Progress....

So a lot has happened since my last blog.... As most of you know, when traveling out of the country you often have to get vaccines and medications to protect yourself from diseases that you may not normally come in contact with.  I went for my annual check up and received my Hep A and Tetanus vaccines.  I also requested the Typhoid vaccine.  I didn't realize that this can be taken orally over a week period.  I was given a prescription for the vaccine.  This happened the beginning of December.  I decided to hold onto the prescription and have it filled over my Christmas break just in case the vaccine made me sick. Well on Christmas Eve my son was diagnosed with Strep Throat.  I decided to go ahead and pick up the Typhoid vaccine along with his antibiotic for the strep.  I knew that his medication needed to be refrigerated so when I got home I immediately put his medication in the refrigerator and put my bag with my vaccine on the kitchen counter. I then also developed Strep and decided to hold off on my vaccine until I was over my illness.  I finally went back to take my medication a few weeks later.  I took the small box out of the pharmacy paper bag and started to open the box when I realized that this medication should be refrigerated as well.  Ugh....  Did I mention that this vaccine is NOT covered by insurance and costs around $60-70.  So... I admitted my mistake and was given another prescription for the vaccine and followed directions this time.  Finally, I am vaccinated against Typhoid as well.  I will start the medication for Malaria a week before I leave for Haiti.

As for the fundraising......THE LORD HAS PROVIDED!!!!  Through my amazing family and RPA family, God made it possible for me to pay for my plane ticket and what I owed Mission Of Hope by the end of December.  I also have some money left over that will go towards the medical supplies and food that we will be carrying with us.  We have an extensive list of medications, medical supplies and food that we will need to carry with us to help run the mobile clinic. Over the last couple months Dr. Parkerson and I have looked at different stores to compare prices on the medications.  It looks like the total cost of the supplies will be more than we originally thought.  But God is in control and he is handling it.  Dr. Parkerson and I are both involved with a Woman's bible study at church.  They have made our trip their mission project for this session.  Last week they passed around a sign-up sheet for the medical supplies and the wonderful ladies of this group will be bringing in medications and supplies over the next 3 weeks.
He also used our RPA family again.  The clinical staff had a successful bake sale on Friday to raise money for the medical supplies.  I was brought to tears by the love and support shown by the staff. Nurses stayed up late on Thursday night to bake, woke up early to bake Friday morning, came in on their day off to deliver goodies, juggled being moms and wives with making decorations and baking. People went out of their way to go by the bank or check their accounts to be able to donate.  All dealing with the stress that comes with our daily lives.  Despite the road blocks, including a power outage (makes it hard to bake when your oven doesn't work), the bake sale was a huge success.  I am so grateful for this amazing group of people and their generosity.

 I was blown away by all the details...Sloan even wrote a poem and put my picture on the plane!

                                               I loved all these sayings on the donation jar.

                               Just a small group of the ladies that contributed to the bake sale

                                                              Dr. Parkerson and I

Spiritually, the Lord is still working on me.  He is making progress though.  As the trip is quickly approaching I am frantically trying to prepare.  I have been reading blogs and books trying to understand the conditions.  I have been making flash cards of certain diseases that we will most likely see.  I have been trying to learn some Creole - it's pretty funny hearing a country girl trying to say Bonjou or Tre byen, mesi. On a side note - one of our physician's speaks French and when he heard me say Bonjou he laughed and said "I hope they don't say it like that." He then referred me to a medical translator app....he knew there was no hope for me...LOL.
As I try to learn all this, my confidence is quickly wavering.  I signed up for a medical mission trip because medicine is "what I know."  In the first blog I explained that I was hesitant to do a mission trip that involved building because I didn't know how to do those things.  Well I am quickly learning that medical care in Haiti is going to be completely different from the medical care that I practice here in North Raleigh. In our bible study we are studying "Bad Girls of the Bible.." by Liz Curtis Higgs.  Last week we studied Eve and how she ate the fruit because she wanted "knowledge", "to be like God" or in other words " to be in control."  We also learned that Satan will get to us through our weak spots which for women are usually  "physical, emotional and spiritual in nature."  I am learning that Satan can lead us into bad situations or, in my case, keep us from good things by our desire to be in control.  I have avoided doing God's work because of my insecurities.  I have a need to be in control, to know what to expect, to know exactly what to do.  I have thought several times over the past few months that I have made a mistake by agreeing to go on this trip to Haiti because I don't know what to expect or how I am going to treat these people.  I keep forgetting to put my trust in God.  I am trying to put my trust in myself and my own earthly skills.  God is The Great Physician. He is working through us.  He is not relying on our skills but our trust in Him.
Please pray for me.  Pray that my trust in God will continue to grow.

"...It's about the service!"

