Read This Book!

My coworker recommended this book, and once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It is such an interesting story about Greg Mortenson, a man who is changing the world... The book is called Three Cups of Tea, co-authored by David Oliver Relin. I think everyone should read it.

www.threecupsoftea.com

www.ikat.org (Central Asia Institute)



Pictures of the house are coming soon... I promise!

honeymoon pics!

EJ and I spent our honeymoon in the mountains of Colorado, where we embarked on a new adventure every day. We climbed, hiked, and climbed some more, and we were exhausted by the end of our trip! Our cabin was on the top of a mountain, up 9,000 feet, where the air was clean and crisp, and COLD! We slept in, relaxed by the fire, and enjoyed the peaceful quiet. It was a perfect honeymoon. Here are some photos!

The Rocky Mountains are more gorgeous that we had imagined!

This is a bridge that is suspended 1500 feet over a gorge, with a beautiful river below. We walked this bridge, as winds blew 50mph, causing the bridge to sway side to side, and I thought we were going to die! Never again will I cross this bridge...
One day, we went on a hike, climbing to 11,000 feet, where we finally couldn't go any further because we could no longer see the trail beneath all the snow!

For your viewing pleasure, this is a video of EJ tumbling down the dune.

more honeymoon pics!

Here's our cabin:

We visited the Garden of the Gods. It was pretty amazing.

We traveled up Pike's Peak, but we couldn't go all
the way to the top, because it was closed due to snow.

Here we are, the newlyweds!!

EJ climbed everything that he could find!

We are Married!

Our wedding day was perfect, and it exceeded our expectations in every way! We want to thank all of our guests for joining us in celebration, and a special thanks to those who traveled so far to be here. The weekend flew by, and I'd love to relive our wedding day over and over! Here are a few snapshots that Ed's mom was able to capture that day...

A dashingly handsome group of men, don't you think?

Such a special group of women - my gorgeous bridesmaids!

Mr. and Mrs. Smail, exiting the church, just married!

Our first dance as husband and wife.

Dancing with my dad - doesn't he look handsome!

Greetings from Charleston!

Because it has been so long since I've updated my blog, I'm pretty sure that my parents are the only readers left!! So, here's to you, Mom and Dad!

Life is good here and every day we thank God for our many blessings. Ed and I are both enjoying our jobs. Ed is learning and accepting new responsibilities with his promotion, and I am learning an entirely different field of nursing in the recovery room. I like my job, and I am really enjoying the learning process, however stressful it may be! It is a good challenge for me, and I feel lucky to have been offered this opportunity.

As we count down the days to our wedding (less than two months to go!!), we are finishing the final plans and excitedly opening the RSVP's as they arrive in the mail. We rush to the mailbox every day in hopes of seeing those little envelopes! Ed and I are so excited to be married, and the fun is really beginning as our friends and family have graciously planned wedding showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties for us. Last week we met with the photographer for our engagement photo session. That was fun! It was a bit weird to act romantic in front of a perfect stranger holding a camera, but we're hoping the photos will be beautiful!

The wonderful news of this day: Ed's house has finally sold!! After months of difficulty, we finally came to the conclusion that we would have to have a new well drilled on the property in order for any buyer to be approved for financing. Along came a buyer, and we have closed on the house just two weeks after drilling the well. What a relief it is to know that we will no longer be paying a mortgage plus rent every month! AND... this means that we can finally start looking for a home here in Charleston!

As if we don't have enough on our plates, Ed has to have another surgery this month. After his ACL repair last July, the incision has never totally healed. After visiting a new surgeon here in Charleston, it was determined that he has a retained suture beneath the skin, which must be removed and will require a trip to the operating room. After 8 months of waiting for this incision to close, Ed is certainly ready to get this taken care of, but he's not too pleased about having to go back to surgery. Of course, he has his own private nurse, so he is confident that he will be in good hands. Especially with my new recovery room training - ha! It will be a difficult job trying to keep Ed from going to the gym the day after surgery, but I've made enough threats that I think he'll take it easy for at least a few days afterward!

Life is busy. Life is good! Life will someday slow down, right? I think only a month ago I was complaining that I was bored!! But I certainly can't complain about a thing, as we have had a wonderful experience here in Charleston for the past two months. As we continue to make a life for ourselves here, we continue to be thankful for all that we are given.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for faithfully reading!

Life in a New Place

Since my last post, a few things have changed...

Ed and I had a wonderful Christmas at home with my family in Indiana. We had time to visit with family and friends, as well as get some much needed rest. Prior to leaving for Christmas, I worked my last week at Duke, where it was harder to say goodbye than I had initially thought it would be. I had found a home at Duke over the past couple of years, and I didn't want to say goodbye to the many coworkers that I had grown close to...

Upon our return to Raleigh, we packed up the house and moved down to Charleston, South Carolina, a relocation that we've known about for months but has finally taken place. Because we are relocating for his job, Ed's company provided movers, which I would recommend to anyone!! They packed up all of our stuff into a big truck, drove it down to SC, then carried everything up to the third floor of our new apartment building. Thanks to Ed's parents, we had almost everything unpacked that weekend. The transition to an apartment from a house on three acres has not been as difficult as I had imagined, mostly because we enjoy living so close to town! We are less than five minutes from the gym and the grocery store, ten minutes from Ed's office, and two minutes from my new place of employment!

It has taken a lot of time and patience, but I am finally employed! I interviewed at a couple of hospitals the first week we were here, but things move very slowly here in our new southern homeland, so I have only recently found out that I was selected for a great job, hopefully worth the wait. I will be doing something new, working in the recovery room... so as of February 4th, I will be learning and experiencing a new area of nursing! I really wanted this particular job, as it seems to be a nice working environment with a dream schedule, so I was surprised and excited when I found out that I had been chosen!

God is teaching me again about patience, as I will have been unemployed for about six weeks... I have never had so much free time on my hands, and after moving, I have gone from being super busy with no time to spare, to now being bored with more time to spare than I know what to do with! I am trying to enjoy all the downtime, but I will be relieved when I have a job to attend every day!

Ed and I are doing very well here - we have found a great gym and what will hopefully turn out to be a church that we can call home. Ed is enjoying his job, as he takes on more responsibility with new projects. The weather is great, and we're spending time exploring downtown - we ran a 5K last weekend along the battery, which is the historic area of homes overlooking the harbor. We are looking forward to our future here, hopefully what will become our new place to call home.

Gingerbread Holiday House!

We made a gingerbread house. Ed said, "How long before we can eat it? The tree is looking good..." I think we'll take a bite out of it soon!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

Christmas is right around the corner, and EJ and I have been working hard to Christmasify the house... We picked out a most perfect tree (see pictures), set up the nativity, hung stockings, sang Christmas carols...

We did all of our Christmas shopping in one weekend, and thanks to a lovely post office employee, our gifts have all been crammed into one box and they're now on their way to Indiana. In only a couple of weeks, we'll be on our way to Fort Wayne for the much-anticipated Ruprecht Christmas!

We attended EJ's office Christmas party last night, and we ate too much and had lots of fun. Here's a picture of us trying to set the timer for a photo in front of his parents' Christmas tree...

I love Christmas! What a wonderful Christmas this will be... We are so blessed, so happy!

engagement story...

I have never been more surprised in my life than on October 23. Tuesday evening, I walked in the door and Ed had a present for me. He is always doing something sweet, and he likes to surprise me with presents, so I didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary.

I opened the gift - it was a round trinket box with a pair of earrings inside. I take the earrings out of the box, and underneath them is something that looks like a ring. A ring?? What's going on, I wonder? He grabs the ring, gets on his knee, and with tears in each eye, he asks me to marry him. My Eddie, with his hands shaking, holding a ring, and all I say is, "Are you serious?!?!" It doesn't seem real, my heart is pounding and I'm in shock. Then I say, "of course I'll marry you!" and we hug. Oh yeah, there's a ring on my finger, I'd better look at it. Wow, it's sparkly. I like it. Then I ask him how he pulled this whole thing off without me having any idea...

His parents gave him a diamond that his great uncle Al had left to their family when he passed away. What a special gift for which I am so very thankful. Ed took the diamond to a jeweler and told him exactly what he wanted, and the jeweler drew it, carved it from wax, made the mold, and created this perfect ring. Ed had been working on this since June, so when the ring was finally ready, he couldn't wait to give it to me and he proposed that very day. I love this man more than I can describe here in words. He exceeds my every dream. He is my perfect partner, and now he has asked me to be his wife!

Our plans are coming together nicely, and although our lives have instantly become twice as busy, we are enjoying the planning process. Our wedding day will be May 3, 2008, and we can't wait for the day to arrive!

I love Colts

I just have to make a quick post about football. Colts football. I haven't seen a game since opening night, because I live in North Carolina, and for some reason they like to show the Panthers games here. And the Patriots (from now on, to be known as the CHEATERS) have been getting a lot of TV time here - what's up with that? Brady = whining cheater.

Peyton - best quarterback ever. Smart, talented, reliable. Not a cheater.

Joseph Addai - he is awesome. Did you see his leap into the end zone a few weeks ago? High fantasy numbers, except for last week of course with his injury, but he'll be back, trust me, and he'll still be the best.

Dallas Clark - holy crap. He is good. Still has that great smile on his face, even after he takes a big hit. He seems to be able to catch anything!

Bob Sanders - Good to have him back. He's pretty stinkin' good. He plays like Polamalu, don't you think? Cool hair like Polamalu too...

Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne - they've always been so awesome.

This week: bye week. Next week: Monday Night Football!!

Zoolanders

Ed took me to the zoo! We saw lots of animals along the 6-mile walk (a long walk on a very hot day). My favorites were the cute monkeys. Ed's favorites were the chimpanzees. Monkeys are so fun, like miniature little people. Ed can talk to the animals, as he demonstrated by making very loud monkey hollers in the monkey house. I am continually impressed by his many talents. I wish the zoo would have had a hippo, but other than that, it was a wonderful day!

time with my homegirls (and boy!)

