Servant

Serve

2012-01-30T12:04:00.002-05:00

Nana

2011-12-19T19:21:00.001-05:00

As long as I don't think too hard about her, I do not often get emotional. It is more like she is gone on an extended vacation, and I just don't think about the fact that she is not coming back.

Nana was never one to write lengthy letters, but what she did write was written with deep love. I have the last two cards that I ever got from her while I was in the Philippines. Today was the first time I could bring myself to read them since she died.

February 14, 2011:
"Granddaughter, It doesn't matter how many ways they come up with to connect, as long as the message comes through loud and clear... You are loved so very much! Happy Valentine's Day."
"My Dear Girl: How I miss you!! I'm praying for you many times a day. I hope you & Allie are having a good experience and accomplishing a lot. Take care of yourselves & get your rest. Hurry back! Love & prayers, Nana."

March 21, 2011:
"REJOICE in the Lord always: and again I say, REJOICE." Philippines 4:4 (One of Nana's favorite verses)
"My Precious Girl: I think of you morning, noon, & night and pray for you more often then that. Please get well & take good care of yourself & Allie. You need our prayers trying to teach children in another language. Wow what a nightmare. The Lord will be with you! I miss you SO much & love you bushels. This is another beautiful day! Nice & warm! Love & prayers, Nana."

I will never forget the last hug that she gave me in the busy Atlanta airport as tears ran down our faces. The fear was in our hearts that we would never see each other again. I will never forget the hilarity of the last phone conversation I had with her. I will never forget how the warmth of her love enveloped me in spite of the fact that we were in different continents.

Her smile. Soft hands. Warm hugs. Loving words. Coming to visit whenever possible. Listening with never-fading joy to my violin playing. Talking sense into me. Invariable optimism. Sharing her heart. Long discussions. Quiet moments by her side. Her prayers. Drying my tears. I miss Nana.

Montana Fun

2011-11-06T21:41:00.001-05:00

There is never a lack of things to fill time in our home. Throughout my lifetime, "bored" was never part of our vocabulary. Not only if we used that word, but if we even looked bored, we would immediately have work to do. The tasks we were assigned over the years covered a very broad spectrum, and of course some were much more enjoyable than others.

Resultant from leaving the Philippines early, I had the unexpected opportunity to enjoy a few months at home in Montana. Many of my pastimes were essential, others elective. Some days Phoebe and I were mommy's girls, and other days we were, as one of our visitors put it, "daddy's little boys".

We sewed, cooked, cleaned, embroidered, crocheted, visited, harvested, canned, extended a sprinkler system, logged, tilled, weeded, and the list goes on...

Potatoes from our garden

Plums - one of the many foods harvested this summer

There were many frustrating times throughout our sewing endeavors, but in
spite of the sweat and pain we were able to complete 6 aprons and 2 skirts.

Aprons for our sister-in-law and two nieces

Matching aprons for ourselves

Dehydrated, all-natural, delicious cookies

Apricots

225 quarts of applesauce in 12 hours

Preparation for a nursing job

Time with family

Mission

2011-09-29T20:17:00.000-04:00

There are many people groups who know nothing of the gospel. Thousands die each day without even hearing the name of Jesus, much less knowing Him as their best friend. Their empty hearts hunger for something, yet they don't know what.

When a person from one country goes to another to share Jesus, there is a lot of ground work which must be done to increase effectiveness. That person must acclimatize to a new temperature and diet, conform to a unique dress, become fluent in another language, not to mention an overall accommodation to a completely new culture.

I am accustomed to the American diet. I speak English. I know the culture. As an American, shouldn't America be my most effective mission field, above other countries?

I believe that going to other countries for the purpose of missions is vital before Jesus can come back. But if we are not a missionary in our home land, how can we expect to reach people where we can't even speak their language and where simple actions easily offend them?

We must not allow our eyes to continually look forward to the time when we will go to some exotic place to do a great work, and overlook the mission that God has for us here and now.

Canoe Trip

2011-09-29T11:19:00.001-04:00

©Phoebe

Jonathan & Bethany Geraci

©Phoebe

Phoebe Eller

Put-in

Grace, youngest member of the trip

Wally manned the river alone

©Shama

Hard-working men, Wally & Ed

Mom & Dad

©Phoebe

New way to roast vegan marshmallows (only when fires aren't allowed)

Sisters with dad

Palawan video

2011-09-13T14:54:00.004-04:00

This is a small glimpse of my missionary experience in Palawan, Philippines. It was an awesome opportunity that truly changed my life and grew me in ways I never expected. I thank God for the blessing of serving.

Part 1

Part 2

Bitter Sweet

2011-08-25T14:30:00.001-04:00

Screaming and crying filled the air as we slowly pulled our backpacks over our shoulders. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks; sadness filled my heart. It was with great agony that Tina, Kyle and I made our way out of the mountains Sunday afternoon on July 24, 2011. I have never experienced such a traumatic goodbye, and can't say I ever hope to go through something like that again.


Nubim, Meyni, Me

I will never forget the tears of my friends, especially one of my closer friends, Meyni. She hiked up the mountain with us past her village a ways and after hugging goodbye, she squatted beside the trail and wailed as I have never heard before. I had to hike away with that sound ringing in my ears. Tears came readily throughout that day and the next, as I later said goodbye to the boys that carried our stuff out of the mountains, and finally to the other missionaries with whom I had grown to love deeply.

It's not uncommon for guys to carry more than 50 lbs on their heads.

My heart will always be with the people in Palawan and I hope to go back someday to visit them. Even though I don't have the assurance that I will be able to see them again on earth, the pain is softened with the assurance that I will get to see my dear friends again when Jesus comes back.

Last meal with all the missionaries (except Carrine)

Although it was hard to leave and I miss Palawan immensely, I know that God lead in my decision to come home early and I am so happy to spend time with family this summer. Back to mowing the lawn, picking blueberries, baking pies, family worships, and weeding in the garden is a refreshing transition back to life in America.

Delicious blueberries

I am looking forward to starting a nursing job in a couple months and getting good experience while still being near family. I know that if it weren't for your prayers and support, I would not be able to look back on my time in the Philippines with such fondness. God grew me in ways I could never have imagined and I would never trade that experience for anything. Thank you!

Family

*Slideshow of experience in Philippines to come

Going Home

2011-07-10T22:15:00.000-04:00

Official date of arrival to the USA:July 28, 2011

Even though I’ve only been in thePhilippines for 6 months, I still anticipate that I will have culture shock insome way or another. It is hard to say goodbye to Palawan and the friends thatI have made here. There are many things about this place that I am going tomiss, including:

·        The other missionaries
·        The Palawanos
·        The simplicity of life
·        Living with little
·        The mountains
·        Hiking everywhere
·        Working in the clinic
·        Speaking Pelawan
·        Eating freshpineapple/papaya/mangoes every day
·        Trying new foods all the time
·        Reading sometimes hours every day
·        Going to bed usually before 9 pm

Palawan is all that I ever hoped itwould be, and more. I love jungle life, I love the people, I love the language.Although it is hard to leave, I know that God is leading me to another era inmy life, and there are definite things that I am excited about. These includebut are not limited to:

·        Spending time with my family
·        Seeing friends again
·        Having multiple communication avenuesavailable at any given time
·        Understanding all the conversationsaround me
·        Saying anything I want to say
·        Driving my car
·        Smelling pine trees
·        Hiking on dry trails
·        Putting on a pair of tennis shoes andshorts and going for a run
·        Eating freshblueberries/raspberries/peaches every day
·        Eating homemade bread
·        Cooking in a kitchen where everythingis available

Palawan is very close to my heartand always will be. I have laughed, cried, grown, stressed, and loved. Wordscannot describe how thankful I am that God led me here and gave me theopportunity to be a missionary to the people in these mountains. I don’t knowhow much difference I made in any one person’s life, but I do know how much ofa difference they made in my life, and I will ever be grateful.

