Lessons Learned

December 3, 2013
Wow...time flies when you are having fun. I cannot believe that I am only 2 weeks away from returning home. Every time I think about leaving, I tear up. It is hard to imagine that I have come to love this place as much as I have.

My experience here has been amazing. I have learned so many things from the South African people.

 Lessons Learned:

1. Don't take advantage of the blessings that God has bestowed upon me.
       In teaching Yunes how to read (she is in her 60s), I have become quite thankful for learning
       how to read at a young age. I cannot imagine facing the challenges of life and not knowing how
       to read. I would not be able to read God's Word, street signs, church bulletins, etc. Thank you
       Lord!!!
      I am also very thankful for the home that He has provided me with. I would never have thought
      that I would say this, but I am so happy to be living with my parents in a safe and secure home,
      with heat in the winter time. The simple things. Thank you LORD!!!
      I am also thankful for the privilege of owning a car. Every Sunday, on my way to church, I see
      one particular gentleman dressed in a suite, carrying his Bible, walking down the long trek toward
      town on his way to church. What dedication. Thank you Lord!!

2. Trust in God for all things.
     God has provided for all of my financial needs while here in South Africa. He has also provided
     me with a healthy time here. Yes, I had a little glitch in my plan by falling down the stairs and
     seriously spraining my ankle, but it could have been a lot worse. I have looked at it as an
     opportunity to experience the health care here in SA.

3. Take each day as it comes.
     It does not matter what you plan ahead of time, it can always change. I have had days where I
     "thought" I had everything all planned out and then at the end of the day, I look back and it did not
     happen at all as I had planned. Flexibility is quite important.

4. South Africans like their tea.
    I quickly discovered, that South Africans like to have tea. Some days you can have breakfast, then
    around 11 or so you have tea (don't forget the food), then around 1 or so lunch, then around 3 or so
    tea AGAIN!!, then around 6 or 7 dinner. This is why I have been so well fed while hear. If I go
   hungry it is my own fault. It is GREAT!!!

5. The people here are NOT as different as you first think!
     Yes, they may speak different and they may have some different traditions and beliefs, but they
     are still human. They have wants and desires.  They have joys and trials. They know how to
     laugh and cry. They love and show their love. There are lost people and people who truly love
     the Lord. There are rich and poor. They treasure family and friends.
    
Oh South Africa, I will miss you. But soon hope to return!

Time!!!

James 4:14--"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

Wow, if feels as though I was just posting about the beginning of October. Time is quickly slipping away. So many things have happened in the month of October. I started working with Eunice to teach her the alphabet. Lord willing, she will be learning the last few letters the next time we meet. She is so excited to be able to learn and it is so exciting teaching her. She just wants to be able to read things for herself, instead of asking her children to do it for her.

I have been meeting with a wonderful lady, Queen. We often dig deep into God's Word to discover what He has to say about things in life.

I had the wonderful privilege of sharing a couple of health lessons with the ladies at the skills center. For the health lesson, I cooked them an "American" meal with chicken casserole being the main course. Then we had fruit salad, fresh vegetables with ranch dip and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We had a great time talking about what foods are important and what should be limited. The following week, we talked about stress management. I took them directly to God's Word and gave them many verses on fear and how to manage it. It was so amazing and they were so full of questions.

I did my last health lesson with the older children at the school. It was very sad to say good-bye. They were such a joy to work with. I will still be teaching the younger grade though until the end of this month.

The township feedings have been a real joy to take part in. My favorite part of the time with them is listening to them sing. They love to learn new songs and sing them out.

As you can tell, the Lord is truly blessing the ministry that I am involved in here. I look forward to what lays in store in the future. Thank you all for your continued prayers.

October

It is hard to believe that it is the beginning of October. Where did September go? I have been very busy the last few weeks. I was able to go to Cape Town and do some site seeing. I also was able to go to Hermanus and see some whales. The Lord has really been blessing me here and I hate to even think about leaving. On Sunday, I was able to go and meet with a girl, Queen, who I met at a toy store while shopping. We are going to be starting a Bible Study, so please pray that we will both grow through this experience. I have been actively involved at the Emzini Skills Center helping the ladies with projects to raise money. Next week, I will be starting to tutor a lady to help her learn to read and write. This could be a challenge as her main language is Xhosa. I will also be starting to teach some health lessons to the ladies at the skills center. I am very excited to see what the Lord has in store for October.

Please pray for open opportunities to share the Lord.

Spring

It is hard to believe that I have been in South Africa for almost a  month. The Lord is allowing me to do some wonderful things here. It is now Spring (started on Sunday). The last couple of days have been absolutely beautiful.