I recently spent some time at home in Indy with my girls... Anne, Jenny, Cristina, Suzanne, Leela, and Megan. It was so fun to see everyone again! I stayed with Anne and we spent the whole time just doing girl stuff (shopping, mostly), and I was immersed in "SYTYCD" drama ("So You Think You Can Dance") as the season finale unfolded. These girls voted for two hours straight! Oh, and Cristina - your kids are SO CUTE!! I also spent the day with Mom, as she took a Friday off to drive down and spend time with me.

Thanks, girls, for the best girl week I've had in a long time! And the good news - I'll be able to come home for Christmas this year! See you in December...

Look Out Bambi!

Ed and I spent the day at Bass Pro Shops, gearing up for the fall hunting season. I'm looking forward to some delicious venison sausage this year. Can you see us under all this camo?

I have returned to BlogLand

I've been busy, that's my excuse for neglecting the blog for the past month or so... It's been a great month, that's for sure! Here's what I did:

June 14-21: Boston! I spent 8 awesome days on a mission trip with our church high school youth. We started with a few days in Maine, where we worked and played at a youth camp. We cleaned up the grounds to prepare the camp for the summer. It was hard landscaping work, and we had a great time. Then, we packed up and headed to Boston for five days with Youthworks, where we participated in different urban ministry programs in the town of Lynn. My work group spent a couple days in a soup kitchen followed by a couple days at a day center for Alzheimers' patients. It was fun to experience new things and to watch the high schoolers' eyes opened to new people and ideas. We worked, played, prayed, sang, laughed, and learned. Days were long and exhausting, sleeping quarters cramped, but nonetheless a valuable experience for all of us.

June 29-July 1: Pennsylvania! For his cousin's wedding, I traveled with Ed and his parents to the mountains of PA, where we stayed in his family's cabin. I met his wonderfully sweet Grandmother and loved her instantly. Ed and I were brave and we camped outside in our super awesome tent, temperatures low in the 40's at night. He wore shorts and a t-shirt, while I wore long underwear, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and two pairs of socks. If I buried my head into my sleeping bag, I wasn't too cold! The wedding was fun too, where we got to show off our moves on the dance floor!

July 6-10: Beach! My family spent their summer vacation at North Myrtle Beach, so Ed and I joined them for a few days... My parents and Adam came down, along with my aunts and uncles and cousins, making it quite the family reunion! Ed's parents also came down for a couple of days, so everyone got to spend time together. It was great! We spent time in the water, playing in the waves, where my boogie-boarding champion boyfriend displayed his talents for us all. Morning runs on the sand, balcony with a view of the ocean, time with Mom and Dad - so good! I love vacation...

July 11: Ed finally had his ACL repaired, after injuring his knee months ago. He is the best patient ever! After a long two-hour surgery, he has been doing all the rehab exercises and hasn't whined once. In my experience, men in pain are some of the worst patients, but not Ed! He is tough, disciplined, determined, and of course handsome. I'm so proud of you, EJ!

I'm so thankful for this past month - a lot of time spent with family, friends, and seeing new places. I am so blessed.

Anne!

I got a huge shock last month when my best friend Anne came down for a surprise visit! She and Ed had cooked up this surprise in secret, and I had absolutely no idea! Ed had me believing that his cousin Joe was coming down to surprise his family, so here I thought I was being sneaky and keeping a secret from them. We went to meet "Joe" at the airport that morning, and we're standing there watching people come down the escalator, and because I'm staring intently waiting for Joe to arrive, I didn't even see Anne until she was standing right in front of me and Ed said, "Who's that?". "It's Anne!!" I couldn't believe it, I was so shocked that it took me more than a few minutes to comprehend that she was here and that Joe was actually not coming! Anne and I had lots of fun girl time (oh how I miss you, Anne!), including a nice little trip to the shopping mall where we barely made it in the door before we had each purchased a new pair of shoes. She also had some time to get to know Ed and his family, and as the pictures show, we had lots of fun! Thank you so much, Anne, for the greatest surprise! I love you!!

"Where Freedom Lives"

Ed and I spent last weekend in Washington, DC. We had a great time! We saw the memorials, toured the Capitol, and visited quite a few museums. We really loved the American Indian Museum and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. We also enjoyed the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. We had a chance to see the new World War II Memorial, which was beautiful, and of course we stood in front of the White House and waited for George to come out to greet us. He never came, but we did catch a glimpse of his lawn boy, and did you know that there is a man with a gun that stands on the roof? I got a picture of him too. We were in town at the same time as the Queen's visit, but we never ran into her on the subway. We had a great weekend, and here are some pictures!

moms hard at work

Salary.com just released a report that calculates an appropriate salary for a stay-at-home mom, if she were to be compensated for her work. The grand total: $138,095. That is $2655 per week! A working mother's salary is calculated to be an extra $85,939 above and beyond her salary earned outside the home.

This calculation is based on the types of jobs a stay-at-home mom does, and the 52 "overtime" hours she works each week, averaging a total of a 92-hour work week inside the home. A working mom averages 9 overtime hours per week, totaling 49 "mom hours" on top of her full-time paying job.

Wow, thanks Mom! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Easter!

Lizzy, Kassie, and I are having Easter dinner this year at our house, so everyone is invited to come and spend the holiday with us! If you're like us and you'll be away from your family, then please come over for some food and fellowship.

Ed and I colored these eggs... you can be the judge, but I think I won the competition for prettiest egg (the pink ones are mine).

Mom's Visit

My mom came for her much anticipated visit to Raleigh. We had a lot of fun. She had the chance to meet many of my friends, went to church with me, and even helped me clean my room! We were busy the entire time, so by the end of her visit, we were both exhausted!

She finally got to meet Ed, the man she has been hearing so much about, and she loved him, of course. We had a date at the movies with mom, and here are some funny pics...

Honduras!

Honduras!

Beautiful Honduras

12: Total number of days we spent in Honduras with the Medical Brigade.
7: Number of clinic days.

2971: Total number of people we helped during our clinics.
700: Number of people we served on our first clinic day.

4000: Total number of pounds of beans and rice that we distributed to the villages, thanks to the many donations we received.
400+: Pairs of eyeglasses that we distributed during our brigade this year.

Anne and I joined the Medical Brigade for our third visit to Honduras, and we had a great time. We traveled to most of the same towns that we have visited in the past, two of them being quite a trip up into the mountains where they rarely receive medical treatment. It was nice to see some of the small improvements in the schools and villages that they have made since last year, and it was fun to see the members of our team again for another long, hard couple of weeks. I am so thankful to all of those who helped us, including our cooks and our interpreters. I'm learning more Spanish each year, so I hope to be able to run a triage station independently someday! We had great weather again this year and our clinic ran the most smoothly that I have ever seen. It seems that we get better at what we do each year, and I know we are able to better serve the people each year. I thank God for being with us these 12 days, for keeping us safe as we traveled, for blessing us with patience as we worked through these stressful clinic days. I'll post some pictures soon of the many beautiful Honduran children!

Heading out...

Anne and I are preparing for our third trip to Honduras. We fly out tomorrow at 6am, so we're setting the alarm for 3am, ouch. I've spent two days in Indianapolis, giving me the opportunity to catch up with my girlfriends and finally meet baby Elsa (she's pretty cute). There is a lot of snow on the ground here and my toes have been frozen for the majority of my visit. I'm looking forward to our work in Honduras, excited to see how God will work this year. Please keep Anne and I, and the rest of our group, in your prayers.

Paula!

Last weekend, my cousin Paula came to visit me. It has been many years since we've spent more than a day together, so it was fun just to hang out.

We had a fun girl day, saw a total chick flick and we spent some time shopping. I think she met her twin... Paula and Liz are a lot alike and I wasn't at all surprised when they hit it off instantly. Paula, I'm so glad you made some new friends here! The weather was nice too - we went on a hike one day, so she is to go home and tell everyone how hot and sunny it is here in North Carolina so more people will come to visit me!

Paula has also given Ed (or Eddie Joe, as she likes to call him) the preliminary family stamp of approval. She will go home and report back to everyone, including our mothers, that he is super wonderful. The countdown now begins for my mom's visit - Mom, I know you can't wait!

Paula, thank you for visiting. You are welcome anytime! Tobey misses you too...

COLTS ARE SUPER!

COLTS WIN 29-17! What a glorious day! Peyton got his ring, and MVP too! Nobody can talk smack anymore about these boys because they whooped da Bears. Urlacher and Wet Noodle Arm went home on their big ol' Bear bus.

This team is undeniably the most deserving team in the league, the most handsome, well-behaved, respectful group of men in the NFL. What an effort! Two interceptions by our defense, one for a touchdown... A massive number of offensive yards... Beautiful run defense... I could go on for days, but let me just say that these guys are wonderful and I am just so thrilled that they've finally won the big one. I've always known they were super, now they have the trophy to prove it!

Colts 38, Pats Go Home Crying Like Babies

PEYTON FINALLY DID IT! Isn't he so wonderful? Wow, what a game - exciting, suspenseful, emotionally draining. Peyton = winner. Tom the wonder boy = loser. I love Peyton. Everyone, go buy your shirt today. Mine is on the way, thanks to my best friend Anne (picture coming soon). HOT. Peyton vs. Rex. Laser Rocket Arm vs. Wet Noodle Arm. Dwight Freeney vs. Urlacher. Hot Fast Man vs. Slow Bald White Boy. Look at Peyton, he is so handsome. And smart. Please pray for his thumb. GO COLTS! Superbowl, Miami, Sunday February 4. If anyone has tickets, I think that would be a perfect birthday present for your favorite girl.

Happy New Year!

It has been awhile since I've blogged... I had a wonderful holiday season, the first I've ever spent away from my family, but I was surrounded by friends and family of friends. I am so thankful!