To Go or Not to Go?

2011-06-28T00:39:00.000-04:00

The evening air was cool, but I began to sweat as I dialedthe number. I could feel my pulse beating in my head as fear filled my heart. Ididn’t know what the response on the other end of the phone was going to be,and as much as I wanted to, maybe it would be easier if I didn’t know. But Ihad to find out sometime. This was one of the first times that I really didn’twant to call home.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mom, What did you guys find out?”

“Not good. The cancer has spread to Dad’s bones.”

My fears were confirmed. It was a little over a week aftergetting back to the Philippines from the States when I found out that Dad’sprostate cancer had spread to his bones. What was he going to do? How long didhe have? Would I ever see him again? Should I go home early? Should I get aplane ticket right then? Questions saturated my mind and tears flooded my eyes.

The comfort of dear friends enveloped me like a warm blanketafter I got off the phone. The assurance of Divine wisdom filled me with peace.

I didn’t make a decision right away; I wanted to know God’swill. Every morning found me on my secret rock by the water fall, drawingstrength from the Water of Life. After much prayer and counsel from Godlyfriends, I made my decision.

I didn’t feel ready to leave; I had my mind set on beinghere until November. I felt like I was just getting to the point where I couldactually have meaningful conversations with the people, where I was passing thepoint of acquaintance and building actual friendships. If I left, that wouldleave only Allie to run the clinic alone—a huge job. On the other hand, thereis always going to be a mission field, but I will not always have my Dad. Thereis truly no man that I am closer to or have a deeper respect for. The doctorssaid that nothing would probably happen to him before November, but one neverknows. I realized that for me to have quality time with my dad, it wasimportant for me to go home early and work with him at home for part of thesummer.

I will be coming home the end of July to spend time with myfamily. That will leave Allie for only a few weeks as the sole medicalpersonnel in the mountains. That will give me time to wrap everything up herein Palawan and prepare myself for life in America. Fear, sorrow, anxiety,excitement, eagerness—my emotions are much jumbled.

Things happen. Plans change. When I get to heaven and seethe end from the beginning, I know that I will praise God for the way that Heled in my life, and even though there are trials now, I can praise Him anyway. “Whenyou can’t understand, when you can’t see His plan, when you can’t trace Hishand, trust His heart.”

Day by Day

2011-06-28T00:35:00.002-04:00

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trails here;

Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,

I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best.

Lovingly, it’s part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and power.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

As your days, your strength shall be in measure,

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E’er to take, as from a Father’s hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the promised land.

-CarolinaSandell Berg

2011-06-16T22:46:00.000-04:00

What do you get when you have 6 Southern Adventist Univeristy nursing grads in one room in the jungle?

We miss you Jon, Becca, Brian & Tim!

Allie can out-do any real Pelawan

Devil Harassment

2011-06-16T22:17:00.002-04:00

My blood curdled with each scream. Monday night found all the missionaries as well as many other Christians at a hut singing and praying for two young Christian girls who had been possessed. Satan was tormenting them, showing them terrible things, and doing evilness that only they could see. We were all crying to God to save them and to send the demons away; the girls were crying to God, pleading with Him to save them. It was a long night for many people, but by morning both girls were doing much better. One went off to school, while the other stayed home with malaria.

It was mid-morning when they started to go into a daze again, shaking, and eventually screaming and flailing about. After this went on all day, we decided to sleep with them in the school that night where we could take shifts praying and singing. It was late that night though when all hell let loose. I had gone to my hut for a few minutes and when I got back, four more girls were screaming in terror, as well as one boy. All the missionaries and other Christians were crying out to God for help. The chills ran up and down my spine as I ran to help hold one of the girls down. My eyes went around the room to each of the missionaries—all I saw was helplessness.

You hear stories about devil possession; you read stories about it in the Bible. But this was so different. Prayer, songs, Bible promises were filling the place. Those being harassed were also pleading for God to help them. We knew God would be conqueror—but when? How long would this go on? Before that night was over, more than ten people had been devil possessed and it was over one week everything was back to normal again.

Half of the time I spent praying for those being harassed, and the other half of the time I was praying for myself. It was like Jacob’s time of trouble—what un-confessed sins did I have in my life? Did I have fear? Was I holding on to anger? Any one of those things could be a door into my life through which Satan could enter.

God is so real. The controversy between Christ and Satan is so real. We experienced a hand-to-hand battle with Satan here in Palawan. I felt so weak when I prayed; what kind of sinner am I for God to listen to my prayers? I realized in a way that I have never before realized the power of the blood of Jesus, and how worthless I am without His blood covering my sins.

It may sound scary to you, and honestly it was quite terrifying. But it was with confidence that we claimed the blood of Jesus. I see now more than ever before the danger of those in America. The same controversy over souls is taking place, yet it is so covert. Christians are every day letting Satan into their lives without even knowing it. Small sins, fear, neglecting time with God—Satan is slowly but surely gaining ground. Every day it is vital to be 100% committed to God.

These young Christian people that were so terribly harassed my Satan knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Satan attacking them and that they didn’t want any part of it. When a couple of them were asked what they could do to prevent such a thing happening again in the future, they said that they hadn’t been reading their Bibles faithfully every day. Others admitted to having fear, others had been holding on to anger. Satan knows that his time is short—does he have an open door into your heart?

No More Pain

2011-06-16T22:14:00.000-04:00

The tears rolled down little Ilil’s face—any day his daddy would die. Nine-year-old Ilil and his 7 year-old sister would soon be orphans. Their mom had died when they were quite young, and now their dad was on his death bed. I thought of my dad. When I arrived back from my trip to the states, the wound from my Nana’s death was fresh on my heart, and here we had a “hospice” patient who we were doing our best to keep comfortable during his last days.

I had been eagerly anticipating returning to my little village, Emrang, but was hit with disappointment when I found out that I could not go back there for an undetermined amount of time. All of the nurses in Kementiyan were returning to the states, and that would leave Allie & me as the only medical personnel in the mountains. The clinic in Kementiyan was the greatest priority, so our four students and small clinic in Emrang had to be left alone until the arrival of more nurses.

So here we were, caring for this gentleman who knew he would soon die; he had given his heart to God and was ready to go. It wasn’t long before he breathed his last breath and distant relatives took his two children to live with them.

No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Every day we must be ready. Are you?

Pictures

2011-05-10T12:48:00.001-04:00

My tukew (machete)

A typical potluck meal

Climbing a coconut tree

Eating the fruit of our labor -- fresh coconut

Everyone's shoes outside of church

Yummy punti

Allie & me with some of our kids

Making lenidgid, some of my favorite food

Allie & me with our students

Our adorable hut

Tribute to Nana

2011-05-07T22:46:00.001-04:00

The first memories I have of you were the visits we made when you and Grandpa lived in Libby, Montana. I loved seeing all of Grandpa’s rocks, eating your yummy pies, and feeling your warm hugs. At some point in time you both moved in with us and started the life of trekking back and forth between Montana and Georgia.