I am really enjoying teaching the children at church and in the township. The children here are so beautiful and I have already fallen in love with each one of them. I started helping out at the Emzini Skills Center last week and was there this week as well. I am helping the ladies with a project they are working on to sell. They are making purses and they are beautiful. Some of the women's testimonies are amazing. They have come to Jesus to get away from the ways of their ancestors.

I was able to spend a day in Plettenberg Bay with the Schmidt family. I had a very enjoyable time and the views are breath taking. I also finally figured out what a "braai" is, a bbq. On my way home I saw two different places where there were several baboons sitting along the side of the highway. It was quite strange to see them just sitting there.

I had the opportunity to start teaching my health lessons at the school. The first lesson was about germs and handwashing. The kids are very receptive. Of course, they were making fun of the fact that I could not pronounce their African names properly. We had a great time.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go on a guided tour of the township. It is very eye-opening to here about why they live in these areas. There are over 20, 000 people that live there and many of them live very poorly.

Please continue to pray for me as I continue with ministry opportunities here.

A new adventure....to SOUTH AFRICA

Wow....the LORD is so good. He provided the funds needed to make my missions trip to Knysna, South Africa, in less than four months time. I left on August 12, 2013. I had anticipated that I would be very anxious, but the Lord gave me a great peace about the whole trip.

I set out for the Cleveland airport at 7:00 am, I went to Washington-Dulles and then arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa at 5:30 pm on August 13, with one small stop in Dakar. I was never so happy to have a flight come to an end. I stayed in Jo-burg for the night with a single missionary lady and then went back to the airport bright and early. I finally arrived in George at 10:15am which was about an hour late. Bryant and Sharan Crane, missionaries in George, gave me ride. My final destination was Knysna and I arrived a 11:30am. I actually did not feel too bad. I had lunch with Bryant and Sharan, Amy Blackburn, and Dave and Julie Rudolph. Then we went to Ntinglani for the feeding. The people are beautiful and it is sad to see that most of the children do not have much.

My first week here was quite busy. Amy was trying to teach me just about everything in a very short time. Thursday morning, we had a ladies breakfast, had lunch with Julie McFadden, and then went to a winter warmer. A very busy day.

Friday, included banking, post office, and to see the heads. Then we went to the Restaurant at the Heads, what an amazing view. Then we headed to the craft market to look for some souvenirs. Amy decided that it was time for me to get behind the wheel, it was quite scary at first, driving on the wrong side of everything. We went grocery shopping and while doing this, I was trying to figure out the difference between Rand and USD. It is kind of easy right now, because the exchange rate has been $1 to 10 Rand.

Saturday was a down day, which was kind of nice. Amy did have me pull in and out of her drive several times, since it is kind of tricky.

 Sunday, we had services at Lagoonside Baptist Church and in the township. Both services went well. I ended up holding a baby through Sunday School at the township. The children were so welcoming and loving. After church, we went to Rudolph's for lunch and then headed to Sedgefield for Missionary Leadership training. I was able to meet a couple more missionaries working in this area. I drove home in the dark that evening and it went fairly well.

Monday, we went to the school for opening assembly at 8:00am. I was able to meet the children and the headmistress. We then explored around Knysna a little bit, then went and had tea or coffee in my case. The coffee takes a little getting used to here....it is VERY strong. In the afternoon, Amy taught Fun Club at the school, which is what I will be taking over starting September 2. We went out to dinner with Dave and Julie and then I helped Amy get ready to leave.

Tuesday, we left at 10:30am for the George Airport. The view on the way is beautiful. We ate lunch at the airport with several missionaries, then said our good-byes to Amy. Dave and I went to get my rental car. They almost gave me a heart attack when they quoted my price as over 70,000 Rand, which is equivalent to around $7000. Thankfully, I had the voucher from the rental agreement made and they gave it to me for the original price around $2200. The LORD is good. Julie and  I went to the mall in George for a while after. That evening, we had Bible Study, which was quite enjoyable.

Wednesday, I thought I would sleep in and do nothing, but my body did not agree with me. I ended up getting up early and doing laundry and cleaning. Glad I did because it was really rainy and windy in the afternoon.

Thursday, I ventured out to town for the first time on my own. I keep telling myself that one of these days I will be able to conquer Amy's drive without difficulty....not sure why everything is built on a hill around here :) In the evening, we had the winter warmer, which was very nice.

Friday, I was able to find my way around town much better today, and I accomplished getting out of the drive without any difficulty. Dave, Julie, and I met to discuss the ministry schedule over the next couple of months. I am going to take advantage of getting used to the area while I can.