I subscribed to Newsweek today. It only costs $20 for an entire year's subscription... quite the deal. It's a step toward my goal to be smarter, more knowledgeable of world events, more prepared for the 2008 election.

FOOTBALL! A few weeks ago, would anyone have predicted that the Colts would be playing in the AFC Championship game AT HOME??? Yes, it's a big game, and those Patriots are pretty good. But if all is right with the world, the Colts will beat their sorry butts and be making a trip to the Super Bowl. Sunday 6:30 pm. Can't wait. Peyton, I love you.

Jenny! Jenny is coming! Saturday she will arrive and I am so excited I can't contain it. Five days with Jenny, I can't remember the last time we've spent five days together. GIRL TIME!

Grey's Anatomy is back, after a LONG drought of reruns. McSteamy is still steamy, McDreamy is dreamy as ever, and I think the show got funnier while it was gone.

I will be 26 years old very soon. For some reason, 26 sounds so much older than 25. But I have a feeling this year may be the best yet.

Honduras! In just a month, Anne and I will be going back to Honduras for our 2-week mission trip. I miss you, Anne. If anyone is interested, it only costs $30 to purchase 100 lbs of rice, $31 for 100 lbs of beans in Honduras. Rice and beans, 100 lbs. of each, will feed 20 families for about 5 days. Let me know if you want to donate!

Fifth Avenue?

I still have not started Christmas shopping. It seems more difficult for me to appreciate the materialistic spirit of the holiday this year. I'm taking much joy from our beautiful Christmas tree and lots of Christmas music in my CD player.
A coworker told me that you can hire a private shopper from Saks Fifth Avenue for something like $1800. Curious, I visited the Saks website and discovered that if you were to open a $25,000 credit line, you would then be eligible for your very own "personal fashion consultant upon request". Oh, there's more. You would also not only have access to a private Saks phone number, but they would graciously deliver your purchases to a local address. And, in my opinion, the best perk yet... you would be entitled to "complimentary storage of one fur". This poses a dilemma: Where would I then store the rest of my furs? How would I choose which fur I would store complimentarily? (Yes, that is a word, I looked it up in the dictionary.) And would my other furs suffer from jealousy or separation anxiety if I were to choose a single lucky fur to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live at Saks?
I couldn't find anything on their site about a personal shopper, so maybe that's just an evil rumor. But my question is this: Are there people who really have this much money? And do they actually spend it at Saks Fifth Avenue?

cute dancing men

Lizzy showed me this video, you have to watch it... Now this is my idea of a treadmill workout. Pink shirt man is my favorite. I laugh more every time I watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeeR4Vnvs8U

Come to Our Christmas Party!

Lizzy and I want to invite you to our fabulous Christmas party!
We will have food, games, and lots of mistletoe! Stay for 10 minutes or for hours! Saturday, December 16 at 730pm.

Beauty

I'm stealing this link from Maggie's blog (Paper Pineapple, good blog, link to the right - thanks, Maggie!) Dove has started a new "campaign for real beauty", and I think it's great! Everyone should watch this - women and young girls, especially, but men should see it too. Let me know what you think.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home_films_evolution_v2.swf

Pray for Hannah

If you need some inspiration, or if you need a reminder of how precious life is... go to www.wspa.com and then choose the video titled "Hannah Sobeski Interview". Hannah is the cousin of my friend Shannon, and she is fighting a tough battle, while never faltering in her faith. She is so beautiful, so so beautiful. And after you watch this video, choose the link "Pray for Hannah" from this blog, and read the journal of her story. Thank you Shannon, for telling me about Hannah, for she has been such a special inspiration to so many. God Bless her.

Anne's Pictures!

Me, with my friend in Laribanga,
a poor village in northern Ghana.



Anne and I, wearing our African dresses, with the doctors, nurses, and administrators of the hospital.
Anne, presenting the donated medicines to Dr. Opare, the district director, and Margaret, the head community nurse.
Our little friend, Kwaku,
flashing his bright smile.




Anne and I, walking the canopy bridge in the rainforest.

good things in life

Spending time at home just being lazy... pancakes for breakfast, wearing pajamas all day, and watching hours of MTV.

Football... all day Sunday and Monday night. Big Ben, Peyton, and Eli - three exciting games followed by endless ESPN analysis. And Drew Bledsoe is really handsome. But my heart belongs to Peyton. I really missed football. A lot.

A washing machine. I washed five loads of laundry without having to scrub anything with my hands, without breaking a sweat. Oh, the luxury.

Family. Friends. It's nice to be home. I've missed you!

Fall. Crisp air that smells like leaves. Cold days when I still need my sunglasses. It's the best.

Grey's Anatomy. Dr Burke... hot. Dr. McDreamy... hot. Dr. Alex, he's hot too. And the return of Dr. McSteamy... wow, he's hot hot hot. I wish my hospital was like this!

That CD that you can listen to over and over and love it more every time. Ray LaMontagne. I think everyone should buy his music.

Medicine. My uncle's cancer is gone. Thank God!

Our Work on the Maternity Ward

Our Precious Babies...

Pictures!

These are just a few pictures of the children of Ghana. Aren't they beautiful? I took 409 pictures, so next up will be some shots of my favorite babies...

Homeward Bound

Today is the day - we are leaving Ghana this evening and we'll be home with our families this weekend! Although I have been very excited to come home, I am also sad to leave. We've lived here for three months, become close to people, and I'm finding it to be harder to leave than I'd expected. We've become accustomed to the way of life here, and I know it will be a big adjustment to return to our "normal" lives, knowing what we are leaving behind here. No matter how happy I will be at home, my perceptions about a lot of things have changed, and I'm going to miss Ghana.
We had a wonderful send-off... The doctors and administrators took us out to a nice dinner to thank us for giving our time and efforts. They think that we have started something good here, and they have invited us to come back again. Of course, we were already planning to come back, so we're glad they like us! They also had traditional African dresses sewn for us, so we put them on and took lots of pictures. We made them promise that they would put our pictures in next year's hospital calendar - Anne wants June, I said I'll take whatever you've got! The dresses are gorgeous, made from African batik cloth, and I must say that we look pretty good. With the headwraps and jewelry, we almost look Ghanaian! Except for our white skin.
We didn't know this, but we are the first foreign nurses to volunteer at this hospital, so we have been climbing an uphill battle. In all of our discouragement, we never realized that we were actually the first outsiders to try to change nursing practice. They feel that we have laid a foundation, and we have started some talk within the hospital. I leave with the hope that the talk will progress to change, noticeable upon our return visit.
I am thankful to all of the people here in Ghana who have taken care of us, welcomed us into their homes, and tried to make this a positive experience for us. Thank you, Fred, I will miss you so much! SVG is an awesome organization with which we will continue to be involved with from home. There are still many things that we can help to change at the hospital, and we aren't giving up!

My Final Ghanaian Words...

We had a great trip to the coast, starting at Takoradi where we spent the day on the beach. We relaxed in the sun, and I finally look as if I have spent time in Africa! The beach was gorgeous, with just a few small resorts. The next day, we traveled to Elmina and Cape Coast, where we toured the slave castles that were used during the 1500-1800's. We stood in the dark, hot, chambers, where thousands of African people were held and many died while awaiting to board the slave ships. They were kept for two months without bathing or toilet facilities, piled into the chambers like they were animals. Anyone who resisted, known as the Freedom Fighters, were taken to a small, isolated, dark room with no windows where they would die or would be killed. If a person could survive the horrible conditions for two months, they were considered "fit" enough to survive the trip across the sea to the New World. Millions of African people were taken from their native lands to be enslaved in Europe and the Americas, which hugely contributed to the wealth of these countries today. Meanwhile, Africa is still a struggling, developing continent. It is impossible for me to understand how people could treat their fellow human beings like this, and it wasn't all that long ago, as the slave trade was finally abolished in the mid-1800's.
We were a bit adventurous, too. We visited Kakum National Park, near Cape Coast, a preserved rainforest. I swallowed my fear of heights and walked the 350-meter suspended canopy walk. It is a walking bridge, suspended 50 meters by cables and rope between 7 tall trees. As we walked, we looked down onto the canopy of the forest, where we saw many birds and butterflies. There are chimpanzees and forest elephants, too, none of which we caught a glimpse. The bridge would wobble with every step we took, and more than once I wanted to vomit. But our guide, Emmanuel, assured me that there have been no casualites since the bridge was built, as he proceeded to RUN down the bridge. I had to be strong and finish so he wouldn't laugh at me!
In our last week here, we have spent time finishing things up at the hospital. We replaced the hard, rusty, broken labor beds with newer, clean, mechanical beds with thick soft mattresses. As soon as we rolled them into the room, a laboring woman came right in to use one. It makes a huge difference in the room's appearance, and I know the women will appreciate the comfort of the new beds. We also finished sorting the donated supplies, distributing hundreds of needles and syringes to all the wards. Because they were donations, the patients should receive them for free, which will make a big difference, believe it or not.
And our final project, which we will finish today, is an educational effort for the nurses. We are creating a teaching sheet to encourage the nurses to keep their patients informed of their diagnosis, medicines, treatment plan, and discharge instructions. These things are just the basic things that a patient should always be taught, but often patients here don't even know why they are even in the hospital. We hope to teach the nurses and leave them with this information, hoping to make a lasting impression.
As we look back on our few months here in Ghana, we have many mixed emotions. It seems so long ago that we started our work here, as we have seen and experienced so many things since. It has been more difficult than we expected, but we have learned so many things. We know that we have accomplished many things, but we can't help but feel disappointed that we were unable to do more. We have grown to appreciate a simpler way of living, and we know that we will be forever changed after living here. We look forward to returning to our comfortable lives, at the same time feeling guilty for wanting to go home. Anne and I are already talking about our next trip to Ghana, to work again with SVG, so we definitely haven't finished our work here for good. It will be a tough transition when we get home, probably involving a lot of tears, but we hope that our stories can influence others to become involved.
A lot of people have emailed and asked how they can help. So I'm going to put an idea out there for those of you who are excited about doing something. There is a very reputable organization called "Compassion International", which Anne and I have been involved with for a few years. Through Compassion, you can sponsor a child in a developing country for $32 per month, which pays for education, healthcare, and bible school . Anne and I have sponsored Geovany, a boy in Ecuador for three years, and we've watched him grow and learn more every year. I also sponsor a 5-year-old boy in Honduras, named Mainor, who will be starting school soon. The children will send letters and drawings, and you can write letters as often as you'd like. It makes the children and their families feel so special to know that someone cares about them, and they love learning about the United States too. I know that $32 is not a small amount of money for any of us, but I also know that our money goes a lot further in developing countries, and that these children need our help. Please, if you have time, check out the Compassion website, which is on my list of links here on this blog page. And if this isn't something that you can do, then please become involved at church, school, or in the community. There are so many things that you can do to support our work, whether it is in Africa, America, or next door.
Anne and I thank you all for sticking with us, for emailing us with encouraging words, for sending packages, for donating medicines, for reading this blog. It was invaluable knowing that we had people who cared and supported us from home, and we needed every bit of it. Only three more days until we arrive in Chicago!