Deciding to go on this mission trip was the easy part.  Of course I want to go help people and share God's love.  Now I am faced with how I am going to get there.  First, I had to get all my paperwork together and send to the director.."no problem".  I've already booked the plane tickets...."it's getting real!"  The next part...raising the funds.  I have to raise money to pay for my housing, transportation and food while I am in Haiti.  I also am required to take a large sum of over-the-counter medications/tests and other supplies to use on our mobile clinic while we are there.  I have been brain-storming on how to raise this money.  The difference between this mission trip and the trips that my family and I have been on in the past is that we are not associated with a church or large group.  In the past, the money was raised by spaghetti dinners and silent auctions at the church.  This time it's just 3 of us and we are not going through a church group.  We will be joining a group of people in Haiti that will be coming from all different parts of America.  It's a little overwhelming.

This Thursday while I was driving to work I was brain-storming on how to raise the money.  I usually use this time alone to pray.  I thank God for all my blessings, ask for protection of my family, ask for the wisdom and patience to get through the day.....and so on.  Well, I started my prayer then some how ended up worrying about raising money.  I was trying to decide if I should send out letters to family and friends.  I HATE asking for help.  I was trying to think of another way....such as a hot chocolate stand in the neighborhood or craft sale.  Just in the midst of this conversation in my head a white truck pulled in front of me on I-540.  That was nothing new, but then something on the truck caught my attention.  In small red writing in the bottom right corner of the tailgate it said "it's all about the service."  Duh!  That was a wake-up call to me.  Why am I worrying about this....why am I trying to solve this all on my own?  God will provide.  Give it to him.  He wants me to go to Haiti to care for these people. Its about serving Him and his people.  He will take care of the details.  I need to have faith in him.  I immediately smiled and went back to praying...thanking God for the reminder and asking him to help with raising the funds.

Just 2 hours later I had a co-worker pull me aside and give me an envelope.  He said "I want to help with your trip....No, don't thank me, thank God....It belongs to Him."  About an hour after this I had another co-worker pull me aside and say that he heard about my trip and that he wants to contribute to the trip.   Just a few people at the office know about my trip.  I haven't asked for help, yet through them God is providing.  Praise Him!
Say it with me...."GOD IS GOOD!  ALL THE TIME!"

I'm going to Haiti!

For years now I have felt that God was calling me to participate in a medical mission trip.  Growing up my family was always involved in some kind of service work.  Whether it was serving Thanksgiving meals to strangers at our church, helping strangers repair their homes, Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes or providing Christmas presents and meals for a family less fortunate than us, my family has always looked for ways to show God's love to others.  My dad has been on countless mission trips to Bolivia and even managed to take my mom along on one of them. They usually spend most of their time helping build onto a medical center or building houses.   My sister-in-law spent a year in Russia sharing God's message.  She and my brother also traveled to Haiti to assist with a bible school for the orphans one year.  My husband and I attended one trip in 2004 to West Virginia with our church for the Appalachian Service Project.  We spent 3 days helping repair 2 different homes.  I spent the majority of my time painting, Cory was repairing a roof and digging a drainage ditch around a house.   I had always planned to go back but always found reasons that I couldn't , such as my pregnancy, having a baby, having a young child, having a back injury....something was always "in the way."  Honestly, I'm not good at repairing homes.  I don't know how to put up sheet rock or lay shingles and the thought of actually using a hammer and nail scares me just a bit.  I'm also very quiet and I have a hard time openly praying with others and evangelizing.  My family and friends are great at it but I just feel so uncomfortable with it.  I know....excuses!  Well, what I do know is how to hold some one's hand, rub a back  or give a hug to someone who it hurting.  I know how to take vitals, take a medical history and perform assessments on adults and children.  I know how to clean a wound.  I can care for those who are sick. I can educate people in order to promote a healthier lifestyle.  That I'm comfortable with.  This is my gift from God.  Because of this I decided years ago that once the opportunity presented itself to go on a medical mission trip I would jump on it.

Well, it finally happened.  Several months ago, the doctor that I work with mentioned that she was considering going on a medical mission trip with her daughter.  What a perfect opportunity!  If I went on the trip with her I would have the advantage of already knowing one of the physicians that I would be assisting.  I have worked with her as her personal nurse for 3 years now.  I know, for the most part, what she is thinking and can anticipate what she is going to need.   I told her immediately that if she did decide to go on a trip to let me know, that I was interested as well.
Shortly after that conversation, it was decided that we were going to Haiti and we settled on a date 2 weeks ago.  We will be leaving on April 5, 2015 to spend 7 days with the Mission of Hope group.  I am so excited for this opportunity.  I am also proud that I am finally answering God's call for me.  Through this blog I plan to keep my family and friends updated on the planning/preparation of the trip as well as keep you all posted while I am in Haiti.  I know so much is in store for me and I can't wait to share it with you all!