So far, I am thoroughly enjoying the people and the area. Looking forward to the ministry opportunities to come. Very thankful that the Lord has given me the opportunity to come to Knysna.

A NEW ADVENTURE

Wow, a lot has happened in the last few months. It is hard to believe that in a little over a month, I will be heading for Knysna, South Africa for 4 months. I have mixed emotions, but I am so excited to see how the Lord will use me along the way. I have been dealing with my POTS and my migraines. I am so thankful for all that the Lord has brought me through over the last couple of years.


Here is a letter I sent out concerning my trip:

Hello to everyone. I am excited to say that the Lord has been blessing me with good health over the past year. The Lord has allowed me to return to work full-time and become more involved in my local church, Calvary Baptist Church in Coudersport, Pa.  I am finally able to truly pray about and hopefully go to the mission field.

I have been given a wonderful opportunity to go to the mission field on a short-term basis, from the middle of August until the middle of December 2013. I am so excited for this opportunity that the Lord has given me.  

I am hoping to be able to raise the funds to go to Knysna, South Africa, to help with the work that Amy Blackburn missionary to Knysna with Baptist World Missions, is currently doing. Amy has been in Knysna since 2007. She will be returning to the states for furlough and has asked if I would be willing to help out in her absence.

She currently is a working with church planters, Dave and Julie Rudolph at Lagoonside Baptist Church. Their team includes several missionaries involved in church planting in the Garden Route. To learn more about their ministries please visit the Garden Route Independent Baptist Fellowship website: www.gardenroute.weebly.com.

Amy’s main responsibilities include: teaching Sunday School, Children’s Church, and a feeding initiative and Bible Club in the township (she feeds the children lunch and then does a Bible lesson). I would not be filling her shoes completely, but instead helping out where I can.  To learn more about her current ministry, please feel free to visit her blog: www.themissionarylifeofamy2.blogspot.com.

I am very excited to what the Lord is going to do in my life over the next several months. 

 

Beginning 2013

So far 2013 has been fairly uneventful. I am keeping busy with work in OB, which I love. It is a good combination of adults and babies :) If you would have asked me last year if this is what I would be doing. I would have told you NO WAY!!! The Lord has a funny way of changing life's directions. This year, I am praying for several things:
1. That the Lord would work in my life and allow me to do His will whatever that may be and wherever He may lead me.
2. For good health.
3. To draw closer to the Lord each day.

I am sure I will come up with more things, but for now those are my top 3. The Lord has brought me through some amazing trials and I am looking forward to what else He will bring into my life in 2013.

I hope and pray that all of my wonderful friends throughout the world have a wonderful 2013.

UPDATE!!!

So....I know that I have not taken the time to keep people updated. I have been super busy. I started back to work in May and worked at Jones Memorial Hospital on Med-Surg.

June was full of birthdays and fun with the kids. I also was able to go to my mom's family reunion this year which was the first time in a long time. I had a great time seeing and spending time with family.

July I was busy working quite a bit.

August included a week of amazing Vacation Bible School at my church. It was tiring but worth every minute of it.

September brought on some interesting changes in my life. I had been dealing with what I thought was a cyst on my stomach. I went to the surgeon and he decided to remove it. The week after surgery I went back and he told me that I had Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). He said that it was a malignant tumor and that I needed to go to Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo for further follow-up. This was a real trial of my faith, because I was doing so well and now a wrench was thrown in it all. I did not get to go to Roswell for follow-up until the beginning of October at that time the doctor told me that I have a locally aggressive tumor....IT IS NOT CANCER....what a relief. However, I would probably have to go through surgery again depending on the pathology reports.

In the meantime, my sister, Erin, had her beautiful twin girls. I was able to go in with her for the c-section. Two amazing miracles were born, Elishia and Isabella. Elishia ended up in the NICU for several days with Pneumonia. I was able to spend that time with Erin and be supportive during that time. Praise the Lord they are both doing amazing :)

In October, I went on a job search because my current job was causing a lot of stress and things were only getting worse. I interviewed at Charles Cole Memorial in the Obstetrics Unit. I started work there in the middle of November. I absolutely love the staff and the doctors.

It seems as though the year has just flown by, Thanksgiving was a wonderful time to reflect back on the year and be thankful for all that the Lord has brought me through. I found out in the middle of November that I would have to have surgery again, but it should be a minor procedure and I would be back to work without difficulty.