Small Treasures

Ghana is beautiful. Yesterday, we traveled to Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region, to renew our visas. While we were there, we traveled to see Boti Falls, a beautiful waterfall just outside of town. The water falls over a tall cliff into a shallow pool at the bottom, then flows into a river. A local boy acted as our guide for a modest fee of $1.50, but other than the cement stairs leading to the falls, this was an undisturbed place of nature. And last weekend, we visited Lake Volta, a huge lake in the Eastern Region. We took a ferry, which they had loaded full of cargo trucks and passenger vans, to cross the lake. We hopped into a wooden boat with a motor, which took us back across the lake in about 15 minutes. It was fun to be on the water, to see the fishermen at work.
This week at work, we had another premature baby boy, probably about 30 weeks gestation. He was so beautiful, so small, so fragile. He lived for more than 24 hours, which really surprised us because there was nothing that we could have done for him at this hospital. Premature babies, if transferred quickly to a teaching hospital in the city, can often survive, but their mothers are often unable or unwilling to pay for the care. His mother came to see him a couple of times while he was in the incubator, but she refused to touch or hold him. This baby boy was a fighter, and it's hard for me to accept that we were unable to help him, and I can't help but wonder why the doctors don't try harder to get these babies the care they deserve. And unfortunately, Ghana's healthcare is on a cash and carry system, so people must be able to pay up front for their care. Most often, this is out of the question for the people on the mountain, because they can not afford intensive care. The case may be similar for another newborn we saw this week - this baby had a serious cleft lip and palate, which needs to be surgically repaired at a teaching hospital. It hurts to know that these babies would have so much more had they been born in the United States. It hurts to know that we will be going back there and leaving all of these people behind. I still can't understand how things can be so unfair.
We spent a day in a small clinic in the remote village of Entomem this week. We assisted the community health nurse with Norplant implants for seven women. Norplant consists of six small tubes inserted under the skin of the upper arm to prevent pregnancy. For the equivalent of $2, these women will have worry-free birth control for five years. A couple of these women are 20 years old and already have two children, so Norplant is a good option for them. In a culture in which birth control is not necessarily accepted, I am proud of these women for trying to be responsible. I think they enjoyed having the white girls there - it makes them feel special and supported. They laughed in excitement when Anne took a picture of them and their children. It was a good experience for us. We also distributed some of the donated vitamins and medicines to the clinic, and the nurses were so grateful. Thank you to everyone who donated - we brought a total of 95 pounds of medicine with us to Ghana, and we will finish distributing it these next couple of weeks.
After weekly practice, Anne and I have become professional laundry washers. Give us three buckets of water and some laundry soap and we can go to town, with nothing but our bare hands. And our clothes actually get relatively clean! And, even better, I can now boast that I am capable of taking a full bath, including hair washing, with less than one bucket of rainwater. I wonder how much water we use in our showers at home? I am picking up some new skills here, of which I am very proud!
The weather has gotten much warmer over the past few weeks, and we see the sun more often, but it is still raining for short periods almost every day. I think this hot weather is more what I expected of Africa... sometimes Anne and I just lay around praying for a breeze to cool us off. Not that I'm concerned with beauty, and I don't have a mirror anyway, but I look like crap here every day - sweat is not the new look for fall is it?
I think the sky here is huge. Sometimes at night, if we are lucky, the sky opens up and we see a million stars. The best nights are Thursdays, when the electricity is shut off, so the moon and stars shine bright to compensate. I think we're seeing different constellations than we see at home too. BEAUTIFUL!
Okay, for my NC friends... The official count so far is one Duke t-shirt and three UNC t-shirts. Since much of the clothing here is second-hand, I am actually seeing these on the streets. Of course, these people don't know Duke or UNC, but that doesn't stop me from yelling, "Hey, I live there!" To even things out a bit, I have given away three Duke t-shirts, just a small effort to promote my hospital.
This weekend we will be traveling to Cape Coast and Elmina, where we will see the slave castles and spend some time on the coast. We're looking forward to it... more details after!

Happy Birthday Avery!

Saturday was my little buddy Avery's first birthday. Avery, you are so handsome! I miss you very much, and I am so sad that I wasn't there as you ate your first piece of cake. I can picture the huge grin on your face as you opened your presents. You are my favorite little man ever, and as soon as I get home I am coming to give you big hugs and kisses. I love you!

Anne and I have been experiencing more of the preventative aspects of nursing here as we've joined the community health nurses on some of their outreach programs. One day, we went to rural villages on a vaccination outreach program, where they try to "mop-up" and catch the adults up on their tetanus and yellow fever inoculations. The two of us vaccinated at least one hundred adults in one hour, and I think we suprised the nurses at how quickly we worked our way through all those people, but that's how we white people do it. When there's no handwashing facilities available, things move a little faster. We felt like we actually did a measurable task this day, because we made a visible difference that we could quantify. We needed this, and it probably helped us more than we helped the people, because we needed to feel productive.
Last week, we visited a couple of other villages for well-baby checkups. Finally, some healthy babies! We went really far out one day, to a village where many people have probably never seen a white person, so our presence was appreciated among the mothers. I think just seeing us there shows them that we care, especially when we tell them how beautiful their babies are. Anne and I teamed up and weighed the babies, ages 6 weeks to 2 years. It's so cute, because we put the naked baby in a sling and hang them from a hook on the scale. Some of the babies hate it and kick around, especially if they are afraid of the white girls, but most babies just go with the flow and hang in the air without complaint. It's a really nice program that these communitly health nurses provide - the babies are weighed, vaccinated, and checked up as needed. The mothers are educated on breastfeeding and nutrition, and they are starting mothers' support groups in each of the villages. We love visiting the clinics, as we are able to learn from the nurses as well as support the things they are trying to do. Last week was actually fun!
Last week we also spent some time in the operating theatre with Dr. Opare, the medical director, and we were able to discuss post-op pain control with him. He took our suggestions, and starting today he will medicate his patients for pain immediately after surgery. Small step, but a huge improvement on patient care. Now we have two surgeons medicating earlier, which means that patients may actually wake up from surgery without experiencing high levels of pain, ultimately resulting in a faster recovery.
This past weekend, Anne and I made an escape to a very nice hotel a few towns over. We were able to enjoy hot running water and CNN! We even had an air conditioner in our room, and a microwave (only the third microwave I've seen in Ghana so far). We slept a lot and really enjoyed the clean, almost bug-free environment. What a vacation, a great chance to relax and enjoy the quiet. We were not once called "obruni," so it was almost like we weren't in Ghana at all. We are also planning a trip to Cape Coast, to see the slave castles there before we finish our time here.
We were told, by another non-Ghanaian, that we can only realistically expect a 10% return on our efforts here, meaning that the amount of change we're able to make in three months will be minimal. For a country that is so far behind with so few resources, the opportunity for advancement is limited. It has taken us two months to accept this, but we have finally come to the realization that we will not be able to revolutionize the place in just a few months time. We are really trying to adapt to the Ghanaian pace, and as we experience more environments outside of the hospital, I think we will broaden our knowledge of healthcare in Ghana.
We still miss home, probably more than ever, and we are really looking forward to seeing everyone again. So we just ask for your continued prayers and support - we really need it!

