New Year's reflections

As a new year approaches, I love to reflect on the changes that have taken place in the past 365 days--both internally and externally. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but sometimes I make goals or just write down my expectations for the new year, and then release them all to my Loving Father.

2017 was certainly a time of momentous changes for me. Here is a summary of the hills and valleys I've seen this year:

January:

• Resigned from Genesis Healthcare 
• Traveled to Kenya with group from Wheaton Bible Church  (WBC) 

February:

• Traveled alone to Niger to work at Galmi Hospital 

March:

• Returned to USA 
• Started job with Supplemental Healthcare/ Northwestern Medicine 
• Began long-term assignment process as a missionary with SIMUSA 

April:

• Stormy was very sick; multiple trips to vet 
• Roommate moved out 

May:

• Finished my first 5K!

• Started gluten free/ dairy free diet for my health 
• Attended a family wedding and a friend's baptism 

June:

• Last day with Supplemental Healthcare 
• Attended my brother Tyler's Master's Ceremony in Philly 
• Attended my cousin's improv show in Chicago 
• Celebrated my 31st birthday 

July:

• Attended one week orientation at SIMUSA headquarters in Charlotte 
• Started job with Residential Home Health
• Visited winery in Iowa with a friend 

August:

• Started job with Brookdale Senior Living 
• Saw the best musical ever, HAMILTON, in Chicago with all of my best friends 

• Sold my condo in Warrenville
• Celebrated my friend's graduation from CNA school 
• Took family vacation to Philly and the Jersey Shore 

September:

• Line dancing fundraiser for my trip 
• Celebrated the one year anniversary of my church, Tri-Village Church (TVC), a sister campus of WBC 
• Moved in with my parents and put my things in storage
• Visited NYC with Tyler (first time) to watch our cousin's play

October:

• Attended one-week training at SIMUSA headquarters in Charlotte 
• During weeklong Missionsfest celebration, was presented at church as the first missionary to be sent overseas from TVC
• Attended my cousin's baptism
• Chick-fil-A fundraiser in Wheaton for my trip

November:

• Began Second Language Acquisition course through Wheaton College 
• Attended annual Friends for Therapeutic Equine Activities benefit dinner with my dad
• Attended PAX Unplugged convention of board games with my brother in Philly

• Celebrated Friendsgiving with high school friends (class of 2004!)

December: 

• Saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi on opening weekend in Minnesota with my friends from college
• Last day with Residential Home Health 
• Celebrated a white Christmas in Chicago with friends and family! 
• Dislocated my right knee for the third time (today...breaking news...)

Please pray with me that these trials and triumphs will work together for God's glory!

Into the darkest season, comes The Light

It's been called "the most wonderful time of the year." And while it is certainly special, this December for me has been especially difficult emotionally. I get very involved in my patients' lives, especially as I treat some of them for several months, and almost all of them have had setbacks this month: whether from illness, rehospitalization, a devastating prognosis, or just general idiopathic decline. One even passed away suddenly. And friends and neighbors are dealing with their own health struggles, loss of beloved pets, and family upheaval. It just seems like no one is very merry nor bright!

Surrounded as I seem to be by grief and sadness, I could be tempted to despair. However, as I am reminded by my favorite movie series (above) and book series (below), darkness allows you to see the light that much more clearly:

My happiness in this season has been found in everyday moments with my family, in a road trip to Minnesota with my college friends, in serving at church, in snuggling with my dog, in playing board games and going to the movies, and in buying Christmas gifts. But these things will pass away. My hope and my joy are found in The Light of the World:

One of my greatest blessings in this season is sharing with my current patients and coworkers that I am moving overseas. Although this means that I must say goodbye to them soon, they have been very encouraging about my new endeavor, and this news has opened up many spiritual conversations as they question my reasons for leaving my family and comfortable suburban life. One patient with chronic pain asked me several theological questions this week, but what she really wanted to know was, "Why is God so mad at me?" I reassured her that her chronic health problems are not a judgement for something she has or hasn't done, pointing her to passages about Paul in the New Testament and Job in the Old. She invited me to come back just to visit after I'm done working with Residential. We will pray together for her upcoming surgery (in late January) to be successful.