December 4 I went to Buffalo for my "minor" surgery. It turned into a 2 night hospital stay because my pain was out of control. They said that I still had some of the tumor left and they had to go wider and deeper than expected. So....I have been off of work since. I am hopefully going to be going back on the 31st.  CHRISTMAS this year was absolutely amazing. All of the kids were so excited and a little overwhelmed. I could care less if I receive anything for Christmas watching the kids is so much better. The year had to end with a bang, yesterday I went day after Christmas shopping for the amazing deals. It had started to snow and I slipped on the ice in the grocery store parking lot and landed flat on my back :) I am very sore today....headed to the chiropractor. We also got 12-13 inches of snow from 1pm until about midnight. Beautiful, but it is a lot of snow.

I am looking forward to what the Lord brings in my path this year. I hope that everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and that the NEW YEAR is full of blessings!!!

Back to Work

Hey all, so I have recently returned to work. I started back on May 9th, so I have officially been employed for over 2 weeks. I have been feeling great so far. I am actually really enjoying the job too. I am working Medical-Surgical which is quite a bit different from Pediatrics, but I am learning quickly. I absolutely adore the older people, they can be so cute and funny, kind of like the kids. Looking back over the past year, I have so many things to be thankful for. I would have never imagined returning to work the way things went last year, but the Lord is good and I have recovered almost back to my normal self.

Praising the Lord

The Lord has been good over the last several years. I am praising Him for the improvement that I have seen over the last several months. My migraines are becoming less frequent (only about 1 a week). I am also thankful that most days my heart rate is almost normal, at least for me. I was also able to stop one of my medications completely. Praise the LORD. I was on this for decreased blood pressure and due to the exercise I have been able to maintain a steady blood pressure. I am still on something for my heart rate, but for right now I am not going to mess with a good thing. I have a potential job and look forward to returning to the work force. I have really enjoyed getting to spend time with my nieces and nephews. They are such a joy and a true blessing. I am continuing to teach Children's Church and that is really a wonderful opportunity. The kids often teach me more than I teach them :) In April, I will be teaching the Ladies Bible Study due to our pastor's wife surgery. I am looking forward to this opportunity and how the Lord will work in my life through this.

Update

I know that it has been a little while since I have posted anything :( I just wanted to let everyone out there know that I am doing GREAT!!! The Lord has been so good. I have been able to maintain my heart rate with disciplined exercise. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a much needed vacation and spend time with old friends. Even while on vacation and not being as disciplined as I should have been my health has been great. I am planning on returning to work soon, Lord willing. I have an interview this week, so we will see. Thank you all for your much needed prayers over the last several years. The Lord allowed everything to happen for a reason and it is only through His sufficient grace that I have come through this all.

Somethings working...praise the LORD

So I have officially been working out at the gym for over 5 weeks. So far I am able to walk 45 min on the treadmill and the highest that my heart rate has gone is 160. I have a goal of being able to return to work in April. I am still on all of my medication, but hopefully will be able to get off of that. Oh, and my migraines have been less frequent since I started working out. I am very hopeful that one day I will be free from all of this... maybe on the other side of glory.

New Game Plan

I just realized that it has been almost a month since I have posted anything so I thought I would write a quick update. Over the last month, I have been continuing to deal with migraines and the same old POTS issues. The last time that I went to the doctor we discussed a couple of studies that are taking place concerning POTS patients and exercise. We discussed how that if you start out increasing exercise in the sitting position and then gradually add walking exercise usually POTS patients are able to increase their activity level back to normal. I have already been riding a bike at home, but knew that I needed to do more, so this week I decided that I needed to start out at the wellness center. So far, I have been able to tolerate the increase in activity without any difficulty. I am doing 30 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes rowing, and 10 minutes on the treadmill. I am going to gradually increase my standing activity, of course I have to do my exercise in the afternoon as this is when my heart rate is at its slowest. Praise the Lord that I am able to do this much. I am praying that with some conditioning that I will be able to return to work early next year. The doctors say that this is what my heart needs is to be conditioned :) I am willing to give it a try.

I am looking forward to celebrating the Christ's birth and spending time with family and friends this holiday season. I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.

All my beautiful nieces and nephews.

The Lord's Provision

Isn't the Lord amazing :) Over the last several months, I have been totally amazed how the Lord has provided for my needs, yes, I am still having some financial struggles, but my imediate needs are met. The Lord knows exactly what needs we have and when we have them. His timing is always perfect. Thank you LORD for meeting my every day needs, as you always do.

Sometimes Only God Knows Why!!!