Cultural Differences

We spent the day yesterday in the operating theatre, where we helped with a cesarean delivery of a big, healthy baby boy. He had lots of curly dark hair and huge lips! So handsome, and of course I got pictures. I had to restrain myself from tucking him under my arm and running - I don't think his mother would have appreciated that very much.
In our time here, we have learned a few things about the Ghanian culture that have suprised us. For example, it is a very male-dominated culture. A man can take as many wives as he wants, even though polygamy is not as common as it used to be. But often a man will have two or more familes living in the same house. And if he decides to take another wife, his current wives just have to accept it. It is also very common for a man to commit to a woman, have a family with her, and then leave them all behind. Elizabeth, Anne's host mother, has been with three men, all of whom have left. Actually, most of the time, couples are not even married. They may call each other husband or wife, but there is no official marriage, leaving the women even more vulnerable.
And here's an interesting situation. We live in the nurses' quarters, a group of small apartments located about a 10-minute walk from the hospital. There is no running water here, and the closest source is a small faucet on the hospital grounds. Pipes were installed in these apartments almost two years ago, with the intention of providing running water for the nurses. Interestingly, since then nobody has connected the pipes to a water source, leaving the families with unusable shower spouts, sinks, and unflushable toilets. But, across the street, between the nurses' quarters and the hospital, are the doctors' homes. They have running water. Why, then is it impossible to connect the nurses' pipes to the same water source that the doctors enjoy? When we ask the nurses why they haven't complained about this, their answer is, "We have complained, but nobody will do anything to fix it". Why aren't they complaining louder? I can't figure out if they don't think they have the right to really speak out, or if they don't feel that they deserve the convenience of running water. Or is it that they have lived for so long without it, that it would be almost a break of tradition to change?
But perhaps the most shocking information that we have learned pertains to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. We have a friend, Aaron, who is volunteering in the Planned Parenthood organization in the neighboring town. He has learned that condom use is not common here, because often the first sexual encounter is forced, so that leaves little time to put on a condom. Women are being forced to have sex and likely contracting HIV at the same time. Birth control is cheap here - it costs less to purchase a month's worth of birth control pills that it costs to buy one small apple. They have many available options of inexpensive birth control here, yet women are not using them because it is not socially acceptable. But, some days in the OR we see up to ten young women coming in for abortions. And the most shocking thing I've heard yet: "AIDS is a myth, an American created myth to stop us from having so much sex." If AIDS is a myth, why are we seeing so many young men and women wasting away, dying of that very disease on these hospital wards every day?
In the newspaper today, we read an article saying that homosexuals are "sub-animals". It even went so far as to say that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment on New Orleans for immoral acts. The article also blames the HIV epidemic on homosexuals, with outrageous and unbelievable statistics. To publish these things as fact, I can't help but wonder what other choice people have but to accept it as truth. Upstanding, educated individuals support these opinions, believing that God's wrath will disturb the peacefulness of the nation if homosexuality is allowed. Pastors of the church are saying these things - what happened to a loving God who has created us in his image? I choose to believe that we can love the person without condoning the act, that calling our fellow human beings "sub-animals" would be displeasing to God.
My first reaction to all of these situations is shock and anger. Anne and I were raised, thank you parents, to be strong and independent women. We have been given the right to express our ideas and to be respected as women. I can't imagine living in a society in which I am expected to be submissive to men - it's uncomfortable at times for us to just walk down the street and be the object of their stares. Of course, not all men are this way and not all people believe these things, but it is so prevalent here and we encounter it every day, so it is extremely difficult to ignore. As we do each day, I once again thank God that we have been blessed with the privileges we enjoy in the United States, even though by no means is our country perfect. I also pray for tolerance and understanding as we interact with these people, that I can be nonjudgemental and loving toward each of them.

Safari

An update on our premature baby boy... We returned to the hospital that afternoon to find the nurse by his incubator giving him oxygen. She said, "My baby isn't doing well." His heart rate had slowed down quite a bit, his breating was more erratic, and he looked much less pink than he had earlier in the day. We knew this was to be expected, as there was nothing that we could have done to prevent it, so we took him from the incubator to his mother. Initially, the nurse resisted, but per our request she explained the situation to the mother. We wanted her to see him, to hold him, but instead she asked that we take him away. So Anne and I held him, cried, prayed, until he died about an hour later. His name would be Kofi, meaning Friday born, and he lived almost eight hours that day until he died in our arms. We could only take comfort in knowing that this beautiful boy is now with God, where he knows no pain or struggle. He has to be in a better place now, I'm sure of it.
On Wednesday we went to Mole National Park in the more northern part of the country, a trip that took about 12 hours each way. We all packed into a small passenger van and drove the bumpy roads to the park. At one point, it takes over 3 hours to travel 40 miles because the roads are so bad, but we survived both getting there and back. We spent two days at the park, went on a walking safari one morning where we saw antelope, warthogs, monkeys, and elephants all in their natural habitat. It was pretty awesome - we stood about 100 feet from two huge African elephants as they went for their morning stroll. They are beautiful! At our hotel, which is in the park, the baboons jump right up onto the breakfast table looking for food. It's funny how people-like they are! The mothers carry their babies on their backs, just like the African women do, so cute. We even were lucky enough to come across the path of five elephants one evening when we were driving the road back from town. We got a really up-close look as they crossed the street in front of our van, moving so slowly and gracefully.
The people of Laribanga, the neighboring town, invited us one evening to see some native dancing. They brought benches and chairs for us and we sat in a circle around a lantern while they danced and sang. Anne and I even joined in a few times and I think we impressed them with our ability to keep up! It was a lot of fun to spend time in their village and I think they enjoyed our visit just as much as we did.
Our time at Mole gave us some quiet time spent with some other volunteers. Anne and I had a chance to reflect on the work we've done so far and sort out our goals for the rest of our stay here. It was nice to take a short vacation, to see the part of Africa that we always hear about. We enjoyed just sitting on the observation deck, looking out across the endless span of green. It was time well spent.
We came home to the mountain Sunday afternoon, after passing through Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, where we had pancakes for breakfast at a hotel. They were like Chinese pancakes, and they had to make syrup for us, but they were so delicious!
We returned to work on Monday, very tired after doing laundry that morning. It took Anne and I two hours to scrub our clothes and hang them to dry - does it take that long to do a load start to finish with a washer and dryer? We definitely miss that luxury! But I'm getting better at it, my clothes seem to dry faster with each week of practice. This Friday we have planned to join a group of nurses on a trip to immunize children. According to Dr. Opare, I think we'll be going into towns just looking for children under age 5 who'd like a shot in the butt. Sounds like fun, a chance to see some of their preventative health care in action. We're looking forward to becoming involved in more trips like this, so we're excited, even though we are leaving at 6am!
As always, Anne and I appreciate all of the emails, thoughts, prayers that we have been receiving. Prayers are being answered here, I'm positive of that.

I love the babies

Anne and I had a small victory today with the nurses. This week we have spent time teaching some of the nurses on the maternity ward how to use an incubator. This incubator had been donated from a hospital in France some time ago, but it had never been unwrapped it or plugged in because the staff was never instructed how to use it. Since the hospital has no capacity to care for critically sick newborns - no appropriate medicine, no ventilator, no monitoring devices - we are using the incubator as a warmer for the babies born by cesarean section until they can go to their mothers. When we came, the nurses would keep the baby in a hard wash basin in the corner of the nurse station, unmonitored, covered with a thin sheet. Now, they have a nice warm place for the baby where they can monitor his temperature and keep an eye on his breathing. Well, when we arrived this morning, the incubator had been turned on to warm up in preparation for a c-section baby, just as we had instructed them to do! This, for us, was very exciting, because we can never tell just how effective our instructions are, so the fact that they listened to us and wanted to use this equipment is encouraging.
We went to the OR for the c-section, for the delivery of a 31-week preterm baby boy. In this hospital, they give the mothers general anesthesia, so I think the babies' respiratory systems are affected, because every baby born by cesarean here must be resuscitated. So we resuscitated him, put him in the incubator with oxygen and watched him for two hours. We noticed some physical birth defects, and we can assume that he has internal abnormalities as well. Anne and I learned today that mothers will often suffocate their babies if they have physical defects, so even if this baby fights and survives, he may not have much of a chance at home. Our education tells us that without the proper medical care, he will not survive, but we wanted to give him everything we could. So we baptized him, prayed for him and his mother, and showed him all the love we could. The doctor came by, and the plan will be to see if the baby can breastfeed. If not, they can place a feeding tube and hope for the best. It is possible to refer the baby to a pediatric hospital, but the mother has to approve and pay for the transfer. Honestly, I don't think this baby has a chance of surviving even if they can feed him, because his lungs are not mature enough at 31 weeks without intensive medical care, which is simply unavailable here. But as we cared for this baby today, many nurses and nursing students came to see him, giving us another chance to teach. If only our efforts here could create miracles! But we have faith that God is with this beautiful baby boy right now and His plan will prevail. And we will continue to fight for miracles here, because we refuse to lose hope.
We had a very special experience yesterday on the maternity ward. Here, it seems that the nurses do not want to give the baby to the mother until he has been bathed, so we jumped at the opportunity to give a tiny, handsome baby boy his first bath. The babies here all have that little head of soft curly hair and some of them have the cutest big lips! It is really difficult for me not to wrap them up and run away with them, something I have contemplated more than once! How is it possible that they are all so cute?
Anne and I are looking forward to a small vacation next week to Mole National Park, a natural game reserve with big African elephants and monkeys. We will spend a long weekend there with some of the other volunteers that are working with the SVG organization here in Ghana. There is some speculation about whether we will be staying in a tent, which I think is crazy when there is wildlife running around, so I'm voting for a hotel or hostel with a shower! We are excited to go make friends with the monkeys.
Although we have seen no monkeys or elephants here on the mountain, we do come into daily contact with families of goats and chickens, as well as the occasional turkey. The baby goats are cutest, and Anne thinks we should bring one home for my brother Adam. So what do you think, Adam, you've always wanted a dog, right? There are also many bugs, spiders, caterpillars, and lizards of all sizes, so my fear of bugs has been dulled over the last month.
The weather here is still nice, cool in the mornings and evenings with a little sunshine during the day. Since it's still the rainy season, we have seen rain many mornings and it is usually fairly humid here. I've been suprised some evenings when I've been outside and I've actually been cold... in Africa. I like it.
The women here are amazing. They carry huge jugs of water on their heads, jugs that I have trouble lifting! Starting at about the age of 7, children will carry water in small buckets with lids, eventually carrying more as they grow. Men and women will carry everything from baskets of food for sale, baskets of cloth, and huge tree trunks! Yes, really long tree trunks on their heads. I'm not sure where they're taking the trees or what they plan to do with them, but wow these people are awesome. I tried to carry a box on my head at the hospital and I couldn't do it without dropping it, so I'm pretty sure I won't be trusted with a bucket of water anytime soon. Anne and I cooked spaghetti last Sunday for her host family, something for which we were able to find the ingredients at the market. They didn't really know how to eat the noodles, so we were in business once we taught them how to twist the noodle around the fork. The family enjoyed it and asked us to cook again for them this weekend.
We are still doing well here, facing challenges daily, and we are learning the value of patience. No matter how difficult our task is here, we know that with patience and persistence we can be successful. God willing, may we be successful.