Let us be light and love to each other! Have a Merry Christmas! 

We are not done

I got my 2nd tattoo today. It has significant layers of meaning for me. Here's what it looks like:

I substituted the Arabic letter "ن" (pronounced noon) in the word "not" in order to show solidarity with my Middle Eastern brothers and sisters.
The motto "We are not done" comes from my Pastor, Wil Franco, at Tri-Village Church in Streamwood, who gave an impassioned (I mean, more than usual) sermon on this topic several months ago.
Here is what this means to me, in the context of the Gospel which I believe in:
1. I have been saved by Jesus, but I am not done; I am in a process of sanctification until I meet Him face to face (Hebrews 10:10, 14).
2. No one else is perfect, either, so I should extend forgiveness as He has forgiven me (Colossians 3:13).
3. We are commanded to go out and proclaim the Good News, and this won't be done until all have had a chance to hear and believe (Matthew 28:18-20, Revelation 7:9-10). Everyday, I have a part to play in that, no matter where I'm living at the time.
4. Including the Arabic letter reminds me that many people will try to kill us or imprison us, in order to stop the Truth, but ultimately, God will prevail over the enemy of darkness (Revelation 12:10-12, 7:16-17). What an encouraging hope to have!

I got the tattoo so that these important reminders will be always before me, everywhere I go!

**Edit: I should give credit where it's due: my brother in Christ, the wonderful Chris Baker, who runs Ink180 Ministry in Oswego, which helps former gang members and survivors of sex trafficking by covering their scars or tattoos without charge. I brought my idea to him and he made it into art! Thanks, Chris!**

The next 3 years

Change in plans

For the first time in my life, I'm going to be a city dweller. After some changes in personnel at Galmi Hospital, my plan for the next 3 years has been altered slightly. But many faithful friends have reminded me, "God is not surprised by this change in plans!"

So instead of studying Hausa language in Niamey (the capital city) and then moving to Galmi Hospital to work in their rehab department, I will now be working with therapists in Niamey, associated with Clinique Olivia and CURE Hospital. The timeline has not changed; I still hope to depart in April with faith that I will be fully funded very soon! (See previous post below for budget update.) I will be studying French in Niamey for 6 months full-time and then begin taking on OT responsibilities as I continue studying for another 6 months part-time.

Language learning continues

In the SLA (Second Language Acquisition) course, I am learning about fully voicing my fricatives and removing my emPHAsis from the wrong syLLAble (apparently in French there is NO emphasis). I am now meeting with my instructors online (long live Skype!) 3-4 days/week, in addition to doing the coursework. The struggle is real. 

Have you heard about Niger in the news? 

After the attack that killed 4 American and 5 Nigerien troops on patrol near the Mali border, the US issued a travel warning for Americans in the northern region and the southeastern region of Diffa. I want to assure you that SIM takes this warning seriously; however, these regions do not affect the ministry in which I will be serving. Niger is about 3x the size of California, and the areas under warning are about 600 miles and 900 miles (the distance from L.A. to Portland, OR) away from Niamey. But I definitely appreciate everyone's prayers for safety!

