I’m on a beach, the sun is hot, and the sand is warm…I can hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing” … I shook myself back to reality. No, I wasn’t on a hot beach, I was standing in a tiny room made of sticks and mud, my body shivering from the extreme cold. It was one of the coldest days of the year, I had on every warm piece of clothing I brought with me - leggings, jeans, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, sweater, coat, 2 pairs of socks, boots – yet I could not get warm. I looked around the room and stared at the women in skirts, bare legs, no socks, flats covered in cold wet mud. Shawls instead of coats. A child was bundled up in blankets, yet I noticed her bare feet were sticking out. Suddenly I didn’t feel too cold. We were all gathered together to remember a baby that died the year before. The doctor spoke some encouraging words to the family, reminding them that even though the situation was sad, we can rejoice knowing the baby is in a better place. After the message and some hymns, we consumed hot coffee and tamales. I have never been so happy in my life to have hot coffee and tamales. I greedily ate the food and let it warm my insides. After our meal, we headed outside into the bleak, misty weather. We piled into the bed of the truck and braced the wind as we drove to the cemetery. I gripped the side of the truck with frozen hands, stared at the feet of the other women, and was once again thankful that I had put on 2 pairs of socks. Once we arrived at the cemetery, we sang some more hymns and laid a cross at the place where the baby was buried a year ago. The event was supposed to be a time to celebrate and remember the life of the baby, but the air was heavy, and my heart went out to the mother. Nothing was comfortable about the event, in fact I was pretty miserable… but I fought hard to suppress my feelings, knowing the mother and family felt much worse than I did. I wanted to escape it all and go into my thoughts, into my happy place. But I knew I needed to be present in the moment, take it all in, and feel the pain of those around me. Life is full of joyful moments and difficult moments, but no matter what happens we can look to God. He is our only hope. I know the mother was sad, remembering her lost child, but I am thankful that she has God and can look to Him for comfort. This trip has been full of ups and downs. Through it all I continue to trust God. I am thankful for my time here and for my experiences. Every day I learn more about myself, the goodness of God, and what the life of a missionary really looks like. Updates:
- Clinic: The clinic has been pretty busy. Lots of children with diarrhea. It’s been very interesting to learn how to differentiate between the many causes of diarrhea…is it viral, bacterial, or a parasite? After seeing a few patients with the doctor, I was able to see a child all by myself. I examined him, decided the most likely cause of his diarrhea was a parasite, and provided him with medication! That was a very exciting moment for me. There have also been a lot of patients with colds recently, which always confuses me because it is usually warm and sunny here! I guess the one week of freezing cold got everyone sniffling and coughing for weeks. - English Classes: Classes are going well! I still really enjoy teaching the students! Last week we taught them how to say “I am cold” which was very appropriate for that day. This week, the doctor was busy, so I taught the class ALONE! I was so afraid but also excited. I decided to talk about Thanksgiving since it was on Thursday. I asked the class if they knew what Thanksgiving was and most of the students said they didn’t. I explained to them that it was a day to give thanks and spend time with family. I taught them how to say, “I am thankful for…” and helped them translate what they were thankful for into English - “life, food, a home, family, friends and God”. It was such a fun experience, even though it was a little crazy with 30 energetic students in each class! I only have one more English class, and I am very sad to say goodbye to the students. Before I ended my solo class, I took a moment to tell the students I was very proud of them and that they needed to keep practicing English. I told them that I was not perfect at Spanish, but I still tried to speak the language. I reminded them that it’s okay to make mistakes. I hope my time with the students encouraged them and gave them a bit more confidence to speak English. - Public Health Project: The project is off to a great start. We visited a few more homes in the past couple of weeks and discovered just how big this project is. It takes about 3 hours just to visit one home and speak with the family. I am still enjoying the project a lot. Although the people are skeptical at first, by the end of our visit they are smiling and happy we stopped by. And sometimes when I see them walking down the street later in the week, they greet me with a smile! During our visits, we have come across quite a few people with serious medical needs but were afraid to seek care. We were able to examine them and provide medical advice and medicine. In addition to house visits, I have been working on a database to store the information that we collect from the project. So far, we have completed about 8 homes, and there are still many many homes left to visit in the village. I am a little disappointed because I know we will not finish the project before I leave, but I am thankful I had to opportunity to help get the project off the ground. I only have 2 weeks left in Mexico. I am so excited to see my family and friends. Oh how I have missed them dearly. I can’t wait to celebrate the holidays with them and share my stories. But leaving is bittersweet. I’ve worked hard to develop relationships with the young women and it’s difficult to leave just as our friendships are blossoming. I’m going to miss the English classes and the students- I never thought I would enjoy teaching, but it is definitely a new desire on my heart. I will miss playing with the band at the church and encouraging others to sing even when they think they can’t. I will miss sitting at the kitchen table each morning with the family that opened their home to me; eating granola and talking about a variety of topics that range from the Muppets to the Bible. I will miss sitting around fires, eating something made of corn and listening to conversations I only half understand. And I will miss my time working in the clinic and using medicine to connect with the villagers. In my heart, I knew this would happen. I knew I would fall in love with Mexico and the people and want to stay longer. But I also know that everything happens for a reason and that God is somehow orchestrating my life and future. I trust that He has a plan…who knows what the future may hold? But for now, I am excited to see my family and then to start a new job in the new year. Life moves so quickly, and I truly believe each moment counts; the mundane and the adventure. I know that purpose and true happiness only comes from knowing Jesus and trusting Him. Blessings and Love!