Patience

'Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.' (Psalm 25: 4-5)
This is David's prayer for guidance, upon which I stumbled in a book last night. Anne and I have really been struggling with the slow pace at which things move here. Everything lacks a sense of urgency, and we have a hard time adjusting to that, coming from the full speed attitude of the U.S. This has been a challenge for us because we look at the situation here and all we see is the things that we want to fix or change, and we have overlooked some of the good things that are being done here. We have been focusing on the things that we are unable to do and the resistance we have faced, instead of realizing that this is not in our control. We must be patient and willing to work at God's pace, to follow His plan for our time here. For the two of us, both very goal-oriented and strong-willed, this is a hard thing to accept, but we are working on it every day. Patience. Guidance. And Diane gave us some great advice, that we must find something beautiful about each day and be thankful for that. Thank you, Diane, you're right, and Anne and I need you more than you know! My perspective is changing, and I will continue each day to find the beauty.
For example, our hospital is one of the better hospitals available to patients. It is the only hospital in the district, which means that it serves people from villages hours away. We visited one of these villages yesterday, where there is a small clinic staffed by only one nurse and an assistant. No doctors, no relief. This nurse is in charge of the clinic 24 hours every day, so the villagers know where she lives and they come to find her at night for emergencies. The clinic has two private areas, a labour ward and a recovery ward, each with only one or two beds. If a woman comes to the clinic in labor in the evening, she is then referred to our hospital, an hour drive by taxi. There is a small dispensary for medications at the clinic, which the nurse prescribes and dispenses herself. There is little treatment available at this clinic for emergencies, so anything serious must be referred. The village consists of small homes made of clay, the walls are falling apart, some with straw roofs. They have no running water and I don't think they have electricity. When we visited yesterday, my heart ached for this nurse who has been assigned here to be solely responsible for keeping this clinic running. How lonely she must be, I thought, and Anne and I have been complaining about being bored. How ashamed I feel for complaining about our living conditions when we have been so blessed here to have families to take care of us. And even though we have no running water, we still have a warm bath every day. Anne and I decided to request to spend some time with this nurse at the clinic, to help her and to show her that we care about and support what she is doing there. Yesterday, I saw the beauty in this nurse, and I hated leaving her alone there in the evening. Thank God for this special person.
So whenever we walk down the street here, we hear endless exclamations of "Obruni!!", which means "white person". Most of the yelling comes from excited children who just want to smile and wave at us. But many times it comes from men, who then proclaim their love for us and offer proposals of marriage. I had an admirer at the hospital, an older, shorter, cute man named Solomon, who would hold my hand and just smile at me for minutes at a time every day. Well, finally when he kissed my cheek, Anne said, "her husband won't like that very much!" And that was the end of the hand holding. There is something about an obruni that apparently has an effect on the men here and they will promise us their undying love forever, without even knowing our names! Rich men here take many wives, a practice that has become less common over the years, but nonetheless still occurs. One such man has proposed to Anne that she become his third wife, an offer that will include a house and a car, and whatever else she will need to be comfortable here. Of course, Anne said NO - so don't worry parents, she is still coming home unmarried. But so is the daily routine here, "I'm sorry I can't marry you, my husband just wouldn't approve".
Things are going well here at the hospital - we are continuing our efforts to recover postoperative patients, hopefully soon we'll be able to convince the staff that they need to join us. We have a baby warmer, an incubator, and a suction machine that we are planning to teach the maternity ward nurses how to use. This equipment has been sitting unused on the ward, so we have cleaned them and are planning some teaching sessions for the end of the week. We are also building a relationship with the Health Director, after spending the day with him in the OR, we are now good friends, which will hopefully work in our advantage. This afternoon we have a chance to sit in on a clinical meeting, in which the chief doctor will be teaching about stroke care. We are interested to experience an educational session here, and maybe we can get in on the action next time.
Overall, things are getting better every day, but we still have days where we feel like we haven't done a thing. I know that I must be patient, but I am concerned that we will leave here in two months feeling like there were things we could have done better. I just don't want to regret any wasted time. I have written David's prayer and I will read it every day to remind myself that I am not in control here, that God has a timeline for His plan. I will keep this in mind, my frustration levels will decrease, and I'll be able to focus on the amazing beauty of this country and its people.

A good day!

Anne and I held a teaching session today! The chief doctor asked us to teach the nurses how to use some nebulizers that the hospital purchased for the wards. Currently there is little treatment available for asthmatic patients, so hopefully having nebulizers will change that. We taught them how to assemble and manage the machines so that they would be able to administer the medications when needed. It was very strange to watch them with these simple nebulizers, machines that many people use at home, as they had a difficult time trying to figure out how to assemble the parts. Something that is so straightforward and easy to understand for us is something that required a 60-minute teaching session for them. But we feel that we have actually done something productive, by giving them knowledge that will hopefully be lasting and will benefit many patients. Of course, we must now go around to the wards and make sure that the machines are being used properly and encourage the nurses. Now we look forward to more teaching sessions covering different topics, and we are excited about the potential there.
Yesterday, we recovered two patients in the operative theatre. The doctor told us that the anesthesia they use during surgery has no analgesic effect, so the patient has no pain relief whatsoever after surgery. Currently, the patients are sent directly back to the wards after surgery, usually before the patient has even awakened. So the nurses on the wards receive the semi-unconscious patient after a major procedure with no pain medication available. Yesterday, with the help of the doctor, we medicated both patients immediately after surgery and ensured that the patient was awake and stable before returning them to the wards. We still have a lot of work to do there, but we are happy so far with the doctor's cooperation with our ideas. Believe it or not, he actually asked me what medicine I wanted to give after surgery, what dosage, and he asked me to write the order for pharmacy to dispense it. I can't imagine doing that at home!
And we also introduced a new drainage device to the doctor that he placed on the patient's surgical wound, which will improve healing and recovery. We taught the nurses how to manage it, and hopefully they will be able to use the drains more often for better patient outcomes.
Yesterday we had a meeting with the director of health for the Kwahu region, Dr. Opare. He would like for us to accompany midwives on preventative health checks in the very remote areas. He mentioned that they travel on motorbikes, but I assume that he would arrange special transportation for us... Also he wants us to visit some of the smaller clinics of the region, and we have brought 94 pounds of medication with us that would be well-used there. He also asked me if I'd like to go with him to his gym for a workout this weekend, but he goes at 5:45 am, way to early for me! But we might climb the mountain here sometime, something he does with some friends fairly often. He seems very interested in our help and wants to accomodate us and help us however he can. Anne and I are looking forward to these excursions, for a change of pace and scenery, and we would love to see other areas of the region. We also feel that we would be of great help with providing vaccinations and other general medical treatment in these settings, similar to the work we do in Honduras.
Thank you all for your prayers and your encouragement, I love knowing that we are supported here. We miss you!

I love African pineapple!

Anne and I spent a couple of days in the capital city of Ghana, Accra, with our organization coordinator, Fred. We welcomed a new volunteer, Aaron, who will be working in the adjacent town at a center for HIV/AIDS education. I couldn't believe it, but many people of Africa believe that HIV is a myth created by Americans to discourage them from having sex. The number of people infected in Ghana each year exceeds beyond the number of people that are able to receive treatment, so there is a much-needed focus on education and prevention. Aaron will be here for three months, so we welcomed him to Ghana and spent a couple days in the city. Anne ate a hamburger, I ate hummus, and we got showers of running water, so it was a great weekend.
We returned to the hospital for work today. I checked on my newborn twin, and he seems to be doing much better after the doctor gave him some antibiotics for his lungs. He has a chunky little face and he was resting comfortably with his brother, so I am thrilled. His mother, on the other hand, isn't doing so well - she seems to be fighting infection and high blood pressure, so I hope that she can recover.
I have moved into a new home with the nurse matron, so I have my own room now. I appreciate having my own space without having to worry about being in the way. She actually listens to me when I say that I don't want monster portions of food, so I think this will work out well! I even went for a run yesterday morning before church, and it felt good despite the many strange looks from people on the street.
Anne and I are looking forward to receiving boxes of stethoscopes that our mothers are sending - Thanks Mom and Mrs. Halfman! We hope to receive them soon and we will then teach the nurses how to properly assess their patients' conditions. Anne and I are both doing well, and we are so grateful to have each other here. Together we can handle anything and we have been laughing more as the days go by. We spend a lot of time talking about home, and we love getting emails from all of you so that we have new things to talk about!!
I will soon have to break down and do my laundry by hand. Anne did hers a couple of days ago and rubbed the skin off of her fingers. My plan: soak, agitate and swirl, minimal scrubbing, rinse, hang. It takes about 3 days for laundry to dry in this weather, so it's no quick job. Never again will I complain about having to do my laundry at home!
I'll say it again - I miss everyone and I hope you're all doing great. I appreciate your emails, and I'd love to know how you're all doing. I send my love!

Better Every Day

Just a quick post to let you all know how much I appreciate your comments - I miss you all so much! I appreciate your encouragement, and I get tearful when I read them.
I think we are on the way to progress here - we have approval to hold some teaching sessions for the nurses, and we are making good use of some donated supplies that had previously been sitting boxed up in a room. We continue to build relationships here, and I think it will pay off when it comes time for us to influence some real change.
The other day, a man could not afford to pay for his medicine, which in a cash and carry health system, that means that he receives no treatment until he can come up with the money. In the meantime, his lungs filled with fluid and he could not breathe. Anne and I were able to pay for his treatment ($14), and he was able to make it until his family found more money. Otherwise, a curtain is pulled and the patient is ignored until money is presented.
I was called by the doctor to the labour ward the other day when they were unable to resuscitate a newborn. They delivered breech twins and one was not breathing. I think he aspirated meconium, which causes severe lung damage, so basically I forced air into his damaged lungs while he struggled to breathe on his own. I finally stopped and he was a fighter, so I took him to his mother and said a prayer. He survived through the day but I have not been able to check on him since. In their culture, they often blame death on evil spirits, when the cases I have seen have actually been due to lack of medical care and knowledge.
I know that we are making a difference here and I know that we can make a lasting difference by teaching the staff how to handle situations like these. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers very much.

we have our work cut out for us!