So as I said in my last post, I had returned to work, however, that only lasted for a week. All was going well until I was required to work 9-10 hour days and was coming home with migraines, then I woke up with a Migraine and had to go to work with it and my heart was racing all day. I was praying all day about what to do and after much prayer and spending another 9 1/2 hour day at work I  knew that I was not going to be able to handle it health wise. I know that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing in my life and that He has something special in store for me, but right now that does not involve work :)

I will one day return to the work force but I will not push myself and will wait on His perfect timing. Please continue to pray for me as this week has been a rough one all around.

Gradual Improvement

I have been battling back and forth for the last couple of months about returning to work, praying about what the Lord would want me to do. I was looking for a job that I was capable of doing, especially since I am still having some tachycardia and fatigue, and headaches of and on. I happened upon an office RN position in and decided to call about it. Everything worked out and I decided to accept the position at this GYN office. It is a whole new experience for me but it is a perfect fit because I am able to sit down when I need to and still am making money. The Lord really knows how to provide for our needs. It is not exactly the job that I would have picked but I am learning to adjust gradually :)

I also went to Pittsburgh to see a Cardiologist on Friday who specializes in POTS. He informed me that I am doing everything right. My symptoms seem to be well under control and that I should continue doing what I am doing. The only thing that he would add is increasing my activity as much as possible, which I am already doing by returning to work. So that was a good report.

The progress has been gradual and some days are worse than others but that Lord has been faithful through it all.

God Gives JUST What We Need!

I had the wonderful oppurtunity of attending a woman's conference this weekend in Horseheads, NY with Mrs. Debi Pryde. It was just the shot in the arm that I needed to really look into my spiritual life and see that there are some things that I need to change. The Lord really knew that is what I needed right now, but it did not stop there. The Lord continued to work in my heart on Sunday through my pastor's messages. He spoke on the Promises of God how they are perfect and NEVER fail. How powerful.

Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

God promises that if we give HE will give unto us more bountifully than we already have, running over. God wants to shower us with blessings, but we have to do our part.

The Pastor also spoke about how God will supply our needs. We may not know when, but we have to patiently wait for Him to do it, don't rob Him of that blessing.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

God has all the things that we need we just need to sit back and wait for Him to provide. God will take care of us. I am so thankful that God is concerned about MY needs. Now, I just have to wait on HIM.

Praise the Lord for Good Days!!!

The last few weeks I have been struggling with headaches, unsure of what the next day may hold. I have been trying to daily place my trust in the Lord. Last night, while doing my devotions I was yet again reminded of the importance of drawing near to God and placing my trust in Him as it says in

Psa 73:28  "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works."

So this morning, NO headache...praise the Lord. I was actually able to help my mom with her kitchen. I also got an amazing phone call. The appointment for the Headache Clinic in Pittsburgh which was scheduled for February was able to be moved up to October 14 (due to a cancellation). I am thrilled. The Lord really is good. I am hopeful that they will be able to give me some advice or some help in some way. Of course this makes 3 appointments in Pittsburgh in October, but at least maybe then I can get some answers concerning my health. It will be a busy month.

Over all, having a pretty good health day and praising the Lord for it. Hope and pray that I will be in church tonight for once on a Wednesday night. Looking forward to being in the Lord's House among the Lord's people.

Roller Coaster Ride :)

The last several months have been like a roller coaster ride for me. I have many ups and downs. I will have several good days and than go through a bad stretch. Last week, I went through almost a whole week with no headaches and I spent a great deal of time praising God for the good days. Then, it came to an end and the headaches came back. For the last several days, I have been dealing with migraines again. My doctor basically told me to deal with it until I go to my neurologist in October (that is easy for her to say). Today, I actually did not feal too bad. Today, I managed to help my mom make applesauce and elderberry jelly, helped my dad pick some corn and helped my mom prepare it to freeze. A big day. I am tired, but I hope that there are more days like today. One day the Lord will allow me many good days in a row, at least that is what I am praying for. Please continue to pray for me that I can indeed hold out until the end of October when I go see the Neurologist and Cardiologist in Pittsburgh. Hopefully they will be able to give me some answers. Afterall, I like rollercoasters, but I prefer to ride them instead of live them everyday of my life :)

A GREAT Nights Sleep...A Great day to PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Psalm 48:1-2 "Great is  the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.  Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King."

The last couple of nights the Lord has allowed me to get the rest that I have needed. Last night, I slept through the night until 5:30 am and then I stayed up talking with my dad before work and then went back to sleep and slept almost until 9:00 am. I feel well rested for the first time in months. Praise the Lord for feeling good.

My hands and feet are on the mends, my head feels good, it is a Sunny day...it is a good day to praise the LORD.