Full of Joy

We have had an incredible week here at the Jungle Hospital, with a combo medical team from HPC and Big Lake Heights COG. It was so great having Dr. Cheri here again, and I only let her go home since her daughter is coming to spend the summer with us.

The week went very smoothly...supernaturally smoothly. We have done a lot of medical brigades, and not all of them have gone as planned. Not all of the teams have been unified (let alone two different teams coming together in heart and mind). We got to witness a special miracle this week...God bringing people together.

You know that He is going to do amazing things in the last days. And I believe He is doing those things. These 2 churches were from different parts of the country, from different denominations, serving different groups of people, but they came together here in Honduras, to serve our people - the ones we believe are God's favorites - the least of these, the orphan, and the widow, the sick and the forgotten.

My heart overflows as I think about what happened last week. How our HHG team played their parts, and made the whole thing come together. Sometimes our part seems small...but that is when we have to remember that this isn't about us. It is about Him and how He can multiply some thing so small and make it effect countless people for eternity.

From reception to pharmacy, from the consult room to the construction sites, our team pulled their weight and more.I am so proud of HHG, HPC and Big Lake Heights COG. It brings joy to my heart to know that God is in the unity business, and I pray that He continues to blow our socks off. Let 2011 be the year of miracles - small ones, big ones, practical ones, and wow ones.

Father open our eyes to see your hand at work.

I Keep Reminding Myself

There are so many things I have to keep reminding myself about life. You think you'll be able to learn a lesson, file it away in the "Already Got It" file and be done with it...but life really isn't like that. Sometimes, you keep revisiting that file folder, and right now...it is open on my desk.

I feel like it's review week for "things I thought I already learned" test; the exam is next week and I am cramming! I was never a big fan of the Final Exam.

The good thing is, that I am surrounded by people who give me grace, and might I add, I am taking double helpings of that at the moment.

So here is are 5 things I Thought I Already Learned but Get to Learn All Over Again:

1. Be sweet - This one sounds simple, but it's not. There have been a few days this week where I felt like I was trapped in an episode of Ally McBeal, where she imagines that she sucker punches her coworkers in the face, but in reality she says "Sure, I'll take care of that for you," in an icky-sweet voice. So I don't want to be Sweet-n-Low sweet, I want to be 100% real sugar sweet. Louisiana Iced Tea sweet. 
2. Over communicating is a good thing - it is better to say the same thing 1,000 times and have everyone on the same page, than it is to say it something twice and have it blow up in your face later.  
3. Everyone is NOT out to get you (self explanatory).
4. Sarcasm is the exact opposite of Duct Tape - it doesn't fix anything!
5. Planning is important, but the ability to "whing it without loosing it" is just as important. 

As funny as these things are, they are an important part of living together and working together. I love my job and the people I get to do it with. I am so grateful that they give me grace when I need it, and that they aren't afraid to give me a swift kick to the backside when I need that too.

See, I didn't forget my promise!

We are getting ready to receive our first purely medical team of the season. That means...brigades, brigades, brigades! It will be interesting for Mark to see what Medical Teams look like, and this will be our nurse's first rodeo as well. Bay Community Church arrives in a few hours...and we still have to clean up around here -you know that little junk-y stuff that accumulates and no one seems to know where to put it - that is my job. I am the de-junker on group days, lol. We also have to trek down the mountain for supplies and then come back and cook dinner.

OK, what am I doing blogging?!?!?!

I wanted to uphold my end of the deal here, and keep you posted! Pray for us! This is going to be a wild ride.
4 brigades in 4 villages in 4 days

OH, yeah...I am been feeling the urge to learn how to write grants. Let's see what God does with this, and how He can use me in that way on the mission field. More uncharted territory!

Love you guys!