This past week has been very difficult to get through, and I don't really know how to explain the things we have seen. We are treated very well, in no way are we physically suffering, but every day has brought something emotionally challenging. The hospital here is one of the best in the country, actually one of the more progressive. It must be at least 50 years behind in technology and knowledge. Even worse, there seems to be little compassion for the patients. Anne and I helped deliver a stillborn baby, stillbirth as a result of poor knowledge and neglect, and the nurses seemed completely unaffected by the death. As I performed CPR on this newborn, the nurse looked at me as if she hadn't a clue what I was doing. That was probably our lowest day here so far, as we sobbed in another room and prayed for the mother. Every day, we have been put in situations where we've stepped in and taken control of situations involving patients that the nurses haven't seemed able to handle. We have a lot of teaching to do here, and it's not going to be easy. To be honest, I never expected it to be this difficult - I thought that to be a nurse, you possessed a natural desire to help others, but here it is very different. I don't understand it, and I can't explain it, but it's something that will take awhile for us to wrap our heads around.
Our goals are many. We want to create a recovery room in the operative theatre, where currently patients are awakened from anesthesia with no monitoring afterward. The doctor would like us to create an intensive care unit, but we first must teach the nurses how to assess their patients, as they currently do not even have stethoscopes and do not know how to use them. We would like to develop some education on postoperative patient care and general nursing knowledge, hopefully then we can hold some teaching sessions for the younger nurses who may still be open to learning. With a goal, we feel motivated to make a change and empowered to do it.
We played a soccer game yesterday at the orphanage, with boys who have been playing with a soccer ball since they could walk, so they were very good! And the babies are all cute here, so once in awhile we go to the maternity ward to see them! There are many good things that we are enjoying and we love our new friends who insist upon taking care of us every day! We are learning a little bit of the local language, too - we are really good at "how are you?" and "I'm fine", as well as the word for "white person", which we hear constantly on the street.
It has been a difficult adjustment, and I can honestly say that I often dread going to the hospital, but things are improving. We have been able to make some differences already to a few specific patients, and God willing that will continue. As far as our living conditions, we are becoming more accustomed to the spicy food and lack of water supply. I should be moving in with the matron today, so I will have my own private room, which I think will make a difference too. Anne and I found a church where an American Reverend has been working for almost 2 years, so he and his wife have invited us for dinner sometime, and we now have an English sermon to look forward to every week.
We think about home a lot, and we talk about our friends and family often. We miss everyone and every time I long to come home, I remind myself that we are needed here so much more than we ever realized. And my consolation is that in three months I can return to my safe, convenient life, where these people will not. So my heart is here, and I ask for your prayers that we can find a way to effectively bring about change. I hope everyone at home is well, and I love you all!

Such a different world...

Anne and I arrived in Ghana only 5 days ago, yet we feel like we have been here for much longer. We are living in the nurses' quarters, a group of bungalows located just across the street from Kwahu Government Hospital, where we started work on Monday. Anne lives with a head nurse and her family, and I am living with a nurse named Christy. I am supposed to move in with the nurse matron, but she is out of town and will return after Thursday. Christy is such a kind, giving, wonderful person - she has welcomed me into her home that consists of two rooms, each smaller than my bedroom at home. Her kitchen is located in a separate building accross from her bungalow, and the bathroom and toilet room are just down the way. We share the bathroom and toilet room with others, and there is no running water. Never before have I understood until now how people live without water. She has to walk to collect water from a running faucet, near the hospital about an 8 minute walk. She must cook, wash dishes and clothing, bathe, and flush the toilet with this water. I have taken a bath from a bucket every day, and I am actually becoming very good at conserving water - I can wash my hair every other evening and I am not too hideous by the second day! I saw a cockroach in the toilet room and lots of ants in the bathroom, but so far no rodents.
It is currently the rainy season in Ghana, which means cooler temperatures and it rains for short periods throughout the day. It becomes humid at times, but it is pretty comfortable I think. Ghanaians believe that this weather is cold, so they dress more warmly than we do. September begins the hotter weather, so much more sun and dry heat is to be expected. The first night we arrived, the electricity had been shut off, which happens occasionally, so we used candles. Since that night we have had electricity for our lights, which is useful because it gets dark here around 6pm. I've been going to bed around 9pm because the roosters and chickens start waking us up around 5am.
The people of Ghana are known for their graciousness and kindness - Christy will not let me cook, clean up, or work while I'm at her home. Their tradition is to prepare food and serve their guests a meal, but they do not sit with us to eat. I have convinced her only once to eat with me, otherwise I eat my meals alone and she will either eat later or eat alone in the kitchen. It is a tradition that I do not understand and it is difficult for me to accept. I feel that as a guest in her home I should be giving in return, but they just do not accept that. Anne's family is the same way - she will eat alone while 4 other people wait for her to finish. As for the food, it consists of a lot of rice, starchy vegetables, and most things are prepared in a sauce - for example, white rice with a fish sauce, or plantains and yams dipped into a spicy spinach-like sauce. I am still waiting to try fufu, which is plantains and casava pounded into a pasty mixture, eaten with a sauce of course. We have to do some walking every day, but I'm pretty sure that I'll be gaining some weight here - they serve huge portions (like a heaping plateful of rice) and they're surprised when we can't eat it all.
The hospital is a hard place for me to go every day. They literally have no modern monitoring equipment, the nurses do not have their own stethoscopes, and the conditions are very discouraging. They perform a few simple surgical procedures, but they put the patient under anesthesia with no ventilator - they have an ambu bag to assist in respiration. They have few supplies, so the patient must pay in cash up front for all medicine if they do not have insurance. They literally must walk to the pharmacy to purchase their own medicines during their hospital stay - if they can't walk there, their family or the nurse must do it. We worked on the labour ward today, and a laboring woman had to walk to the lab to have her blood drawn. I am continuously surprised by their way of doing things, by the nurses' lack of knowledge, and by the general poor sanitation of the hospital wards. The wards are separated by male and female and they are true wards with beds lined up on each side of the room, probably 20 beds total in the room with one nurse station. The nurse-patient relationship is very cold, the nurses do not smile and they almost neglect their patients. There is one oxygen tank on the male ward, able to be shared by two patients, but there is no equipment to measure the patient's oxygen level. I want to do so much to make it better for the patients, but I don't even know how to start. In talking with the head doctor, he asked Anne and I to do some small lectures for the nurses and student nurses, so I think that we could definitely educate and make a good contribution there. The scope of practice is so small because they have so little to work with, so until they can acquire some medical equipment, they are making due with the bare minimum. Looking back at the labour ward's records, almost evey day there is an infant death, which far exceeds our death rate in the U.S.
Our experience here in Ghana so far has been very challenging. We have tried to remain open-minded and loving. We are struggling with the conditions at the hospital, yet we know that we will be seeing much worse at the other clinics that we visit. We are feeling very welcomed by all of the people here - we get many stares on the street because we are truly the only white people in town. Kids point to us and laugh, yelling "obruni" which means "white". But of course the people here are so beautiful. I miss the luxuries of home simply for their convenience, but I am really more upset than anything. I don't understand how things are so unfair - In the U.S. we are so wasteful and we take everything for granted, and we all complain daily. Here, they have little and they never once complain, instead they give whatever they have in order to make us comfortable. I am ashamed to tell them what it is like at home, because it is such a disgusting difference. I get discouraged every day and I get tearful as I write this, but this experience is exactly what I have come for - I am trying to humble myself and accept their situation for what it is while trying my best to help improve it.
Please pray for Anne and I and for our stay here in Ghana, pray for the people here as they work so hard every day. I miss everyone at home and I hope you are all well. Internet access is in a town down the mountain, so I may not blog more than once a week, but please be faithful in reading it as I would love to share this experience with all of you. Until next time...

hot plate!

Here's my latest purchase, something I have been lusting after for awhile now... A Colts license plate! Isn't it beautiful? To own this plate, I had to sit in the overcrowded BMV for over an hour - WORTH IT!
With the power of this plate, I think this year might be the year for Peyton and his team... hot plate, hot Peyton, hot team!

Mountaineer, Tamer of the Wild

Back home to Indiana, after 5 days in the Smoky Mountains, I'll say it seems a little flat. My mom and I had a great time - we drove to the highest peak, we hiked to a gorgeous waterfall, we shopped (of course), we even went to a theatre one evening. One day we ate chicken for breakfast and pancakes for lunch, a defiance of routine which my mom believes truly makes it a vacation. I think for both of us it was just a good chance to relax, as we both enjoyed watching movies in the cabin and sleeping in. I had some great morning runs, which gave me some alone time and good opportunities to explore the mountain. My mom and I cooked dinner together every night (she chopped, I cooked, she did the dishes), a perfect arrangement if you ask me. We almost saw a bear, we did see some deer, and we shared our chimney with a family of critters (probably raccoons). An adventure, well yes, measured on an adventure scale adjusted to allow for the mom factor. It is truly amazing the world that God has created for us, and seeing new places just ignites that fire in me to see more! So next stop: Amsterdam (layover in the airport, does that count?), then Ghana here I come. Am I ready? Nope, I packed way too much (I took 34 shirts to Tennessee for 5 days, what's wrong with me?), so my main objective is to fit all of the necessities into my luggage. If I can accomplish this, a true feat for a chronic overpacker, then I'll be able to say that I'm ready. I'm not sure that I'll ever be mentally/emotionally prepared to leave, but I choose to have faith, which calms my anxiety. To my Raleigh friends, I miss you already!!

Perfect!

