June 30, 2012

The day has come. It's 12:45am and I think I've finished packing. I'm not sure what the total count is for the entire team as I've just been keeping up with the 13 nursing student from UA. Anyway, everyone is checking in one bag 1/2 full of supplies, taking one carry-on and one personal item. I came in at 44 lbs with the supplies given to me by e3, UA, and my own supplies. I managed to put all my clothes in the carry-on AND my hiking boots and miscellaneous electronics...impressive, huh? My personal item is a backpack and just contains my laptop and one huge Serta memory foam pillow that I compressed in one of those neat space bags "As Seen on Television." I have no idea what I'm going to do when I take the pillow out for the 7hr flight then have to put it back in the bag with no vacuum handy. I need my rest, though, as I've not had adequate sleep the past two weeks. I mean really. Right now I'm going on 36 hours straight. I will go to bed soon though and try to get a few hours.

In my last blog I rambled a bit just as I did in that interview. I was a little anxious as I had so much on my mind. I was focusing so much on the medical part, which honestly I'm still somewhat nervous about. I don't know why though because what we will see is going to be so much simpler than what we deal with in MICU. Maybe it's because this time I'll say "this is what you need and this is what I'm going to give you and do for you"...it doesn't always happen that way at the hospital though because frankly, I'm not the doctor writing the orders. Really, though, we will probably see a lot of effects from a lack of infrastructure as well as a lack of access to healthcare. We will do fine medically and the students will do fine as well. They are a smart bunch with big hearts.

So now we come to what I was really anxious about. I've been on many mission trips. I call them service missions sometimes because I'm there to serve those in need. And by service, I mean building a house, putting down a roof, drywall, painting, yardwork, cleanup, etc. In the process, I get to know those I'm serving and sometimes faith is brought up. So sometimes it happens and a lot of the time it doesn't...and I don't bring it up. We do build a relationship though and quite meaningful at times. I think that is just as important. We really should get to know those we serve. It can teach us a lot, not just as nurses, but simply as human beings and how we should be with others. In current affairs, I won't speak about the AHA.

I'm a little long winded again. Maybe rambling again. I'll close here though with a step forward in sharing a little of my faith by putting up a "Minute Meditation" a dear friend sent me on June 16. Oddly enough it was fitting for my post on June 20 as well as tonight. And I'll put up the one for June 30, which is just as fitting. God works in mysterious ways.

June 16, 2012
Take the Leap


The Lord invites you to have confidence not in yourself but in his Holy Spirit. With him, you can do it. Take the leap and do not stop until you are in the arms of the Father, who is waiting for you.

— from Sober Intoxication of the Spirit



June 30, 2012
Minute Meditations

I Must Keep Going
What I desire most is to be faithful and to finish the race. It doesn’t matter if I finish running or crawling; all I want is to finish and hear the Father say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).
— from Hiking the Camino