4.19.11

Went ziplining through the canopy today!!!!! SO. MUCH. FUN! Then we got to see some monkeys, and they hopped on my shoulder! I think they are the cutest things ever! Now we are getting ready for dinner on the dock. One of the neighbors is cooking shrimp linguine! I can’t believe I only have 1 full day left here! I am so excited to see Jacob, but so sad to leave! Tomorrow we are doing a health fair at one of the extremely poor “villages” here.

Some more inspiration from “Crazy Love:”

“Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” - Tim Kizziar.

“After the apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, people “were cut to the heart and said… ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ (Acts 2:37). The first church responded with immediate action; repentance, baptism, selling posessions, sharing the gospel. We respond with words like ‘amen, convicting sermon, great book’… and then are paralyzed as we try to decipher what God wants of our lives. I concur with Annie Dillard who once said, “How we live our days is.. .how we live our lives.” We each need to discover for ourselves how to live this day in faithful surrender to God. ”

“Should you put your house on the market today and downsize? Maybe. Should you quit your job? Maybe. Or perhaps God wants you to work harder at your job and be His witness there. Does he want you to move to another city or another country? Maybe. Perhaps He wants you to stay put and open your eyes to the needs of your neighbors.”

As I am getting close to going home, this part of the book really meant a lot to me. Sometimes it’s very easy to do what you feel God leading you to do in a foreign country when that’s your primary reason for being there. Or it’s easy to love people in the third world who you feel actually NEED your love. And when you are in uncomfortable situations and pushed beyond your comfort zone, it’s easier to really listen and lean on God for advice and guidance. But when I’m home, with the people I love and around people who have everything they could ever need and are sometimes unlovable, that’s when I’m called. I’m called to be God’s witness THERE, even when it doesn’t come naturally. Francis Chan also says in his book when talking about the “highs” of life when you feel close to God (mission trip, camp, revival, etc.): “Memories are wonderful, but do you live differently because of them?” I hope I will.

Lace

4.18.11

This morning was spent cleaning out the clinic and organizing medicine and supplies. Then we went down to West End and walked around for a while. Then … and this is the best part… we went PADDLEBOARDING AT SUNSET. A-mazing! It was sooo beautiful! I absolutely love paddleboarding, and am currently trying to talk Jake into getting me one to use at Lake O’ the Pines. Then we ate at the Noodle Shack for dinner. Yummo.

It is so funny how things that were once so foreign and stressful have become so normal and even enjoyable. Like taking a taxi, communicating in spanish, bargaining for stuff. At first these things were so hard for me to do, and now I thoroughly enjoy them! I am so looking forward to seeing my family again, but I will really really miss this place. It has been so perfect!

I have loved every minute of my time here, and I can’t believe it is almost over! I have learned so much! I will be home in 3 days! CRAZY!

Lace

4.16.11

SURPRISE! So you know how sometimes ignorance is bliss? Well I promised my mom and jake that I would not do this. They were so worried about me being here by myself. In my defense, I really didn’t intend on doing it, but then I gave in. And instead of telling them and letting them worry, I just did it and waited to tell them after it was over….  But Dad, you’re gonna be SO proud of  your girl! I’m PADI (SCUBA) CERTIFIED!!!  The past 2 weeks I have been going to classes and doing my dives to get certified. I have kind of just been saying “I went swimming today” instead of “I went diving today.” So, sorry mom and jake.. don’t be mad! I was just doing you a favor by not making you worry k? Dad, we will have to go diving together sometime soon!!!!!

It is so incredible to see all the stuff under water! It’s like swimming in a GINORMOUS aquarium. It blows my mind that God made so much detail at the bottom of the ocean where hardly anyone will ever see it! Also, I really love that some of the coral looks like lungs, and some of it looks like brains! Seriously!

It has been over 3 weeks since I have turned on a hair dryer, put make up on, or really “gotten dressed..” and I. love. It. It’s so nice that this way of life is the norm here! J Going to the beach the rest of the day then going out to have a “goodbye party” for one of the volunteers tonight.

