The hills are so beautiful and green!
Cappuccino at the Mugg & Bean!! such a treat!
I cannot believe we have been here now for a week! Time goes by slow yet fast..its really weird and hard to explain but, everyday here just seems to get better and better! I cannot believe I am studying abroad, I feel like I am on a retreat! I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am to be here and how it is just so peaceful and restful as I actually have time for LIFE..thank you nursing school for putting that on hold for me, haha! But really, I am truly blessed to actually have time with people and to sit down over a cup of coffee..instead of being rushed through it, having my mind on the next thing as I always do back home in the States. Praying to be PRESENT is something I often pray and I feel like it is now that I am finally experiencing it. Thank You God :)
I finally went to the mall and got my goods..and sat down for a nice cup of coffee with Ktina..and oh wow, we are missing Starbucks! It is such a treat to be able to get a REAL cup of coffee off campus but that happens about once or twice a week. I am not complaining but as I stare at the picture of the cappuccino I had a couple of days ago, I realize how much I take for granted being able to run out for a cup of joe! Also, on Friday me and some girls went out to Dinner which was so nice to have dinner in a new setting and be out and about! We sat there for THREE hours and it was so great to enjoy conversation over a loooonnnggg dinner as usually back at home, I am in and out in a hour tops for dinner. The act of SLOWING is such a beautiful thing :)
Yesterday, I went on a wild hike with a group of girls and it is probably the closet I'll ever come to being an avatar, being Indian Jones or the crocodile hunter...!! I heard the word hike and ran to get some clothes on to make it before they all left. Little did I know that this hike was NO joke. We climbed a steep waterfall, slid down mudslide type terrain, and came back totally muddy, wet, and late for dinner but it was so great. I officially felt like I was in Africa as we trekked through the jungle-like area. I just LOVED it! I have some good bruises and scratches but it was well worth it!
Clinicals are still going so great..challenging and eye-opening. On Thursday, Katelyn and I took blood pressures and blood sugars, and walked through the town of mud-houses on our break. It is beautiful to see the community among the people..how they all support and provide for each other..I pray that we can experience even a glimpse of that back in the States. I know for myself, I often want to accomplish things on my mine and be self-sufficient but God created us to live in community. Why do we fear it? Hmm..Anyway, we only had 3 lancets to do the blood sugars, which is a self-projecting needle..making blood sugars quite simple and precise. Of course, we ran out and had to start using a sharp metal sword-like object. I thought for sure we would be sued in the states if a nurse were to use such an object on a patient but, hey it worked! I am thankful that we have access to nice medical supplies and that the health-care staff in the states utilize gloves and wash their hands often! I struggled a lot in nursing post-conference when Kara shared how at her site, a Mom kept coming back to the clinic inquiring about the blood of her young child as they were trying to see if the child was HIV positive or not..it turns out this is the third time that they have drawn blood and each time the childs blood is missing. The nurse explained to Kara that often somewhere in the system, someone takes the blood, claiming it as their own because if it is HIV positive, a grant from the government can be given to the patient. I was totally taken aback by all that! Please join me in prayer for those in the health care system and the patients awaiting to her their diagnosis.
I am still absolutely LOVING my time here. While being challenged with a lot regarding health care and equality, I know God is a God of justice. I have been continually reminded since being here that our God is the God who goes before us..he will never leave us nor forsake us..he knows us better than we know ourselves and that is something we can find peace in. I am so grateful that I am made by a God who knows my every word and every move before they are even made. I pray that YOU can rest in knowing that YOUR God goes before you every minute and everyday!
"O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord you know it completely" -Psalm 139:1-4
"For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future with hope" -Jeremiah 29:11
I finally went to the mall and got my goods..and sat down for a nice cup of coffee with Ktina..and oh wow, we are missing Starbucks! It is such a treat to be able to get a REAL cup of coffee off campus but that happens about once or twice a week. I am not complaining but as I stare at the picture of the cappuccino I had a couple of days ago, I realize how much I take for granted being able to run out for a cup of joe! Also, on Friday me and some girls went out to Dinner which was so nice to have dinner in a new setting and be out and about! We sat there for THREE hours and it was so great to enjoy conversation over a loooonnnggg dinner as usually back at home, I am in and out in a hour tops for dinner. The act of SLOWING is such a beautiful thing :)
Yesterday, I went on a wild hike with a group of girls and it is probably the closet I'll ever come to being an avatar, being Indian Jones or the crocodile hunter...!! I heard the word hike and ran to get some clothes on to make it before they all left. Little did I know that this hike was NO joke. We climbed a steep waterfall, slid down mudslide type terrain, and came back totally muddy, wet, and late for dinner but it was so great. I officially felt like I was in Africa as we trekked through the jungle-like area. I just LOVED it! I have some good bruises and scratches but it was well worth it!
Clinicals are still going so great..challenging and eye-opening. On Thursday, Katelyn and I took blood pressures and blood sugars, and walked through the town of mud-houses on our break. It is beautiful to see the community among the people..how they all support and provide for each other..I pray that we can experience even a glimpse of that back in the States. I know for myself, I often want to accomplish things on my mine and be self-sufficient but God created us to live in community. Why do we fear it? Hmm..Anyway, we only had 3 lancets to do the blood sugars, which is a self-projecting needle..making blood sugars quite simple and precise. Of course, we ran out and had to start using a sharp metal sword-like object. I thought for sure we would be sued in the states if a nurse were to use such an object on a patient but, hey it worked! I am thankful that we have access to nice medical supplies and that the health-care staff in the states utilize gloves and wash their hands often! I struggled a lot in nursing post-conference when Kara shared how at her site, a Mom kept coming back to the clinic inquiring about the blood of her young child as they were trying to see if the child was HIV positive or not..it turns out this is the third time that they have drawn blood and each time the childs blood is missing. The nurse explained to Kara that often somewhere in the system, someone takes the blood, claiming it as their own because if it is HIV positive, a grant from the government can be given to the patient. I was totally taken aback by all that! Please join me in prayer for those in the health care system and the patients awaiting to her their diagnosis.
I am still absolutely LOVING my time here. While being challenged with a lot regarding health care and equality, I know God is a God of justice. I have been continually reminded since being here that our God is the God who goes before us..he will never leave us nor forsake us..he knows us better than we know ourselves and that is something we can find peace in. I am so grateful that I am made by a God who knows my every word and every move before they are even made. I pray that YOU can rest in knowing that YOUR God goes before you every minute and everyday!
"O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord you know it completely" -Psalm 139:1-4
"For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future with hope" -Jeremiah 29:11
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