I love my church! Tonight was the last Tuesday night service that I'll be able to attend until I get back in November, and it was perfect. The worship songs were awesome, the prayer time was extra long, and Greg's sermon was right on. The focus of his message was "what makes a church more than just a building?" For me, becoming a part of the church community has made this church a home for me. From the first time I set foot in our church, everyone has been welcoming - they have taken an interest in me and have encouraged me to become involved. Loren said it well when he said once that we just need to invest in people. And this community of friends has truly invested in one another, making it much more than just a Sunday thing. I am so thankful that we have stumbled upon this wonderful, nurturing community, and it has been one of the things that has truly made North Carolina a home for me. And it's one of the things that I will most miss while I'm gone. But I carry the love of Christ with me as I go, and I am giving myself to the Lord for these months in Africa, hoping that He will use me to make a difference. Saying goodbye tonight was tough, but I feel at peace knowing that my community will keep me in their prayers. I love my church!

Wanted: Full-Time Beach Bum Lifestyle

I love the beach! I spent 4 wonderful days with my family at North Myrtle Beach, possibly #1 on my favorite beach list. After one bad sunburn, three fulfilling morning runs, about 40 hours of sleep, and countless UNO games with 10 and 6 year-olds Aaron and Ethan, I am now sitting at work trying to devise a plan that would allow me to be a beach bum year-round. If anyone has any ideas, other than my often pondered plan to become a trophy wife/soccer mom/gym rat, please offer suggestions! There's something uncomparable to leaving reality, turning off the cell phone, not checking email, just spending days lying under the beach umbrella, taking evening strolls - something special that I can really appreciate. A chance to spend quality time with people, no schedule or commitments. Oh yeah, and did I mention the endless seafood buffet, dang, so good!

best vacation ever

Thank God for vacations! It's smooth sailing from here - work Monday... to the beach for a few days... work the weekend... one week off... to the mountains for a week... home for a week... to Africa for 3 months. I can't think of any better way to spend the next 4 months of my life.
My aunt and uncle are awesome - they have invited me to Myrtle Beach to share part of their vacation. I get to spend a few days with them, which is such a pleasure every time. I get to hang with my cousin Jackie, getting to know her as a newly married woman, and spend some real time with her husband and their boys. And I LOVE Myrtle Beach.
One last weekend of work at Duke, probably the best place I have ever worked - I'll be sad to leave that place for sure. Then a week off in Raleigh, just like a vacation really. It will be therapeutic, packing everything up, preparing for a long trip away from home. Saying goodbye to the place that for a year I have called home - I'm still getting used to the idea of leaving, and I'm looking forward to coming back here in November.
Six days in a cabin with my mother - Pray for my sanity! Just kidding, mom. I think it will be great, continuing our new tradition of mother/daughter trips together. I have been blessed with two already: first the Outer Banks (during a hurricane actually!) and then Charleston. Now the Smoky Mountains... This part of the country is so beautiful, and I'm glad for the opportunity to share the experiencewith my mom. I'm thinking cabin with a great view, mountain hikes, waterfalls, Pancake Pantry (Suzanne and David's favorite place), and quality time with mom. Good, very good.
Back home in Indiana... my checklist of friends to see, including baby Avery who will soon be not a baby anymore. My brother Adam, who is definitely not a baby anymore, soon to start college, a day that I will regretfully miss. My dad, who is still not on board with the idea of my trip to Ghana... but hopefully will come to understand why I need to go. And my reunion with Anne, the one person who shares with me a passion for mission work, a passion for travel, and the person whom I have sat next to on an countless number of flights. Anne, I can't wait to do it again!
Wow, thanks God for this priceless opportunity to spend the next month with my loved ones. I am greateful for this time of preparation, of both physical and mental rest. Again, I give thanks for the opportunity before me, to travel to yet another new place to serve a whole new group of people. I'll say it again, LIFE IS GOOD!

Only a Month!

As my trip to Africa gets closer (we leave in one month), I realize how much I have yet to do in preparation. I'll be gone for three months, unemployed for four, so I have to admit that I am feeling more stressed with each day. I still need to exchange money, get a meningitis vaccination, teach my mom how to pay my bills online, read two books on Ghana, start packing, and move from North Carolina to Indiana. Then, I realize that I only have two more weeks of work (six scheduled days), and a little panic hits as I wonder if I can really afford this time away after all. I can admit that I won't miss the busy 12-hour shifts, but I am sad to leave Duke, where everyone has made me feel right at home for the past year, and my coworkers have been so encouraging and supportive of my decision to leave. I won't miss the North Carolina humidity that fogs up your sunglasses at 6am, but it will definitely be hard to leave my roommates and my church community. I love living in Raleigh, mostly because of the phenomenal people I've met here, and I am truly sad to say goodbye, but I'll be back in four short months... And in the meantime I will spend a week in the Smokies with my mom, a week at home with my family and friends, and three months in a new place with Anne, my best friend and fellow world traveler. Amid the mixed feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness, I am feeling an exciting anticipation for this experience. I think our time in Ghana will fly by, and by the end of our trip we will be sad to leave. I work with a nurse who is from Ghana, and her eyes light up when she speaks of her country and its people. I am excited to see it all for myself, to live alongside these people and to learn about and experience their daily routine. I am most looking forward to feeling that fire again that I only feel when I am doing mission work. Taking some time away from the distractions of my busy, overindulgant life will help me to regain perspective on what is truly important. I have been given yet another opportunity to experience a world very different from my own, and I am so thankful for that. I pray that our hearts be peaceful, that our faith may lead Anne and I through this month of preparation.

what a great week!

All of my fears have been put to rest, and I can truly say that I have grown from my experience in Tennessee. We traveled to the small town of Newport, just over the North Carolina border in the Smoky Mountains, a poor town that is rich in community support. As an adult leader, my job was to support our middle schoolers through their transition to a whole new world that many of them have never truly experienced. We spent two days at a work site, like painting Ms. Ruth's house, refurbishing Ms. Linda's trailers, and sorting donated clothing at the local mission. Then we spent two days running Kids' Club in the park, where small children come to just be kids - we play games, make crafts, and learn about a man named Jesus. We also visited a nursing home one morning, where we spent time just talking with the residents, and how they loved the bright faces of our young people!
I must say that spending five days with 60 middle and high schoolers is quite exhausting, for a few reasons: 1. Painting a house in 90-degree heat, dodging the hornets and wasps, holding an extension ladder for a teenager while saying a prayer that I don't have to explain to his mother why I let him break his neck... well that poops me out good. 2. Experiencing the emotional rollercoaster of these girls is absolutely more exhausting than any 12-hour nursing shift that I have ever worked... and many of them aren't even teenagers yet. 3. After waking up at 6:30am, how could these girls still be going at full speed by lights out time at 11:15pm? It's just impossible for me to figure that one out.
So I learned a few things: 1. Yes, indeed, I can paint a house, apply sunscreen and bug spray simultaneously, and motivate 12-year-olds to perform manual labor all at the same time. 2. I really don't need a mirror to get ready in the morning, especially if I have to outwit 20 girls to get one. 3. Being a mother, although only a substitute mother for 5 days, is a hard, sleep-depriving job.
And my experience this week has only reinforced some things that I already knew: 1. People really can live a fulfilling life with almost no material luxuries, if they have the love of their family, their community, and their Lord. 2. Like a sponge, a 5-year-old child will soak up the love of a stranger if he is neglected that love or attention at home. 3. One always finds true joy in serving God, in humbling oneself and helping others who have found themselves in less fortunate circumstances.
I grew closer to these kids as the days passed, and I really enjoyed building their confidence. Kids are so receptive to positive encouragement, and it's amazing what just a few rewarding words can do for a young person. I saw some of them open up, some of them softened up, and some of them forever changed.
I suppose that every event is life-changing, but this particular trip has greatly affected me. This was my first experience as a leader of youth, and I really loved every minute of it. Although a work trip, this became sort of a retreat for me, a chance to focus on service, worship, and the bible. As their adult support, I had the opportunity and privilege to pray with these kids, an intimidating yet rewarding experience for me personally. In spending time with the other adult leaders, I was surrounded by some individuals with amazing character, wisdom, and faith - the qualities that I strive to develop in myself and that I hope to one day find in a husband.
Everything happens for a reason, and every opportunity must be cherished. I am so proud of these kids and their hard work, and I feel so blessed to have cried, sweat, and laughed along beside them. Wow, life is good.

Heading to the Mountains...

Lizzy and I are traveling next week to rural Tennessee with our church youth group, where we will serve as leaders of the middle schoolers. Now, I remember what it's like to be a middle school student, where life is all about clothes, boys, and being "cool". (Actually, some things never change!) Not too long ago it seems, I was one of the youth on church trips just like this, and I really looked up to my female leaders. So I have to admit that I'm weary of stepping into this chaperone role, for a couple of reasons. Am I able to set a strong Christian example for these kids? Will I be a positive influence on them and will they trust me as their leader? And of course, I really hope they think I'm fun! I'm thankful that Lizzy and I are doing this together, so that we can support and encourage each other as we embark on yet another new adventure together. Rural Tennessee, here we come!!

So I have a plan

I am 25 years old and I can't seem to figure out what my "plan" is. I often hear the question, "So what next, Sarah, have you decided what you're gonna do?" For me, that's a tough one to answer, because the thought of permanence is still quite intimidating. So rather than making a plan, I choose to trust that God already has one for me. And right now, His plan happens to involve a three-month trip to Ghana, Africa, where I will offer myself to serve those in need of love, care, and compassion. As God's people, we are called to walk the way that Jesus walked, to love those less fortunate than we are, those who perhaps have been forgotten along the way. I can only hope that I have enough to give to the people of Ghana, that I can make a difference in the lives of those who may feel that they have been overlooked by the rest of the world. I have been blessed with the education and skill necessary to help the sick, and I am thankful for this opportunity to take time away from comfortable life to travel to Ghana, to serve the people, to experience their suffering, and to strengthen my faith. So here's the plan - through my blog, I want to share my experiences with you, to stay connected to home. I want to tell a story, to paint a picture of what is really happening in our world, to our children, to God's people. So I ask you, please come with me on my new journey; experience with me the challenges, the adventures, the tears, and the joy...