Prayer Requests

• Another SIM hospital in Niger, CSL Danja Fistula Center, is facing a change in leadership as their interim medical director is leaving. Please pray for wisdom for SIM Niger as they fill this position, and for the staff of the hospital during the transition.
• The malaria season in Niger has just concluded, as the season turns drier and cooler. Please pray for those recovering from this disease (you may remember the young girl we treated at Galmi last February who had contracted cerebral malaria and could no longer walk nor sit upright) and for the ongoing efforts of medical teams from SIM, Samaritan's Purse, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF/Médecins sans Frontières) to become increasingly effective at prevention education.
• Pray for the medical staff treating patients in the southeastern region of Diffa during the recent Hepatitis E outbreak, which is being managed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF/Médecins sans Frontières). Mortality rate is down from 29% to 1.2%, but there is always more to be done. You can read about the progress they have made here.
• Please pray for me, regarding the relationships with my boss and coworkers, as they continue to ask me to take on more than I can handle due to a surge in patient caseload. 
• Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful to spend this holiday season with friends and family. Please pray that we can enjoy it together with joy as I look forward to my departure. 

Looking for a few good men & women...

Support Update

I'm at 71% of my monthly support goal! Huzzah! I'm looking for 23 more people who could join the team at the following levels of support:

If you're interested, please click on the Donation Page at the top right.

You don't have to begin giving immediately, since it will prompt you to enter a start date (and end date, if you so choose), but please keep in mind that I have 2 major pre-field preparation requirements coming up: January 14-Feb 9 is cross-cultural training in North Carolina, and March 15-18 is CMDA training in Virginia. Thank you for anything you can give!

Already giving?

Could you host a dessert reception or invite me to your small group, in order to give others a chance to consider partnering with me in my ministry? If so, please contact me!

Personality Testing

Have you heard of the Myers-Briggs system for classifying personality types? Do you know what your type is? SIM and Wheaton College are both proponents of knowing your type so that you can play to your strengths in teamwork, ministry and language learning, so this subject keeps coming up. I happen to be ISTJ. (If you want to take a simple version of the test to find out yours, click here.) But here is another way to think of the personality types: in Bible characters! Which one do you most relate to?

Prayer Requests

• Please continue to pray for Niger, one of the least-reached countries in Africa:

• Please pray for my last 19% to be raised so that I can be fully funded!
• Please pray for my time management as we are being asked to work more hours at my primary job, and I'm trying to prioritize my online classes 

Back to School!

On October 30th I started my next phase in preparation for SIM: the online class, "Second Language Acquisition," through Wheaton College. This requires 1-2 hours of coursework/day and Skyping with my instructors at least 2x/wk. I am also continuing my theology classes online and just completed Theology II. The current class is called "Studying the Bible for All Its Worth." Contrary to what I was hoping, this season of studying has corresponded with increasing requests from each of my employers (I am with 3 rehab companies) as occupational therapy is always in demand. Please pray for my time management and sanity.

In addition to the success of Chick-fil-A Spirit Night (see previous post below), I have more good news about support: my MedSend grant application has been approved! They will begin paying my monthly student loan payments once I go active with SIM, which is a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders! Thanks be to God! They will also subsidize my registration for the CMDA orientation for new medical missionaries in March (bonus!). Thank you for praying for this!

Sometimes in my daily activities, the fact comes up that I am moving to Africa next year. When I am asked why on earth I would want to do that, I explain that I love God and that He has shown me that I can use my skills as an OT to serve people who otherwise would not receive any rehabilitation services. To help keep perspective, this is why I do what I do:

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO

By praying for and supporting me, you are ALSO part of something bigger! THANK YOU!

If you haven't yet heard my presentation, and would like to meet me with me, or if your small group could benefit from hosting a "real live missionary" :) please email me to set something up.

Chick-fil-YAY!!!

On Monday, Oct 30th, I held my "Spirit Night" fundraiser at Chick-fil-A of Wheaton. Thanks to everyone who came out to support my trip to Africa!!!

At peak hours, there was a huge line through the restaurant...it was mostly people to support me! 

Between food sales and the spin-to-win prize wheel, I raised $509.65 in just 3 hours! Whether you are family, church family, new friends, high school friends, or we just met-- whether you dined in or drove through-- THANK YOU! 

If you didn't make it out to Wheaton, but you'd still like to support my trip, 

you can click here to go to my donation page.