Hello from the front seat of my sister’s car. I made it home to Indiana on Sunday night and have been spending time with family and friends and trying to get some necessary tasks done, like going to the doctor, the bank, and more. Today, we are taking a break and heading to Mackinac Island; it’s one of my favorite places to go. The simplicity is what draws me in.
I had mentioned I had plans to attend a baseball game in Santo Domingo a few weeks ago. It was so fun! Dominican sports are unlike any other; I love the atmosphere. Live music, people singing and dancing in the aisles, and noisemakers. I just kept thinking, “this would never happen at a game in the States.” The Dominican ended up losing to Puerto Rico, but it was still a great night!
We hosted the team of nursing students from the University of Tampa. A great group of students who really embraced whatever the day put in front of them and served a lot of people throughout the week. We have officially moved the pharmacy to the new area in the old clinic, which gives everyone more space to prep for the weeks! We will definitely fine-tune what teams need in this space, but I’m hopeful it makes Sunday evenings a little smoother for our teams.
I wrapped up my time in San Juan with the team from Bradley University working at CAID. Dr. Pamela held a day of education for healthcare workers in the San Juan area. I also had an ICU nurse in San Juan that week to help kick off some education for the nurses in the clinic. As the clinic prepares to open the ICU, we know it’s important to offer education to the staff to help support their needs. I really appreciate Shane coming for the week and sharing his expertise and education with the staff. I’m still looking for more resources to support the staff, like a respiratory therapist to help train on more equipment.
As I said, I made it home to Indiana pretty smoothly last weekend. I made it home just in time to accompany my sister to her last chemotherapy infusion! She still has a bit more to go through as radiation will start in the next few weeks, but she is doing really well with minimal side effects from her chemotherapy. Thank you to everyone who continues to ask about her and pray for her.
My youngest sister has recently announced that she is expecting a little girl in February! So, while I’ve only been home for 5 days, we have managed to purchase decorations for the nursery and paint. When you can’t be home for all the celebrations, it feels sweet to know you can at least help to prepare for baby’s arrival. Charlotte “Charlie” will be so loved by her family, so that we can pray for her safe arrival in February.
I had shared with you all that I had committed to a six-week course on burnout called Missions Beyond Burnout, held by Train International. I completed that course this week! Throughout the course, I reflected on a lot of things, and one big thing I realized about myself (which I already knew) is that I carry everyone’s opinions and expectations with me, which makes me feel like I have to hide behind a mask of what everyone expects versus how I feel. It also makes me feel like I have to manage every task and make sure it gets done, even if it’s not mine to worry about.
I want to share one part of the class that really helped shift my thinking—obviously, each week built on the last discussion and what we worked on throughout the week. In the 4th week, we talked about building a holistic calling statement, which essentially was a time to reflect on God’s calling beginning with our identity, and that we don’t earn identity by fulfilling a calling. There are three sections to this activity: Be – who am I becoming in Christ, Live – which describes the way I wish to live, Do – not a job, but a Kingdom contribution. From reflecting on these three things, you were supposed to fabricate a statement (obviously there was more help than what I’m sharing). I want to share my statement with you all because, for the first time in a while, I felt joy, lightness, and truth reading this statement out loud in my class.
“Before I accomplish anything, I am an adopted member of God’s family, who is an image bearer of God, a free servant. Because this is true, I desire to live a life of joy with freedom and without judgment. From that place, God may be inviting me to faithfully cultivate community by welcoming people, advocating for them, and empowering them”
Friends, can I be honest? You know it’s my policy around here. That statement feels so empowering to me. I am an adopted member of God’s family, and am an image-bearer of God. The words joy and without judgment also carry weight for me. Joy means so many things to so many people, but for me it means having peace with my choices in life, and allowing myself to live in happiness. “ Without judgment” might feel a little heavy, but I have shared in the past that I feel pressure to be perfect and meet expectations. “ Without judgment” reminds me that while everyone in our world can have an opinion on our choices, I’m free to live without carrying them with me. And then the last part of that statement is what God might be inviting me to be a part of. Wow, those are really things I am passionate about. If you know me at all, you know this is where my passion is with the people I live and work with every day. I hope you see those things lived out in my life, no matter how we interact.
I’ve learned so much more from the class, but I am still processing how to implement it in my life to be a better team member in San Juan. One of those things is setting boundaries so I don’t try to carry things that aren’t mine to carry.
The last thing I’ll share with you is something they said as they closed our class. Faithfulness looks like a lot of different things to people: dependability, endurance, persistence, obedience to God. But they reminded us that faithfulness means responding to what is actually true rather than what you think should be true.
I’m very thankful for the last six weeks, the coaches who asked questions that made me think a little deeper, and the other women in my group who showed, in their own way, that being vulnerable and open about where we are is the only way to walk through to the other side.
Our team has a 6-week break; this is technically the end of the first week. I plan to spend about another week here at home, then return to the Dominican Republic. Maybe I’ll take an adventure while I’m home to some beaches.
Prayer Requests:
– Sister’s health
– Restful time at home
– Safe return to San Juan
– Processing and following through on items learned in class