One of my favorite pastimes throughout all the years was talking to you. At any given time of any day, your door was open to whoever came knocking. There was no secret that I ever kept from you, no fear that I didn’t share with you, and no joy that you weren’t one of the first that I wanted to tell it to.

We spent year after year together, including one winter in the snow banks of Montana, a car accident, heart breaks, laughs, playing games, and so much more. When I was nine years old I was trying to decide what instrument I wanted to learn when you told me you had always wanted one of your grandchildren to play the violin. After weighing the options, that one came out far above the rest and I began the long, torturous journey of learning the violin. Day after day, week after week, you would faithfully listen to me squeak and squawk. It was on Mothers’ Day Sabbath that I played my first special music, your favorite hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, with you and Phoebe.

Your favorite place to be was with young people, whether it was visiting us at Oklahoma Academy, Southern, going to orchestra concerts, or cheering at a Triathlon. You were “nana” to all my friends and made them feel like your own grandchildren. Whether you were quietly observing in a corner or sharing words of encouragement to a downcast friend, you were always an active part in my life.

You said you wanted to live until Phoebe and I got married. I told you that you could pick my husband like Abraham’s servant did for Isaac, but you turned down the offer, assuring me that God would help me make that decision.

My greatest fear about going as a student missionary this year to the Philippines was that something would happen to you while I was gone, and I know that you feared the same thing. You didn’t want to let me go, but you wouldn’t have wanted me to do anything different. The most important thing to you was to know that I was working for God.

I was in my hut on Sunday morning in the mountains when I first found out you were in the hospital. I didn’t know what to think, but from what I heard you were responding well to the medications and would likely be back home in a couple days. Monday night I got the news that you were getting worse instead of better like they expected. Mom asked me if I wanted to come home—I didn’t want to think that you were actually sick enough that it would be necessary. The next morning I talked to mom again and realized that you were really not going to last much longer and I couldn’t believe it. Tuesday afternoon I began the hike out of the mountains. Wednesday I made it to the lowlands, drove four hours to the capital, and flew to the main island where I spent the night. I was in the hotel late that night when I found out that you had died. You had died. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe I was never going to feel your warm hug again. Never again would I feel your soft hands. You could never again tell me how much you loved me. I could never play my violin with you accompanying me on the piano again. Never again could I come to you with my tears and joys. No more would your prayers go before God’s throne on my behalf. I slept about three hours that night and began the 24-hour series of flights home.

I keep thinking that you will come in the door and sit down to play the piano. I keep thinking the phone will ring and I will hear your voice on the other end. But it’s not going to happen. You are sleeping peacefully in the grave right now, and the next thing that you will see is the face of Jesus. As the tears flow down my face and my heart breaks, I can’t help but praise God. For one, I have the assurance that I will see you very soon when Jesus comes again. Also, there are not very many people that have the privilege of loving someone as deeply as I loved you. You were the most patient, kind, thoughtful, and selfless person that I have ever met. Thank you for reflecting God’s character to me. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for loving me.

~Shama

enukwan?

2011-04-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

How can you sum up one month in just a short time? I could tell story after story, and give detail afterdetail, but that would be overwhelming. It has been a month and one week since Ilast had internet access. I get some of the messages that come to me throughFacebook on my phone, but it is quite unreliable and limited. Here are some ofthe highlights since the last time I had internet:

- Flying in the helicopter to Kebgen. Four peoplehad already died—I got to give medicine to the rest.*

- Brian Glass & Jon Miller worked with 40+villagers and finally finished Allie’s and my house in Emrang.**

- We moved to Emrang on the 15^th ofMarch. We live in an amazing place, and we actually have running water rightoutside our house! **

- I am a 1^st grade teacher—something Inever pictured myself doing. Although I would much rather teach these kids thanAmerican kids, it must be amazing to teach in a language you know. They don’tspeak any English, but they are very skilled at figuring out what we are tryingto say and teaching us how to say it correctly.

- We see patients sporadically throughout the weekin our little clinic. We assess and diagnose them. We decide what treatmentthey need and give it to them. I am most familiar with treating Malaria andworms. Variations off of that take a little more time to figure out.

- Brian comes every weekend to lead out in “church”(more like a Bible study). We have usually around 10 people that stay for thewhole study. There are a few adults that are quite faithful and seriouslyinterested in learning more about the Bible.

- Allie & I enjoy visiting when we don’t havelesson plans or laundry to do. We also enjoy working in our yard and have beenplanting pineapples, flowers, and tomatoes. We will be planting more food as wehave time.

- We take our showers outside under our 2-foottall bamboo water source.

- It is interesting to live 3 or 4 hours from theclosest motorized vehicle (although there is a lawnmower in Kementian, which isonly 2 hours away).

- We are SO excited about Allie’s parents comingin the beginning of May! We will be going to the lowlands for our first timesince we came here in January. By that time, it will have been three and a halfmonths since we’ve seen a motorized vehicle (besides the lawnmower and occasionallythe helicopter).

- We are also excited about the George kids comingsoon, including Christina, Stephanie, and Timothy.

- Getting accustomed to chronically dirty feet.***

- We never have a lack of opportunities forhiking, as that is our only method of transportation. We hike to the bathroomand school (those aren’t too far, thankfully), we hike to visit the neighbors,we hike to visit Kementian, and the list goes on. There really isn’t anywherethat we don’t hike to. (Allie & I made the 2 hour hike from Emrang toKementian yesterday so we could get internet today, and turn right around andgo home)

See blogs from other missionaries in Palawan:

Allie Westermeyer: AJourneyTowardHome.blogspot.com

Jon &Beka Miller: RealMillerMoments.blogspot.com

*See blog entitled “Into the Depths of the Jungle”

**See blog entitled “Unqualified”

***See blog entitled “Beautiful”

Unqualified

2011-04-09T22:28:00.000-04:00

Allie and I had been in the Philippines for just under twomonths when our house in Emrang was finally finished and we had learned enoughof the language to move from Kementian. In some ways it was hard to move. Wewere getting to know the people in Kementian, we were getting close to theother ~10 missionaries, and now we were going to go a two hour hike further upinto the mountains to live by ourselves in the midst of people we didn’t know. BrainGlass had been working in Emrang over two years and needed a replacement forthe small school and clinic that he started there. The original plan was forAllie and me to overlap two weeks with him, the first of which we would beobserving him, the second of which he would be assisting us.

“Funny, very funny”, I thought sarcastically to myself whenthe plans changed. We observe Brian for four days total, and then we’recompletely on our own? We are supposed to teach four students Math, Reading,Writing, and Bible, all in a language we can barely speak ourselves? Are youkidding? Besides that, I’m a nurse, NOT a teacher! Feelings of my inadequaciesswept over me; I was completely overwhelmed. I wanted to panic, I wanted tocry. Allie and I had returned to Kementian for the weekend in between observingand being on our own so we could prepare with the other missionaries for theupcoming camp meeting. By the time we completed the two hour hike back toEmrang, we had recommitted ourselves to God and placed the situation in God’shands. Things always go better when God is the one in control.

By now we have survived a few weeks of school and none ofthe kids have dropped out! I’m not sure who is learning more, the students orthe teachers, but I think overall it is a symbiotic relationship. We haveschool four mornings a week, from 8-12, then we are available for anyone needingmedical care. We get anywhere from 0-15 patients in a day, primarily treatingmalaria, then skin diseases, worms, colds, and things of the sort.

