It is my 3rd Mother’s Day as a “Mommy Lion”.
I must say, I only thought I was fierce until my Baby Lion entered the picture.
As a tribute, we did a documentary a few days ago on the subtle differences of communication between Daddy Lions and Baby Lions.
Hope you all enjoy.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
You may remember me mentioning some friends that are going to RUN across the ENTIRE COUNTRY of Mongolia to raise funds and awareness for the orphans there.
They are doing a great fundraiser that can also remind you to keep them in your prayers as they continue on this journey.
Please check it out and show your support in any way you can.
These are wonderful people- that are following The Call in a way that few people are be bold enough to undertake.
Check out AcrossMongolia.com
James 1:27- “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles…”
This year, I spent two days lamenting that I was turning 27…until I realized that I am indeed only now 26.
My mom has informed that it will most likely not be the last time this happens. Hooray!
Last year on my birthday, I did a lot of looking back—mainly at the good—and took an inventory—one that I was pretty impressed with at the quarter-century milestone.
This year…
Well I found my “Senior Memory Book” from my high school English class and began the looking back again. There was one entry about what my plans were for the future.
And all I could do was laugh.
Undergrad at ORU, Majoring Pre-Med. Check.
Study Arabic abroad. Check.
Possibly get married. Check.
Medical School. Check.
In this looking back, I just became overwhelmed.
I don’t know many people who can say that they are doing what they thought they would be in high school.
By the grace of God, I am doing it all and more.
I also laugh because I can see how much my priorities have changed.
I was once so concerned about a checklist of things to do—I am now so so SO grateful for the people I have met along the way.
This birthday has really brought it into perspective.
My husband went absolutely overboard with an Ascend spa day (highly recommended!), chocolate fondue, an overnight trip to OKC, and some resveratrol to boot.
(The sign that this man really gets me though? He bought me a planner. But seriously. That is love in medical school.)
My “daughter” picked out a card with a crown for me to wear.
(Though I’m still not sure it was the 2-year-old’s idea…)
Mom made my fancy 3-layer Strawberry-goodness cake.
My “normal Monday” was filled with birthday donuts and chai, Snickers bars and gift cards, lunch with friends, text messages, “Happy Birthday’s” in the hall, and love from around the globe.
I think looking back and taking an assessment is important every once and while.
But on this birthday, I simply feel so astoundingly blessed by all of the amazing people in my life.
Kindness goes a long way, and days like this are such a simple reminder of how I should be interacting with the people in my life…every single day.
I don’t think I deserve all the wonderful friends and family that I have.
But I sure couldn’t do it all without you.
For me, it's a struggle to maintain a regularity in keeping track of my life and all the motions, activities and blessings I experience in everyday life. I simply haven't discovered the two hours, heck, two minutes a day to sit down and pen the glory of the day. So, here I sit, again, months after my last attempt at blogging, ready to pour out my inner thoughts and joys.
It’s 2:11 am.
Some might say that I’m crazy—doing everything that I do.
I agree.
But I’m crazy in the best way possible.
Crazy in that I am completely and totally in the middle of God’s will—without regret.
I remember complaining when I would be studying at 2 am in college.
Complaining about how hard it was…about how much time I didn’t have.
And I could probably do that now—with some actual legitimacy.
But, instead….
I sit here at 2:13 am…
Studying things that are making me the physician I’m called to be…
With a roof over my head…
Clean water to take my vitamins with…
Surrounded by piles of clean laundry…
My amazing daughter sound asleep in the next room…
My wonderful husband crashed out next to me…
I know that the path we have chosen is “crazy”.
Trust me. We know better than you think you do.
But what better way to spend life…
Than being right where the Grace is…
Right where I want to be.
No matter how difficult, or sleep-deprived, or emotionally taxing the journey can be sometimes…
How blessed am I to be right here at 2:16 am?
#firstworldproblems – Get over it.
Sometimes when God stirs your heart, it’s like dropping a leaf on a still pond.
It’s gentle. It’s soothing. It’s hopeful and exciting.
But Sometimes….
Sometimes it’s more like an industrial blender is taken to the depths of your soul.
It’s intense. It’s tiring. But it’s hopeful and exciting.
Whichever way the Lord chooses to work on your heart at this point—let Him do it.
When your heart is overwhelmed with one stirring or the other, sit in it.
Be there in the moment with Him—no matter what you are or “should be” doing.
He has the right timing.
Listen.
He’s probably preparing you for where He’s taking you next.
Pay attention to that still small voice…whether it’s more like a leaf or a blender…
It’s February.
Everywhere you turn, there’s red and pink.
Hearts, flowers, chocolates….whatever.
What you don’t see, however, are the Love Bugs.
(Not these…)
(Or those…)
But THESE!!!
Yes, friends. These are the Love Bugs that you don’t see. Trichomonas vaginalis to be exact. This little flagellated parasite (sounds yummy, huh?) is one of the special gems that can be yours, if you so choose!
So during this special time of love (or lust), please, consider the following.
1. Love is love, but Herpes is forever.
It’s true. There is no cure for Herpes. We can decrease transmission rates but not with any guarantee of when or to whom this Love Bug will be transferred. Even if someone is lesion-free, they can still be “shedding” the virus and sharing their friend with you!