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There is no feeling like sitting in the back of a pickup truck as it drives through the winding mountain roads. Gripping the side of the truck for dear life as the wind blows in your face. Pitch black night. Gazing up at the millions of stars you’ve never seen this clearly before, tracing the milky way with your fingers. The smell of hot sauce lingering as the other passengers consume popcorn covered in the red spicy salsa. Feeling peace after a day full of church. Letting the worries fade and embracing the fleeting moment. It’s in these moments where I sense the goodness of God. Knowing deep in my heart that He is real and has a purpose for my life. That He is real and has a purpose for the lives around me. I know I’m here for a reason, although I might not quite understand it. Quick Updates: - English Classes: The classes are going very well. Every time I walk onto the schoolyard, I hear my name being called from every direction. The students are becoming used to me and have opened up a little more. I’ve started teaching lessons on the sounds that each vowel makes. Preparing for these lessons makes me realize how confusing the English language can be! - Clinic: I’ve had the chance to see a few patients alone, which is very exciting as a new grad, however challenging due to the language barrier. I enjoy working together with the doctor and I am constantly learning more and more. We treat diseases that I haven’t encountered before, such as parasitic infections and dysentery, along with familiar chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heartburn. Every day is something different and I treasure the opportunity to practice my new medical knowledge. - BIG UPDATE: This week we started a public health project. This project entails visiting every home in the village and creating a medical record for each member of the household. First, we ask questions about their living situation such as what type of material their house is made of, what kind of food they eat, where they get their water from, if they have animals, and how many people live in their house. Then, we ask about their medical history, such as family history of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc. and if they themselves have any medical issues. Next, I weigh each patient and measure their height. I then check their blood pressure, temperature, oxygen, heart rate, and respiration rate. We are only a few days into this project, but I really enjoy it. I think it is so cool to have the opportunity to enter each home in the village. I love being able to use medicine to meet new people and learn about their culture. I look forward to seeing how this project develops over the next couple of weeks. Story Time: The other day a middle-aged woman entered the clinic. When we asked her how we could help, she replied that she was having trouble sleeping. As medical providers, we knew that “trouble sleeping” usually isn’t the problem, but the real issue is why they aren’t sleeping. We asked if she had racing thoughts or felt anxious when she tried to fall at night. As she attempted to answer I observed her actions. I noticed that she wouldn’t make direct eye contact and that she was wringing her hands. “I’m not sure” she replied. “Are you afraid or worried about something?” we asked. She nodded gently. We decided to give her some medicine that would help her fall asleep a little easier at night, but we informed her that the only thing that would fix her sleeplessness would be to deal with the root of the problem. She would need to figure out why she felt anxious and fearful and address that. We asked if we could pray with her and she said yes. As the doctor prayed in Spanish and I quietly prayed in English, the patient began to cry. It was in that moment that I realized something- yes, many impoverished communities need more doctors and better healthcare, but more than medicine, people need God. They need to know that they can bring their worries and fears to a loving Father. They need to know that they don’t have to carry their burdens alone. They have the same need that we all have, a need to trust in something greater than ourselves and to know we are not alone. We could give that woman all the medicine in the world, and it still wouldn’t fix her problems, it would only numb them. Only God can help her. Only God can help us. When we finished praying, we asked the woman if she would like to talk about what happened during the prayer, and she shook her head no. She smiled, quietly said goodbye, and left. I don’t know what was going on in her mind, or how she is doing right now, or if she is sleeping any better, but I trust she got a glimpse of the goodness of God that day. It’s not the clinic, the doctor, or me that brings hope to the people. The only thing we can do is continually point them to Jesus; something that often seems so small, but it is our simple job. Prayer requests:
Please pray that we would have wisdom to perform the public health project well. In addition, pray that I would continue to develop relationships with the young women and students in the village. Please also keep the village and the local church in your prayers. That’s all the updates for now. Time is quickly flying by! Thank you for your continuous prayers! I’m so thankful to have people supporting me and thinking about me back home. Blessings and Love! |
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December 2018
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