We have an amazing hut to live in, thanks to JonathanMiller, Brian Glass, and about 40 other people from Emrang. It is actually mydream house—a little thatch roof hut in the middle of the jungle. We have oneroom with bunk beds, about 5 shelves, and a little desk. A step down from therewe have a counter, a 2-burner stove, a dish drainer, and all of our food. Anotherstep down, with a curtain separating it, we have a small clinic where we seepatients.

We used to have to walk an1/8^th of a mile down asteep, slippery, muddy trail to our water source where we could do our dishesand take our baths, but we were more than excited when they completed ourbamboo waterline, bringing water right outside our hut! We get to havecandlelit dinners every evening, and we never have a lack of attention. Usuallythere isn’t anyone looking through the holes in our wall before 7 am or after 6pm. The ratio of children to adults is probably 3 or 4 to 1, with the childrengreatly outnumbering the adults. They are adorable kids, and even though Iappreciate the times that we don’t have people watching us, my love for all ofthe people in Emrang is growing by leaps and bounds.

The mountains are gorgeous, as is the ocean which can beseen from the school. Although I never pictured myself doing lesson plans orteaching school (to any kids other than my own), God gives strength and wisdomwhere it is needed, and I have seen very clearly how God has used my feebleefforts to do more than I could personally ever do. I’m thankful that God doesnot call the qualified, but He truly does qualify the called.

Clearing our bamboo water line

Allie & I with our students after Art class

Into the Depths of the Jungle

2011-04-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

“Four people have died. There are many more that are sick.We need help.”

Things in the Kementian clinic were going as usual thatmorning when Mrs. George received a phone call from Nickson, a 20 year oldPalawano missionary in Kebgen, an 8 hour hike away. About 11 months ago Nicksonwent to Kebgen and started a school. There have been some ups and downs therelately and Satan has really been working to turn the people away from God. Thismorning we got word that there were 40+ people in Kebgen and the surroundingvillages that had eaten poisonous fish; four people had died and many more weresick.

“The helicopter is going to be here in an hour. They need anurse—who will go?” Minan (Mrs. George) said.

I volunteered. What do I need to do? Do they speak anyEnglish? How long will I be gone? Questions filled my mind, fear and excitementoverwhelmed me.

“You will be giving everyone charcoal, assessing them,giving them oral re-hydration solution, and scoping out the situation. They’veall had diarrhea and been vomiting. Time is of essence; they ate the fishyesterday and four people have already died. If there is way too much for youto do alone, we can send another nurse to help you, but for now only you will gobecause the helicopter cannot carry two passengers very well.Nickson speaks alittle bit of English. You might come back today, but if they need you thenplan to spend the night.”

I grabbed the necessary medical supplies, a little bit offood, my hammock, jacket, water bottle, filter, and a few other random thingsand threw them all in my backpack. It had been raining off and on all day andthe clouds were rapidly closing in the mountains, which would make itimpossible for the helicopter to land. I didn’t know what I was going to findin Kebgen, but I knew that there was no way I would be able to help in any wayof my own strength or wisdom. I prayerfully dedicated myself and the situationto God as I went to meet the helicopter at the landing on. Within a short timewe were on our way around the mountains for the 15 minute flight.

Twenty plus people eagerly welcomed the helicopter toKebgen. Grabbing my bag, I followed Nickson down the hill to the school wherethe patients were gathering. Because of the recent rain, the whole place wasmore slippery than okra. Not being skilled like the natives, my posterior wasintroduced to the mud before my feet had been in Kebgen more than five minutes.It was a bonus to find that Nickson spoke English considerably well as morethan 20 people gathered to get medical care. There were a few people there thathad hiked from a village more than 2 hours away. Almost everyone was awake,alert, and oriented except one particular little boy named Dyibi. His eyes keptrolling back in his head, and every time I gave him charcoal, either orally orrectally, he would lose it. He was slightly responsive, but overall verylethargic. His older brother was one of the four that had already died, as washis aunt. I saw no improvement for the first hour, so we decided to send him tothe clinic in Kementian where he could get 24 hour, more in depth care. But bythat time the clouds had rolled in and the helicopter could not leave. After afew hours of waiting and treating everyone else, the helicopter was finallyable to take the little boy and his dad (who was also very sick) to Kementian.

We decided it would be best if I spent the night andassessed/treated everyone again in the morning. We heard that there were moresick people in other villages, but we could not access them that same day. Thelittle bit of food that I brought was insufficient, so Nickson graciously fedme. I hung up my hammock in a little uninhabited hut and stayed with threeyoung girls from the village. We had a great time chatting, laughing, andtrying to understand each other before we went to bed about 8:30. That wasprobably the coldest, longest night I’ve ever had. I had a muddy skirt that Ididn’t want to sleep in, a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, my tadyun (a skirt-like,wrap-around type of thing), a tadyun that the villagers lent me, and my rainjacket. Before the night was over I had all of those in my hammock with me, aswell as my language notebook and the Village Medical Manual—books are anamazing way to block the wind! I spent most of the night counting down thehours till morning. I was so excited when I got to 12:30 because I figured bythat time it was as good as half way till time to get up.

I ended up getting a couple hours of sleep before treatingpatients again in the morning. Everyone was pretty stable by then, and a fewother people came for charcoal to take to their friends and families. It endedup that over 40 people received medicine. Later that day the helicopter arrivedand flew me back to Kementian. The two patients were on IVs and were lookingmuch better. If they had not made it to the clinic when they did, I am prettysure that the little boy in particular would not have made it.

How many more people would have died withouthelp? I didn’t do anything spectacular—I just gave charcoal and ORS. I don’tknow how many more would have died, but I’m sure some would have. WheneverSatan attacks, God turns it around and brings good out of it. It was quite anexperience for me and put eagerness in my heart to move to my new home inEmrang; a new fire burned within me to live with the natives and really becomeof part of them.

Beautiful

2011-04-09T22:01:00.000-04:00

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him thatbringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings ofgood, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”Isaiah52:7

wild life

2011-03-03T23:38:00.000-05:00

Maybe it was just my imagination. Oh, it was probably just a small breeze coming up through the floor. No, it felt like some type of bug. It was dark outside and I was sitting on the bamboo floor of our hut talking to Allie when I felt a strange movement in my skirt. It’s not all that uncommon to have small bugs find their way into your clothes, but it is disturbing none-the-less. The beam of my headlamp fell on a quite disheartening site when I looked under the edge of my skirt—it was an elupian. An elupian is a centipede that ranges from 3 – 12 inches in length and causes great distress when it stings. I’ve been told that people experience agonizing pain and immense swelling as a result of contact with such a creature, besides the fact that they are extremely resilient to death. I could not move much for fear that the elupian would wiggle its way up my skirt closer to my body, so I calmly yet frantically scrambled (without really moving) to get away from this devilish animal. Relief mixed with distress overwhelmed me when the elupian slithered through the bamboo out of our reach. He was no longer in my skirt, but he was still very close. It wasn’t until over a week later that we sighted an elupian again in our house. It was likely not the same one, but this one did not have such a lucky ending—he lost his life to four angry women who first of all sprayed him with bygone, chopped him with a machete, pounded him with a hammer, and finally set him on fire.

