and really really neat items!

When you bought something they put it in these bags that were made of old women's traditional clothing.

After the ride we had the opportunity to go to a market to buy souvenirs.

I can't remember her name, it was very unique, but she was so much fun to shop at her stand. She let me try on lots of ponchos and scarves!

After our time to explore and shop we went back to Dorie's promise and spent time with the kids. I love spending time with my boys, Alex and Elvis. I did zumba with Alex and Lexie danced with Elvis. Their giggles and hugs are so precious in my memory. (No pictures because I was savoring the moment!)