Lace

4.15.11

It’s Friday!!!! And .. IT’S MY LAST DAY OF ROTATIONS- EVER!! Next week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) so our clinic is closed. Which means I am DONE with clinical rotations. So crazy!! After clinic we went to West End to have dinner. Then drinks on the beach. I mean, who gets to just hang out on the beach after dinner on a Friday night? This girl! It’s so fun.

Also, today some of the volunteers told me I was the coolest “married person they’d ever met.” Apparently it’s not too common to be married at such a young age in other places. But they said I didn’t act like an “old married person.” So fun. I’m glad I have such an amazing husband!

I am still reading “Crazy Love” and I highly recommend it. A lot of things about this book inspire me, but I just wanted to share this one:

“The Bible says that when we obey God’s commands, we benefit. I think we naturally assume that if we look out for our own interests and concerns, we will be happy. But people who sacrifice for others will tell you that seasons of giving are the most rewarding of their lives. It turns out that the Bible is right - “It is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). People generally do find greater joy in giving freely to others than they do in rampant self-indulgence. Regarding this, the playwright George Barnard Shaw writes, “This is true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”"

And “David Livingston, a missionary to Africa during the 1800s, once said during a speech to students at Cambridge University, “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa… I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of the ’sacrifice’ when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us.”"

These two excerpts just completely sum up how I feel here. I always think “I’m not where I need to be in my relationship with God, so I can’t possibly give to others.” But it’s amazing… when you give to others you relationship grows.

Lace

4.13.11

Clinic all day today - it was kind of a chaotic day for some reason! Then went for a swim for a while. Took a “back of the truck ride” with the other volunteers to a Thai food place on the beach. Very fun! Now we are all sitting around listening to beach boys and sending emails and blogging!

The stars are SO beautiful here, so last night we took some ice cream down to the dock and listened to Jack Johnson while we looked at the stars. It was so perfect!! Just wish Jake was here with me!

One of our volunteers was attacked by dogs yesterday. Completely tore her leg up. She had to fly back to the states today to get a rabies vaccine. So crazy. Keep her in your prayers if you think about it. She’s such a trooper - and has had a great attitude!

Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers!

Lace

4.12.11

Yesterday I had clinic, then went to some butterfly gardens where I got to hold a parrot. Then we went to a potluck dinner at some of our friend’s houses. They are teachers at the school here in French Harbor, and we also go to church with them. They are so sweet, and it is so much fun to get together with a big group of people here! Then we also played apples to apples.

Today we had clinic all day! It was really a busy day. There are a lot of doctors volunteering here now and not many exam rooms, so sometimes I have to see my patients in random rooms without exam tables.. but it works ok! This afternoon I tutored/played scrabble with a little boy at the alternative school. Then I came home and tutored another girl for her SATs.

I have this book that I’ve been reading full of devotional classics. I ran across this the other day from an author named Hannah Whitall Smith (circa 1900). She wrote a piece titled “Recovering the Joy of Service.” In it she makes this statement:  “What have we to do with thinking whether we are fit or not fit for service? The Master-workman surely has a right to use any tool He pleases for His own work, and it is plainly not the business of the tool to decide whether it is the right one to be used or not. He knows; and if He chooses to use us, of course we must be fit. And in truth, if we only knew it, our chief fitness is in our utter helplessness. His strength is made perfect, not in our strength, but in our weakness. Our strength is only a hindrance.” How comforting this is to me. Not only with me being here, and feeling like I’m in a whole other world. But, also as I look for a job and start a new chapter in my life. It is so wonderful to know that HE CHOSE ME for this work. He chose me, and He knows what I’m capable of. Not because of anything I’ve done, but because His strength is made perfect in my weakness. It is so true that when we are weak He is strong. There are days when I feel very weak here. I can’t speak enough Spanish.. don’t know enough medicine.. don’t know how to cure everyone who walks in the door.. don’t have resources… miss my family. The list could go on. There will be many many days when I feel very weak in my new job. But, Praise be to the One whose strength is made perfect in my weakness.

4.10.11

Church this morning… On the porch of someone’s home that overlooked a pool AND the ocean! It was an awesome time of worship! I would like church like that every Sunday! Then we spent the rest of the day at the beach!! I played with my camera a lot, and read my book all day! Super relaxing day! Tonight we went back down to West End for pizza. Ready for another Monday!
Lace