Life in the jungle of Palawan has been very exciting for the past month and a half. We had a snake on our roof which got valiantly killed with a machete, snakes on the trails, elupians not only in our hut, but also in our bathroom, rats making themselves at home, and much more. Patients come to the clinic every day to get treated for malaria. Many people come with a cough/cold, machete cuts, and abdominal pain. There are rare times when patients get flown in by the helicopter and we have to keep patients in the clinic for a few nights.

Sweat dripped down our noses as we hiked. That day was more hot and humid than we had yet experienced. Our two guides could have left us in the dust if they wanted to, but we were thankful they didn’t. After the intense 2-hour hike in the burning sun, we finally arrived to the long dreamed of village of Emrang, the place where Allie and I will be spending most of this year. There, on the other side of the helicopter landing, was the little school. Children were hanging their heads out of the school to see us and it seemed like the whole village was there to welcome us newcomers. The ocean rested peacefully to our right and the mountains loomed before us. We finally got to see what we had been dreaming of for months, the place where God led us to commit our lives, the people who God chose us to minister to.

We are still waiting to go to Emrang. We don’t know how much longer it will be before we get to go there because our house is not finished. We are just trusting in God’s timing and making the most of what we are doing now. We are learning how to deal with the various medical problems that we will encounter and putting forth as much effort as possible to learn the language. Every week we spend 15-20 hours focused solely on learning Pelawan which primarily includes going to people’s homes and trying to communicate with them. I have learned a lot during my first 6 weeks here and can carry on basic conversations comfortably and can understand a good bit if many of the sermons (depending on who is preaching and what they are preaching about). Every day I am reminded though, how much more of the language I have to learn—I am actually very far from knowing much of anything. It is a beautiful language and I love learning it.

Highlights:

· Swimming in the Tamlang river with the students(it’s quite challenging to swim in a skirt, though)

· Cooking and eating the native foods

· Eating rice every day and still enjoying it

· Learning to bake in a dutch oven

· Eating peanut butter (what they say about missionaries missing peanut butter is SOOO true! I never knew how much I loved it until I got here.)

· Sharing one bathroom/shower between 10 people. Keys to success? Cold water and a squat pot.

· Going to bed just because there is nothing better to do. Somewhere between 8:45 – 9:30 is my usual bedtime.

· Getting woken up either by the roosters, the cats, or the dogs – not something I enjoy.

· Identifying people by their clothes (i.e. what’s the boy’s name that wears the green shirt?). Most people only have a couple outfits that they were all the time.

· Gathering roots, picking vegetables, and working with the natives

· Reading more than I ever have before and loving it!

· Getting my first package from home

· Kids going to the bathroom out the window during church

· Grocery shopping for 3 months at a time.

This is the view from the school in Emrang where Allie & I will be teaching

We fed spaghetti to a couple of the students in Kementian. They really liked it.

Beautiful Philippines

2011-01-29T23:41:00.001-05:00

Highlights from the Philippines:

· Safe arrival to Puerto Princesa, capital of Palawan after 50 hours of traveling

· Two days spent in Puerto filled with shopping, eating, sleeping, and thrilling rides all over the place in trikes (motorcycle-powered tricycle type thingy)

· Four-hour trip down bumpy roads to Brooke's Point, the closest motor-vehicle accessible town from our destination.

· Three hour hike to Kemantian—our place of abode for 1.5 (ish) months.

· Learning to hike through the mountains with Duralite sandals, which are as slippery as crocs (Duralite are what all of the natives wear). My posterior met the mud once so far.

· Hanging my phone from a tree so I can get service while I talk.

· Visiting surrounding villages to learn the language and having many awkward, confusing and hilarious moments.

· Introducing the violin to the Pelawans, most of which didn't know what it was.

· Getting good experience washing clothes by hand.

· Introducing many new foods into my diet and learning creativity with old ones. In one week I have probably eaten more rice than any given one year of my life.

Most excited about:

· Finally getting to Palawan after months of dreaming about it

· Being in the kind of place that I have always wanted to go—thatch roof huts, hiking all over the place, beautiful mountains, awesome people, unique foods, and much more.

· Learning the Pelawan language. After being here a little over a week, I am getting where I can understand some and carry on simple conversations (my language book is very helpful).

· Going to visit Emrang soon, where Allie & I will be going hopefully within the next 6 weeks to live for the rest of our stay in the Philippines.

· Hearing from YOU guys! Thanks so much to those who wrote me—it means a lot.

Greatest challenges so far:

· Missing family and friends

· Being so far away from dear friends who are going through especially difficult times.

· Having a cockroach in my mosquito net. I had to simply remind myself that I am in the jungle and that it would be ok. :D:D hihi Needless to say, I quickly remedied the cockroach's assumed place of entry.

The humidity warmly welcomed us to the Philippines. Kind faces and friendly smiles were everywhere. Graciousness filled the air. When we arrived in Puerto it was already almost dark. Pastor George sent one of the teachers, Napthali, from their school in Kementian to meet us at the airport. We loaded our monstrous bags onto a little trike that is run by a tiny motorcycle and made our way to the hotel where we stayed a couple nights.

It took a day and a half to get all of the essential shopping done. Everything takes longer in the Philippines. I think the thing that surprised me the most about shopping was the amount of workers it takes to do one job. In the US, when you check out at a grocery store, there is one person who rings everything up and puts it in a bag. Here, there is one person who puts the items on the conveyer belt, one person who rings stuff up, and another person who puts everything in bags. It takes three people to clean the floor—one mopping up the dirt, one shining, and one with a piece of cardboard fanning the floor to make it dry faster. Those are just a couple of the instances where many people were doing what I am used to seeing one person do.

After two days in Puerto and a night in Brooke's Point, we finally made our hike to the mountains. We were thankful that all of our stuff was transferred via helicopter the same day. While in Kemantian, we are staying with three other missionary girls in wonderful bamboo floor, thatch roof hut. At this point, we actually have running water and a bathroom with a hole in the ground and shower not too far away. The plan is to be here for about 6 weeks, in which time Allie & I are focusing on learning the language, observing in the classroom, and working in the clinic. In the mornings I am in either the classroom or clinic and about 4 hours of the afternoons are dedicated to language learning. Allie & I go visit any and every Pelawan around and try to communicate with them. It is a lot easier now than it was last week at this time.

Our goal is to learn the language, and systems of healthcare and education well in the next 1.5 months so we can go to Emrang (approximately 2 hour hike from Kemantian) and be on our own running a small clinic and school.

I love it here. Every day awe fills my soul as I behold the mountains. I know that things won't always be peaches and cream. There are snakes, there are cockroaches, malaria, weird food, uncomfortable bathrooms, sickness, sadness, and a distinct spiritual warfare. This is where I have always wanted to be, though. And most importantly, I know that God led me to this place at this time and I am so excited to know that I am in God's will for my life. Whatever fears and hardships come my way, every day I can rest my life in the hands of my dear Friend, Jesus.

*I should get internet about once a month from now on. I will look forward to hearing from you. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Wish I could write each of you back personally, but unfortunately have limited time on the internet.

Korea

2011-01-17T16:57:00.001-05:00

I've been traveling since 6 am Eastern Time on the 16th and it is now about 5 pm Eastern Time on the 17th. Allie & I met up Monday evening in Portland and have completed the long trek to Korea. Quite an exciting flight, filled with sleep, unique food, slippers, and much more. It is 7 am on the 18th here and we are getting ready to enjoy a shower before the flight to Manila. I miss you all very much! You are in my thoughts and prayers. Thanks for all of your support.

