Professors

This past week a few of my nursing professors have asked me about my summer plans, and I've had the opportunity to share with them about the mission trip to Romania in May and then my trip to South Africa for the rest of the summer. Their responses have all been similar: they are concerned for my safety traveling to another continent by myself and they really want to believe that these trips are somehow intended to further my nursing career.

When I was telling one of my professors that I would be working in orphanages on both trips, she said, "Oh, so you must love pediatrics!" Of course, I'm thinking to myself, "No, I just really love Jesus!"

Connections

God never ceases to amaze me. He is so much bigger than we can even comprehend...

I have known for a few weeks now that Janis and David Betzer, the directors of the orphanage in South Africa, are originally from Pawnee, Illinois. My friend Kyle (from IWU) is from Pawnee, and he told me the other day that his mom is good friends with Janis.

But it gets even crazier than that. Janis' parents attend the same church as my next-door neighbors, Kenny and Carolyn, who are very much like grandparents to me. I discovered today that they know each other well and talked at church this weekend about me and my upcoming travels to the orphanage in South Africa. Now we're planning a get-together for my family, Kenny and Carolyn, and Janis' parents, so we can meet and get to know one another before I leave.

Just in case I wasn't completely convinced that this adventure is God's will, now it seems that God is making it undeniably clear that He is calling me to go and serve at Lighthouse. It's a relief to know that this wasn't just some crazy idea that I had, but that this really is His plan for me. I cannot wait to see what this summer has in store. I know that if this is His will that it's going to be absolutely incredible and far better than I could ever imagine.

Yours

An excerpt from the song "Yours" by Steven Curtis Chapman:

I walk the dirt roads of Uganda
I see the scars that war has left behind
Hope like the sun is fading
And they're waiting for a cure no one can find
And I hear the children's voices singing
Of a God who heals and rescues and restores
And I'm reminded that every child in Africa is yours...

What a semester!

This semester God has brought me on an incredible journey. It has not been easy. As humans, we don't like following a path unless we know where it leads. And there were definitely times when it was really challenging to continue trusting and following Him. If you had asked me back in December about my summer plans, I would have told you that I was planning to work in a neonatal intensive care unit as a summer nurse extern. But apparently my plan and God's plan were not the same.

Instead, after returning from a 10-day mission trip to Romania in May, I will be flying to South Africa to serve for two months in an orphanage called Lighthouse Children's Shelter that is the temporary home to 35 babies and young children, many of whom are HIV positive. Although it was not what I had planned, I feel certain that it was what God had planned for me, and I am looking forward to this adventure! I cannot wait to see what God teaches me this summer and how this experience will impact my relationship with Him. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned this past semester about trusting God, seeking His will, and waiting for answers.