Monday, September 28, 2009

The Night Shift Curse

So, here I am - awake at 214 am. Again. It's the curse of working night shift. I think that I am too old for this.

No, seriously - my body just can't seem to readjust itself after working nights these days. After last weekend, my days and nights were all mixed up for several days. Until Wednesday, that is, when I worked day shift on about 3 1/2 hours of sleep. Don't worry - I slept until about 2pm on Thursday to make up for it, which was convenient since I headed right back to the night shift that night. And Friday and Saturday night, too.

Which leads us to tonight. Since I couldn't seem to pull myself out of bed until 6-something this evening, I am now awake. Still. At 221 am. So, I thought I'd blog about it.

And the cycle continues...

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

New Hobby

Here is what has been keeping me up late into the night and creating a bit of a mess in my upstairs room lately...







Thursday, September 17, 2009

I won!

So, I am the first to admit that I have a little problem... I am totally addicted to blogs! I love to read them! It doesn't really matter whether it is someone that I know personally or not, I just like to read the random musings of other people. Well, today my blog addiction paid off! I won something from a blog giveaway!

The Design Girl is having giveaways on her blog all week this week in celebration of her birthday. I had never been to her blog before yesterday, but I read about the giveaways on someone's Twitter and decided to go and enter the contest. And, I won! Yay! So, go check it out. You might win, too!

Oh, and in case you are wondering what I won, it's one of these monogrammed mugs from The Monogram Chick. So fun!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

whirlwind weekend

Whew! It was a whirlwind, indeed!

4 planes, 850 miles in a rental car, 1 speeding ticket (oops), 3 nights on an air mattress, 2 nights on a futon, and lots of restaurant food later and I am home!

And super thankful that I got called off from work today! I got home about 2am this morning and was planning to get up at 5 and head to work, but didn't have to! That is one time where it's always nice to hear the phone ringing at 5am.

Anyway, about the weekend...

Ever wonder what you might find on I29 between Omaha, NE and Fargo, ND?? The answer is:


CORN!!

Like, lots and lots of it. Like multiple states worth of it. Like more corn than you ever wanted to see. So, now you know.

(And about that speeding ticket... 80 in a 75 on the interstate in the middle of cornfields. Really?? I don't deny that I was speeding, but really?? And, for the record, that was the one lone police car that I saw between Omaha and Fargo going both ways. Go figure...)

But anyways...

There is exciting news to share!

Some of you know that this trip to Omaha was for more than just a visit. It was actually an interview for a staff position in Peru. Yes, I am finally actually taking that step! In case you are a bit lost right now, I will back up a bit...

My first trip to Peru was on a Servant team with Word Made Flesh back in 2004. During the four months that I was in Lima, the Lord broke my heart for the poor, and specifically for the Peruvian youth on the street. They became my friends. I learned a lot during that time about God's heart for the poor through Scripture. So often in the Bible God shows concern for or makes provisions for those who are poor. I love the verse Jeremiah 22:16, which says, "He [King Josiah] judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the Lord." (ESV) My knowledge of the Lord has surely been impacted by my friends living on the streets of Lima.

Over the years since my Servant team, I have returned to Peru on many occasions and have tried to stay connected with the Word Made Flesh community there. I have a definite love in my heart for Peruvian people and for the ministry that the WMF community is doing there. I have struggled to determine exactly what would be my role in that ministry. However, over the past year or so I have realized more clearly that the Lord is calling me back to Lima in a more permanent sense. In obedience to that call, I am heading back to Lima for 3 years to serve on staff with the WMF community.

Yes, I said 3 years. Yes, I know that's a long time. And while it is a scary step with many sacrifices involved, I am confident that God is leading me and that He is faithful!

I assure you that you will hear more about this. I do not have definite plans for when I will go, as I still need to sell my house and assemble a team of supporters before I can think about leaving. I appreciate your prayers for the house-selling process and for the coming months of preparation. I am anticipating seeing the Lord move in some really amazing ways during this time of preparation, and I can't wait!

And, just for fun, here are a couple more pictures from Omaha:

The WMF US office, which is in this really cool old building. I love the brick walls inside!


The new WMF logo above the door to the office


The other new "fleshies" (from left to right) - Becky and Adam are headed to El Alto, Bolivia; Dan is headed to Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa; and Annie will be part of the pioneering team for a new field in Moldova (which is a small country bordered by Romania on the west and surrounded by Ukraine on the east - I had never heard of it before either)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Another one of those nights...

You know the ones that I am referring to...

The ones where I am supposed to be packing to go out of town, but instead I am finding myself here on the computer or otherwise procrastinating the inevitable. It's a silly routine I play, really. As long as I can remember, I have always packed for trips at the last minute. (I think it runs in the genes.) The silly thing is that I know that it has to get done. The packing, I mean. But, for some reason, I just hate to do it. So, instead, I manage to come up with a number of different ways to waste time. That is, until I am exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open and decide that I should really just pack my bags and go to bed. At that point it takes me approximately 20 minutes to do the very thing that I have been putting off for hours. And then I go to bed. See?? I told you that it is a silly routine...

(In case you are wondering about my progress tonight, it is 1148 PM and I haven't done laundry or started packing anything, and the house is still a disaster. And I am not even really sure what time I fly out tomorrow. Silly - I know!)

Where are you going this time, you ask?? (O.K - maybe you didn't actually ask, but I will tell you anyway!) Are you ready for this? Tomorrow I am headed to the exotic city of...

...Omaha, Nebraska!

No, really. That's where I am headed. I am excited to get the chance to meet the Word Made Flesh friends who work in the U.S. office there. (For those of you who are really out of the loop - Word Made Flesh is the organization that I have been involved with in Peru. They are an amazing community of believers who serve some of the most vulnerable populations around the world.) I will be in Omaha hanging out with the WMF peeps on Thursday and Friday, and then I am going to rent a car and head up to the bustling metropolis of...

...Fargo, North Dakota!

It just keeps getting more exciting as we go! No really... I am super excited to get to spend a couple of days with my sister and brother-in-law. And get a Frappe at Fargo Coffee Company! Yay!

So, that's what I am up to for the next few days.

What about you?

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Heroes

Yesterday I helped to take care of one of my heroes. She's six years old. She has been battling cancer for about half of her life. She has a great smile, and she shared one with me yesterday, even through her suffering. She usually welcomes people into her hospital room by stretching her arms out to receive a hug. She gives great hugs. Even though she is suffering much right now (I will spare you the details), she gracefully does everything she is asked to do. Even when she doesn't like it. Even when it hurts. Did I mention she is only 6 years old?? She says "Thank you" in her sweet little voice when I bring her a popsicle or some more ice to put on her little belly. She is beautiful. She is one of my heroes.

Lord, I pray for the life of my sweet little friend. I pray for physical healing for her. I pray for Your tangible presence to comfort her in her suffering. I pray for Your abundant peace to reign over her and her family. Lord, let Your Kingdom come.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Meet Ashley

Click here to read her story.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. CURE is an organization that works very closely with the Aflac Cancer Center (where I work) and the families that I work with. Each day during the month of September, they are highlighting a child in an effort to raise awareness and raise funds for childhood cancer research and support. Several of the kids being highlighted are ones that I have helped to take care of. I will try to remember to introduce you to some of the kids that I know on their day. In the meantime, feel free to check out the CURE website and think about supporting the incredible work that they do to try to win the battle against these ugly diseases!