~Shama

Thank You

2011-01-13T18:54:00.000-05:00

The hours are rapidly ticking away. Soon I will be flying to the Philippines. I would not be looking forward to this year working in Palawan if it weren't for my friends and family. Words cannot express my appreciation to all who have sponsored me financially. I am also grateful to those who have been praying and made a commitment to pray for me, and to everyone who has shared words of encouragement and wisdom.

My itinerary goes as follows:
Depart from Atlanta, GA 8:20 am - Arrive Seattle, WA 10:51 am
Depart Seattle, WA 12:00 pm - Arrive Portland, OR 12:50 pm
Depart Portland, OR 5:50 pm - Arrive Los Angeles, CA 8:05 pm
Depart Los Angeles, CA 11:50 pm - Arrive Seoul, Korea 6:15 am
Depart Seoul, Korea 8:10 am - Arrive Manila, Philippines 11:05 am
Depart Manila, Philippines 5:50 pm - Arrive Puerto Princesa, Philippines 7:05 pm
~5 hour drive from Puerto Princesa - Brooke's Point, Palawan.
~2 hour hike from Brooke's Point - Kementian, Palawan.

I'm getting more and more scared, sad, and increasingly eager as each minute ticks by. I'm so thankful that I can trustfully place my future in the hands of a wonderful God.

The Unkown

2011-01-05T21:45:00.001-05:00

I'm really not sure how to feel right now. I am excited, sad, terrified, overjoyed--my feelings are like a bowl of soup. I leave for the Philippines in less than two weeks and will be gone for many long months. The faces of family and friends will be only a memory; familiarity will be solely in my dreams. But this is something that I have always wanted to do. I have always wanted to live in a thatch-roof hut in the middle of the jungle. I wondered what it would be like to go for months on end with no electricity. Something deep down inside of me has secretly longed to know what it's like to "rough it" long term. Tough, I know this year will be. Everyone tells me that "this will be the hardest year of your life, but the best". There is no way to adequately prepare for what I will experience. I really have no idea what to expect. But I don't have to worry--although the path is ever so ambiguous, it could not be any clearer. God has led me this far and I know He will lead me through.

I have some goals for this year while I am in the Philippines which include:

Strive off of flexibility

Learn the Palawan language adequately

Read the Conflict of the Ages series by E. G. White from start to finish

Memorize the book of James in the Bible

Take part faithfully in 777 (7 days a week, at 7am & 7pm, pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit)

Experience an ever-deepening relationship with God

Be an instrument in leading one soul to Jesus

The song, "I Will Go" by Steve Green is my prayer and promise:

Give me ears to hear Your Spirit

Give me feet to follow through

Give me hands to touch the hurting

And the faith to follow You

Give me grace to be a servant

Give me mercy for the lost

Give me passion for Your glory

Give me passion for the cross

And I will go where there are no easy roads

Leave the comforts that I know

I will go and let this journey be my home

I will go

I'll let go of my ambition

Cut the roots that run too deep

I will learn to give away

What I cannot really keep

Help me see with eyes of faith

Give me strength to run this race

I will go Lord where Your glory is unknown

I will live for You alone

I will go because my life is not my own

I will go

My 3 Passions (Part 3) - Canvassing

2010-12-23T20:15:00.000-05:00

I had done it a little bit during high school at Oklahoma Academy and some at Southern. It wasn't bad--I knew it was an important work for people to do and believed it to be a valuable experience that everyone should have. I had done many valuable things during my summers and never felt a particular need or desire to canvass for a whole summer and honestly never thought I would.

It was nothing short of a miracle that I ended up doing Literature Evangelism for 9 weeks during the summer of 2010. I was a registered nurse and practically speaking, should have gotten a job around school and worked full time. Another good option would have been to work at Camp Cherokee for another summer. But God had different plans and new lessons to teach me.

A few weeks after school got out I found myself in the 100+ degree weather of Central California. The other canvassers in my team had already been at work for a week and had been getting lots of awesome training. Sleep had been sparse for the last couple nights, but as soon as the plane landed I was out in the field knocking on doors. Although I had canvassed a little bit before, I was very rusty. Exhausted and terrified, I began my summer of Colporteuring.

Bedtime never came soon enough, mornings always came too early. Devotions and prayer were a necessity--survival could not have occurred without them. Every day we would spend around 8 hours in the burning sun with doors being slammed in our faces, experiencing rejection after rejection. Short nights and long afternoons, there were times when I wondered if the summer would ever end.

There were definite challenges, but SO many blessings! What a beautiful thing to have hours every day to pray while walking. What can be better than to have a small taste of the rejection that Jesus went through while He was on this earth? If Jesus willingly suffered and died for our sins, what is it for us to have a few doors slammed in our face? It is awesome to work with a community of young people who have completely dedicated their summers to God. Nothing can replace the countless divine appointments, when you know without a shadow of doubt that God has led you to someone that is searching for light.

Tears of joy and feelings of inadequacy overwhelmed me after my highest day this summer. Every day I was reminded of my need for dependence on God and the impossibility of selling anything without His assistance. I had awesome leaders who trained and encouraged us, and great friends to work, sweat, laugh, cry, and pray with. I would not trade my summer of canvassing for anything. Canvassing changed my life.

My awesome canvassing team (minus a couple)

*A special thanks to the Krick family, Joe, Heidi, Jason, Fern, Amanda, Ashley, Deborah, and the rest of my amazing Clovis/Armona team.

My 3 Passions (Part 2) - Camp Cherokee

2010-12-10T10:16:00.002-05:00

"Jesus? Who's that? He's someone who died for me because He loved me? Why did He do that?" Tears streamed down her face. She could not comprehend the fact that someone loved her so much that He would die for her. There are so many children who have never heard the name of Jesus--who never knew that they were so special that someone would die for them.

Camp Cherokee is not just another summer camp. It is not just a place where kids come to have fun for a week. It is not just a convenient way for parents to have a break from their kids. It is not a place for staff to make lots of money to pay off their school bills. Camp Cherokee is a mission field where every day hearts are changed and spiritual commitments are made.

It all started my first year at Southern. A large portion of my friends started telling me about this wonderful camp in upstate New York that proactively seeks to paint a picture of Jesus for children. First of all, the kids get to enjoy riding horses, swimming, tubing, wake boarding, water skiing, doing archery, gymnastics, arts & crafts, learning about wilderness survival, cake decorating, and much more. Then, they get to learn about Jesus. The counselors have worships in their cabins every evening, there is chapel every morning and evening, there is a special program about the crucifixion of Jesus on Friday night, and a fun Sabbath activity unique from the rest of the week. For those who are interested, there is also the option of taking Bible studies during their stay.

I was blessed to spend the summers of 2008 and 2009 working as a counselor, wrangler, lifeguard, and boat driver at Camp Cherokee. My life was changed. The staff were awesome friends and had a special skill of uplifting each other spiritually. I got great experience disciplining kids, having fun with them, teaching them, and loving them.

What impacted me the most was seeing God work in the lives of my girls. Many kids would come to camp because they had to, but by the end of the week their lives were changed. Time after time I wouldn't know what to share for worship in the evening and God would give me just the right words. Girls heard the story of the cross for the first time. They made commitments to do right, and best yet, many of them gave their hearts to Jesus for the first time. Camp Cherokee changed my life.

