So Much to Say

I hadn't realized how long I'd let my blog go...

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Life

Our house stands out on a street full of apartments. While it looks like a southern style house, it really is just a main entry for 4 apartments. Mike, a guy from the church that bought the house, helped us put in new tile. We love having him around.
Andrea shows her artistic side while mudding the wallsAs the weather turned cold I told Andrea we had to make a good old fashioned pumpkin pie from scratch. Pretty impressive since we realized we had no rolling pin.
The final product. We put on our old TMI shirts just for fun. Later that night...Jill & Andrea dancing in the living room

The Ministry of Presence

I really hope to upload photos, but have been distracted recently. Until then I think I'll just leave a few thoughts.

When I was in missions school in New Mexico our director would often talk about the "ministry of presence". She believed that often people just need to know we are there...whether or not we speak or really "do" something amazing. Not that these are bad, but often we overlook the need for our presence.

Living on a street with one of the worst crime rates affords us the opportunity to be a part of a unique community. During a recent worship nights one of our acquaintances showed up drunk in the tail end of a 4 day binge. We helped him detox, prayed fervently over him for 3 days, and then helped him get to rehab. I'm so proud of the people God has put in my life. The guys took turns staying with him 24/day and everyone else held him up in tough love and prayer.

Thanksgiving morning our neighbor came in with tears on the characteristic methamphetamine scars on her face. Her guy had punched her and kicked her out of the house. After praying over her we helped her get to family who could take care of her.

This weekend another neighbor came to the door crying. She was just shy of a month clean, but the cravings for drugs were driving her crazy and she was scared she would slip and abuse again. We prayed over her and welcomed her and her kids for dinner and hang out time to provide a distraction.

Though we sometimes go for walks or have random time of passing a football outside, God seems to be bringing people right to our door. As an introvert I'm not always sure of why I'm here...I'm not the one out there talking or really good with lots of people. Just my own feelings of inadequacy. But then the other night I had a blast just doing one of the girls hair and trying on shoes. We all have our place in the puzzle and I'm having a blast in the kitchen trying to help people feel welcome and like they can enjoy a piece of home.

This Thanksgiving break has been great! If you'd like our newsletter, please let me know and I"ll send you a copy.

Keeping Up with the Midwife Skilz...

Trying to suture Ben's hand sans lidocane (frozen bag of tomato sauce instead).

Catching Up

Here's my attempt at catching y'all up on all that is going on. We are working on a newsletter and prayer card. So keep looking for that. Yessssssssss the toilet has been fixed and installed!!!

A gathering of friends for fellowship and prayer. David was telling us about the people that have been working and praying in this neighborhood for years. We have been enjoying putting out our open invitation for people to join us for dinner.

Ben leading worship night.....

Our focus these first few weeks has been to fix the house and grow together as a team that lives here. On Halloween night we started to turn a corner and go OUT. It looked differently than we imagined as there was hardly anyone out on our street. But we got out there and then us girls came back to pray while some of the guys went out to meet more people. This is us warming up in the foyer of the house before we go back out.

We have the girls apartment done, so we've moved on to finishing the community apartment where we hope to reach out the the neighborhood and work with kids and feed people. Some guys from the church that bought the house helping us tile and paint.

W

Beauty & Ashes & Sleep Deprivation

Night before last I got about 3 1/2 hours of sleep thanks to spending hours in the bathroom. I had to be on the floor of the hospital at 0615. When I came home I showered and crashed for a good hour. Having finished most of my paperwork at the hospital I decided to take the rest of the night off from school. My housemate and I watched the sunset outside on our huge porch and then created and amazing salad mixture for dinner.

Night came along with "family night" and friends over for a movie. As the day closed I sat on my floor letting a friend sob and weep in my arms as I prayed over her. Life is so full and busy that I told Andrea I feel like I'm living multiple lives. School and the hospital are one and life at the house is another. And I know we haven't even tapped into all we can do in the community as we've been focusing on building relationships at the house first and getting remodeling done.

But when I sit back I find myself amazed at this time of life and I really do feel at rest and at peace, though my body reminds me it wants a nap. Yesterday amid my other patients I got a post-op GYN case and missed midwifery all the more. Walking out of the hospital into warm sunshine I watched a new mom climbing into her car while a proud father gazed at his baby and gently kissed him before passing him on. someday....I really hope I can get back to births.

Undeserving

After living in a tiny efficiency by myself its been so nice to be in a big house with some great friends. I really don't deserve it all. As I sit in a pile of books and paperwork for clinicals (frustrated beyond belief.) they just know what I need....A BIG HUG. Ok, I can do this...I can get through this week.