2. The cops couldn’t get Al Capone, but the spirochete could.
Most of us have heard of syphilis. It’s caused by the spirochete (a corkscrew-shaped bacteria) Treponema pallidum. If it’s left untreated, it can cause “Tertiary Syphilis” or “Neurosyphilis” which can mean confusion, meningitis, or even a stroke. Allergic to Penicillin? Too bad. We’re going to give it to you anyway (after we desensitize you to it, of course), because there’s not really an alternative.
And it’s true. It got Al.
3. Russian Roulette is always a bad idea…especially in the bedroom.
Let’s say you always use a condom. Every. Single. Time. They protect against STD’s, right? Yes. They are definitely our BEST option. But best does not mean perfect. If you use a condom every time, it’s still like playing Russian Roulette. About a ONE IN SIX CHANCE it’s going to fail on you. Yikes-o.
So whether you are loving the season of pink and red or absolutely despising it, think about a few things before you just go diving off the deep end.
And don’t forget!
(I would like to thank a wonderful OB/Gyn lecturer and a certain Virology lecturer for the above inspiration and statements. And let’s all thank me for going to lecture those days. Cheers!)
I love opening up and dreaming with people. It’s such a good, refreshing thing to be reminded of the desires we have to change the world.
It’s also refreshing to see people living out the dreams that the Lord has placed on their hearts. No matter how much resistance- no matter how “crazy” it might seem.
I love to watch people follow the call.
These wonderful people have recently stepped out in a huge way.
Watch.
I personally can only barely imagine running a mile…let alone across an entire country.
But it’s all about following the call.
They have made their lives an altar.
THIS is what it’s all about….and how you can support ACROSS MONGOLIA 2013!
If you want to follow their progress, like “Strong to the Finish” on Facebook!
I’ve been involved in church music for years. I am now married to a worship pastor/music director/sacred hymn and contemporary praise leader….whatever you want to call him.
In this I have learned some things about people and about the heart of God…and while this is mainly related to the musical bunch initially, I think it will apply to all of us….hopefully this comes out like I want it to…
First of all, I think music is a touchy subject for Satan. It’s almost a personal assault that God would gift and call someone else to do his job…
Not only that, but music is absolutely universal. I may not understand all of the words of a song in another language, but I know whether it’s happy or sad. I can tell whether the musicians are rehearsed or not—whether I like it or not. It’s an amazing tool that can be used in ministry…
So it’s kind of a double whammy and explains a lot about why Satan would have such a big deal with it.
Taking that into account, I have learned that every person that is a “worship leader”—whether in a large vocal group or behind a guitar, in the spotlight or hiding behind their music stand—everyone is either insecure now or has been at one time…in a very big way.
Really? Yes.
For those who are trained—maybe they went to school for it or took lessons their whole life to learn their voice or instrument—it is a constant battle of internal critiquing. It’s like they are standing on stage waiting for their professor to jump out and yell at them for forming a chord incorrectly or not dropping their jaw enough. They don’t want to perform. But it’s almost like they have to—if they don’t use their training, what good is it, right? You’re supposed to be excellent in all you do…right?
For those who don’t have any “formal training”—maybe they’ve only sang in the choir for a while, or they just picked up drum sticks one day and kept a beat—it is a constant battle of internal critiquing. It’s like they’re standing on stage waiting for someone to finally realize that they really have no idea what they’re doing. They don’t want to perform. But it’s almost like they have to—they have to keep up with the people who know what’s going on, right? You’re supposed to be excellent in all you do…right?
Yes. The Bible does specifically say to “play skillfully” (Ps. 33:3). So don’t read what I’m not saying. We are called to be excellent…
But do you see what has happened in both of these internal struggles?! It has become about ME. About how good or bad I am. About whether I formed MY vowels right or I had the “correct” posture.
NEWSFLASH.
It’s not about me.
It’s an altar, not a stage. Treat it as such.
I say this because I need to hear it.
Every day of my life I need to hear it.
At school. At work. At church. At home.
It’s not about how good (or bad) I am at something. It’s not about what people think, what they say, or don’t say.
It’s about doing the thing that He has called me to do, regardless of the opposition that is guaranteed to come.
It’s about making Him known.
My life is an altar, not a stage. I should start treating it as such.
So I’ve been back from Nicaragua for almost a month. I’m still not sure that I’ve actually processed it all, but I realized that I still have more pictures to put out there!
We were located mainly in an area called “Chacraseca”.
Here, there was a main clinic where one team would stay each day. Upon our arrival each morning, this was a normal site. People were already lined up, waiting to be seen.
Two other teams would then be directed to a village in another sector, sometimes a 2-3 hour drive on a bus….or in the back of trucks.
Those locations were not clinics at all. Like the one you see below, they were often in the one or two-room schools.
We had a rotation set up to work the pharmacy. It was a good Day 1 for me to look up different drugs and get an idea of what the most common complaints would be for the rest of my week. We rocked it.
After all of the patients had been seen in each clinic, teams would go out and do house calls.
It was an amazing and humbling experience to be able bring some sort of relief and help to those who were unable make the journey to the clinic. Sometimes, it was just a huge face-off with My God Complex…
Some of the immediate help that we could offer a person came in the form of walkers that had been donated by a company from my hometown. (THANK YOU!) 
The wonderful thing about the walkers was that we could take them anywhere…even to some of the most rural areas.
And they definitely brought joy from a new-found autonomy to those who received them.
This trip to Nicaragua was wonderful in so many ways. I am so thankful for all of you who supported through finances and prayers and even just your curiosity in conversation. I’m excited to see what the future holds in this journey of life and medicine!