My 3 Passions (Part 1) - Sanctuary

2010-11-28T18:37:00.002-05:00

After graduating from academy in 2006, God has worked in my life through thrilling avenues. There are three primary subjects that make my heart burn with excitement, probably because they have impacted my life so greatly.

The Sanctuary

The summers of 2006 and 2007 I worked with Messiah's Mansion, a life-size replica of the Mosaic Sanctuary. The Sanctuary travels all over the United States and has gone overseas on multiple occasions. I will have to say that working with the sanctuary is about at the top of the most difficult jobs I have ever done, yet one of the most rewarding. There were days when we would start work at 4 am and other days when we would not finish until after 11 pm. When rain storms would come, we would get up in shifts all throughout the night to go push the water off of the tents so they would not collapse. We would set up the Sanctuary, which took 900 man hours in the hot sun or in the freezing rain, whatever it happened to be. Tours lasted about 1.25 hours and I would give up to 4 tours a day, 7 days a week.

Young high school and college students would sleep on floors and work whole-heartedly for God all summer long. Our director would give extremely meaningful and inspiring worships that greatly impacted me. The greatest thing that changed my life and solidified me in my beliefs though, was giving tours. I spent months studying and preparing to share the Sanctuary message with people and as a result, my life was changed. Every time I would give a tour, the Holy Spirit would speak to my heart. It was impossible to expound on how our sins crucify the Lamb of God afresh and not be convicted to change my own life. I could not share with people about the work Jesus is doing now in the Most Holy Place and not be impressed with the nearness of His return and my need to be ready.

Those two summers of my life were filled with Bible study, friendship building, hard work, natural and spiritual storms, the excitement of people signing up for Bible studies, and a fulfillment that comes only from seeing people accept Jesus into their hearts. The Sanctuary message is a powerful, yet simple object lesson of God's plan of salvation. I would not trade my experience with Messiah's Mansion for anything--God changed my life and the lives of many others because of my work there.

In the Most Holy Place

Sanctuary Team Summer '07

Philippines

2010-11-11T10:12:00.002-05:00

Medical work. Cultural immersion. Companion. Minimal American influence. Language acquisition. Remote. Jungle. God has put desire in my heart. God has opened doors in miraculous ways. I can't wait to see what He is going to teach me this next year while Allie & I are in Palawan.

Heaven is Cheap Enough

2010-08-22T21:23:00.000-04:00

Yelled at. Ignored. Doors slammed. Rejected. Literature evangelism is a very difficult work and there are many moments when you wonder why you are knocking on doors trying to sell books to cold, hateful, and sometimes even ferocious people.

Answered prayers. Divine appointments. Angels at the doors. More and more students are having experiences where people at the door see their angel by their side. From canvassing in Central California last summer there have already been 10 baptisms that we know about. From canvassing this summer there has already been one person baptized. I personally know about one family to whom I sold some books that want to visit the Spanish SDA church.

The challenges of canvassing are what make this work such a life-altering, character-developing experience. The miracles are what keep you going when all you want to do is get in the car and go home. I am so thankful that God led me to Central California to knock on doors this summer. In spite of the rejection and difficult times, I saw God using me in mighty ways to reach the people of CA, as well as changing my own heart.

"Those who give evidence that they are truly converted, and who take up the canvassing work, will see that it is the best preparation for other lines of missionary labor." -CM 57

My statistics from canvassing this summer:

Total working days: 41

Total books sold: 689

Lowest day: 7 books

Highest day: 44 books

Average books per day for 1st half of summer: 11

Average books per day for 2nd half of summer: 21

Health books: 73

Kids books: 131

Message books: 485

Great Controversy: 73

Steps to Christ: 108

Desire of Ages: 34

Christ Object Lessons: 34

Your Pet & Your Health: 12

Final Events DVD: 131

Ancient Dream (Daniel 2) DVD: 93

English material: 49% of sales

Spanish material: 19% of sales

Multi-language material (DVDs): 32% of sales

Here are the students from the four programs in Central California. The orange(ish) shirts are from my program based out of Clovis & Armona.

Canvassing

2010-06-30T13:08:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple experiences I had one day this summer. Don't mind the poor writing, I just typed them up quickly when I had a few minutes.

June 21, 2010

Today I had some awesome experiences canvassing. The firstdoor I went to a young man answered. I started off by showing him one of theDVDs, of which he was not really interested. We started talking and he told mehow he grew up in a Christian home but was now an agnostic. He was interestedin studying a variety of things, so he had actually studied some bibleprophecy. I told him how awesome it was that he had such an open mind and howhe would really enjoy the Daniel 2 DVD. He decided to get it, and come to findout, he was only a junior in high school.

A little later on, there was a lady walking into her homefrom her garage. I canvassed her and although she was not interested in thebooks, she invited me inside to get some water. I went in and chatted for awhile and showed her a couple of the books and DVDs while in the process. Shegrew up in a Christian home and valued Christianity, but was not interested ingoing to church or being religious as far as going to church. Her mom had givenher many Christian books which she had never read. A few minutes later someoneknocked and there were two of her guy friends there to visit. I chatted withthem for a little while and then they asked me what I was doing. I told themwhat I was doing and asked each of them about their religious background. Onehad a Buddhist mom, but neither of them were into religion. I showed them theDVDs and two tried to convince the other one to get it for the movie night thathe wanted to do. He didn’t have any money, but I suggested that he ask hisfriends and the other guy was reallyimpressed with the presentation that I had given and he said, “Man, you soldme! That was awesome.” So they all ended up pitching in $5 for the DVD to watchduring for their movie night. I found out during the conversation that theyknew each other because they are drinking buddies.

SEYC Summer of Evangelism

2010-06-25T22:31:00.002-04:00

My summer began with five weeks of intensive Bible work training in Atlanta, GA with SEYC Summer of Evangelism. We prayed, studied, did outreach, went to evangelistic meetings, ate, slept, played, and studied some more.

The first of our classes was Bible Doctrines where we learned not only how to defend our doctrines, but were required to memorize 10 verses on them each week. The second class was Bible Work, where we learned how to personalize and give Bible studies, and lead people to make decisions for Christ. Lastly, we were blessed to have Biblical Spirituality class where we were given ideas and methods to deepen our personal relationship with God. In the evenings we would either go door-to-door inviting people to the evangelistic meetings that took place on the weekends or visit those who were already attending.

I can honestly say that I was blessed immensely during that five-week period of time, and although I still have much to learn, I am far more prepared to share my faith with others.

Journal Excerpt

2010-03-19T11:38:00.004-04:00

1045 March 6, 2010 Haitian Emergency Room. Port Au Prince.

Working in the ER when 2 men came running in with a young boy dressed in a uniform. Gunshot wound--that's all we knew. He was limp. Everyone began working on him, cutting off his shirt, starting IV's, taking VS. He was going in to shock. His 02 sat was low, blood pressure decreasing, heart rate sky high. We've got to get him in to surgery. At one point he opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Maybe he really didn't get shot and is fine. No, he's not fine. He struggled while we were putting his IV in. Go find a surgeon. There was a surgeon ready to do surgery. Family must go find someone to donate B+ blood. They went quickly. We rushed the patient to the OR and at this time were giving him respirations. He still had a faint pulse. I was praying that God would save his life and that the family would bring blood soon.