Ode to the Toilet

So...still waiting on a toilet. I was up studying last night and couldn't help but put a little poem together. (note: the "Manor" is referencing part of our "official" house name by the church that bought it. )

Ode to the Toilet

by M. L. Richards

O little peach toilet,

so short and so stout

We must live without you

and yet we don’t pout

A cursed porcelain bowl

of this there’s no doubt

You’ve defied many a man

tools down, they walk out

But we shall overcome!

And then all shall see

The great bond between

the Manor girls, three

As they no longer hike

to go take a pee

Looking More Like Home

Our living room....It feels huge and we have 2 more to remodel! (still sans toilet)
The sweet bedroom I share with Andrea. We think the loft beds from Ikea give it a really roomy feel. I babysat the hammock chair last year and now we're sharing!

Pictures to Come

This weekend has been busy. I've been getting up before dawn to study and do what I need before school or the activity at the house picks up. The house is really coming together. I can't believe how big it is! I've enjoyed the camaraderie and cooking. Saturday we had brunch together then went for a walk around the neighborhood. Slowly but surely...

Pictures to come

The First Supper

We moved in! (the girls). The community apartment is being remodeled and the boy's apartment is still occupied. So for now the three girls are in and the guys are in an RV. I had to laugh this morning as I tried to go about a normal routine. All of the doors are off the hinges and we need to go get new ones. Sooooo...the bathroom has no door but that is ok because we don't have a toilet yet. =0)) Since the shower curtain is opque the rule is just if you hear water don't come in. =0)) We are in the process of moving in random bits of furniture, so the first supper was just on the floor.
Andrea and I laughed this reminded us of TMI trips as we put on our shoes before bed to hike to the apartment across the hall (the one under construction) to use the toilet there. (All rooms sans doors) Its an adventure for sure but I have to say I'm EXCITED. This morning before school I baked some pumpkin bread and it really does feel like home.

Welcome to Surgery

This semester we have been on some critical care floors and I spent the last couple of weeks at a day surgery center. Say what you will about birth, but I believe that cataract surgery or bone drills in orthoscopic surgery are so much grosser. Each day we had to be ready to go at 5:45am and in my first surgeries of the day I'd often feel a little woozie. I pulled it together and enjoyed seeing a new side of nursing. (and how crazy people act when coming out of anesthesia)

Poor Little Blog

Wow, my blog has been neglected! Life has been going full speed. We have quite a few responsibilities in the student nurse association right now. In addition I've been "homeless" since the first of the month. Remodeling on teh house into which I was to move has been delayed and thus most of us have been living in limbo I spent some time on a classmates couch...some tiem in an extended stay, and then back onto a classmates couch.

The other week we went over to the house to pray over it. They had pulled up the carpet so we wrote Scriptures on the walls as we went and prayed that God would make this a place of peace and ministry.

One a Wednesday night, the church who is buying the house for us brought church to us and commissioned us as missionaries in the neighborhood. Exciting times for sure. Here are some pics of the prayer night we had buy ourselves and some of our cleaning efforts. We girls hope to move in tonight (and slowly over the weekend) The guys apartment is on hold until after the end of the month.

Before...
Looking cleaner....(with a new floor)

Rx: waterfight & picnic

Its been a difficult 2 weeks to say the least. Expectations and pressures and huge tests leave me with that painful acid reflux feeling just under my sternum. Slowly things are panning out and getting into routine where I feel like I can breathe. Still I sit finishing paperwork for tomorrows clinical and get that sweaty nervousness just thinking about it.

But tonight I called a spur of the moment picnic in the park near my house. Its been...I can't remember how long...since I sat on a blanket in a park with friends. After the sun set we ran barefoot in the grass with Frisbees then water guns (painfully cheap ones that barely spit...but still) Just what I needed...fresh air and friends.

Now back to the oddly lit hospital hallways....

Can You Fix This?

As a student nurse when I'm caught up on my responsibilities I am supposed to help answer call lights and help other staff on the floor. I have returned to my "home floor" from last year (not exactly my favorite, but the rotation is only 2 weeks this year) This floor sees a lot of post-urology patients and patients recovering from prostate surgery. After a TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate) they provide continuous irrigation.

In lay terms this means that have big whopping bags of fluids running through and draining out through their catheter. These bags are seriously huge. The other day I was just walking through the hall when a little old man yelled out "Hey can you fix this" as he held a disconnected fluid line in his hand as fluid spilled all over the floor.

GREAT! I hadn't really dealt with this set up before but told a nurse nearby and went to go figure it out. Thankfully he hadn't pulled anything out, but just disconnected everything. In the mean time he had called his daughter who then wanted me to reassure her he was alright.

Yes, glamorous life...

Student Nurse Association responsibilities are piling up as we make our plans for the final fall projects. We're targeting childhood obesity here in the community while also doing an educational campaign on Darfur. (odd combo)

I'm looking forward to "homelessness" at the end of this month...work and school are a tough balance and I plow through.