The gun shot went in his left front upper quadrant and out of his back right lower quadrant. It went through part of his lung, kidney, liver, and intestines. He was a security personnel and, as I found out later, had been playing around with one of his friends when shot.

One nurse was bagging the patient and I helped with other tasks such as hanging IV fluids, running errands, and taking notes. "He's not going to make it", sounded about. I kept praying. They put a chest tube in him. Two surgeons cut open his abdomen to drain the accumulated blood and find the bullet. The other nurse asked me, "Are you going to be ok? He's not going to make it." I nodded. Tears welled up in my eyes. They continued to fight for his life. In my short nursing experience I had not yet had a patient die. I know it's part of being in the medical profession. Death should never be easy, though.

Was this young man ready to die? Did he know Jesus? Prayers were running through my head. My last documentation for this patient: 1203 Dead.

:D

2010-02-03T16:27:00.001-05:00

Shama Eller, RN

Prayers Appreciated

2010-01-27T20:14:00.003-05:00

National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). Monday, February 1, 2010 at 0800. To be, or not to be. That is the question.

My Life

2009-11-06T15:50:00.003-05:00

My life. My dream. My fear.

Triathlon

2009-10-16T11:56:00.003-04:00

Event Time (Rank)

Swim 17:33 (5)
Bike 1:03:58 (10
Run 34:21 (8)
Overall 1:59:25 (7th for my age group, 150th overall)

Cherokee

2009-08-06T15:32:00.002-04:00

Cherokee is an amazing place. Christy put everything in such a beautiful way I will just give you a link to read her post, which is not only how she feels about camp, but is the sentiments of the other staff as well.

Practicum (Day #10)

2009-06-23T07:29:00.003-04:00

Practicum (Day # 1)

2009-05-31T19:10:00.008-04:00

WFR

2009-05-25T10:01:00.011-04:00

"Hello, hello! Can you hear me? If you can hear me
squeeze my fingers.... *Pinch*... She's not responding.
She's not breathing. No pulse. Let's start CPR."

After just completing a 3 credit-hour Wilderness
First Responder class that was every day for 9 days
from 0800 to 1800 plus a couple evening classes, I
am ready to jump any time there seems to be a
problem. It was an amazing class that I immensely
enjoyed.

Wilderness rescue was what we learned about--what
to do when you are weeks away from civilization.
We started with the most basic medical care, to doing
everything possible to keep your patient alive after
suffering from major trauma, environmental or medical
problems. We practiced doing assessments, performing
BLS (Basic Life Support), cleaning wounds, putting
joints back in place, tractioning broken bones, making
splints, making backboards, ruling out spinal cord
injuries, when to start/when to stop CPR, transporting
patients, and the list goes on...

The awesome thing about the class was that we learned
how to use resources that you would have with you
while in the wilderness, like paddles, tent poles,
backpacks, ropes, mattresses, webbing, etc.

I will have to admit that although I do feel much more
prepared, I'm a little bit apprehensive. Now I have a
better understanding of how to save lives, and I will
be expected to use it. I am accountable to use the
skills I have acquired.

The thought crossed my mind while taking this class,
I have skills to potentially save someone's life. What if
I am in the wilderness and come across someone
dying, will I say, "That's too bad" and walk by on the
other side? Of course not. But what if I meet someone
who is dying spiritually? Do I just say, "I hope
someone helps them!" and keep on walking?
I have the ability to possibly save their life--what
am I going to do about it?

Lost someone you love?

2009-03-28T19:08:00.005-04:00

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." -Revelation 21:4

2009-03-23T20:28:00.001-04:00

SURVIVAL

2009-02-26T09:10:00.003-05:00

I survived Adult Health 2!!! YAY! I'm elated, euphoric, ecstatic, etc., etc. Thanks be first to God who strengthened me, gave me endurance and understanding. Secondly, thanks to all those who prayed for and supported me. Happy Spring Break!

Formatting

2009-02-19T17:38:00.001-05:00

Forgivemyrunonparagraphs.ThisblogalwaysclumpseverythingtogetherandIdon'tknowhowtofixit.

Caving paper I had to do for class...

2009-02-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

It was a cold, dense darkness that surrounded her. She could not see her hand in front of her face. She shivered and her teeth chattered as she clambered through the mire. Her blood turned cold when she heard a shrill screech in the distance; a chill ran up and down her spine. She started slipping and collapsed to the ground. A stabbing pain shot through her arm. Tears were streaming down her face. Where was she? Should she go straight or turn around? Or maybe she should take the path to the left? Disoriented, cold, and miserable, she felt hopeless. Would she ever get out of that dark dungeon?
There are many people in this world that feel just like the girl above. They are in a world that, to them, is dark and cold. They feel alone and afraid. As they look around, they cannot see even a glimmer of hope. In pain, they clamber through the darkness, hoping to find some kind of light. They do not know what to do. Which way should they go? Depressed, discouraged, and miserable, they wonder if they will ever see light.
There are many different kinds of lights that can be used for caving. There are calcium carbide lights, incandescent lights, halogen lights, LED lights, and HID lights. Each of them have pros as well as cons, but most importantly, each of them emit light. Some are bigger than others, some stronger than others, but none of them are as effective and efficient as the sun.
As Christians, we are to be lights in this world of darkness. God has given each of us different strengths to use for Him. Some may seem like better witnesses than others, but in actuality, each of God’s children can use their talents to reach someone different. The greatest light of all, though, is the Son of God; when people look at Jesus they will be transformed. It is the small lights that help lead those that are lost to the Son.
Sirens sounded and search teams were on their way. The tracks they saw outside the cave were a indication that the girl had entered there. Finally, as they climbed deep into the cave, they heard whimpers from a corner and found the hypothermic girl in shock laying in the mud. The rescuers were able to get her to the hospital just in time. Only a few minutes more and she would not have survived.
People are dying in darkness all around us—are we searching for them, or just leaving them to die? What if that young girl was our friend or family member? Endemic darkness and discouragement penetrate our world. Light is needed. Will we be the light to lead those in darkness to the Son of Righteousness?

ER Clinicals

2009-02-09T11:59:00.011-05:00

“Get away from me! You leave me alone! Nobody is putting anything in my mouth until the law gets here!” She thought we were all part of a gang that was out to get her. Confused and combative, it took two people to hold her down just so an IV and catheter could be put in her.

A short time later another lady came in to the emergency room crying her eyes out and yelling at everyone, telling them not to hurt her. She had overdosed.

“Code blue SICU, Code blue SICU” was announced over the loud speaker. My sympathetic nervous system kicked in and I eagerly requested that I be allowed to go to the surgical intensive care unit to participate in the care of the client who was having a cardiac arrest. My request granted, I quickly made my way to the unit and found the room full of nurses and doctors trying desperately to save a life. After doing chest compressions and intubation, shocking the patient, and injecting CNS stimulators, they finally found a pulse and got the patient stable.

Involvement in the above situations, starting my first IV on a patient, putting catheter number four in, and meeting friends of my family were just a few of the highlights of my ER experience. I must say nothing is so rewarding as helping those in need. Are we, as Christians, working as nurses in the emergency room of life, helping those in need all around us?

Family

2008-12-19T13:36:00.000-05:00

2008-10-31T13:34:00.001-04:00

It was a miracle--Olivia was bored, Emily had just finished a nursing test, Shama didn't have mounds of studying to do, and Temple wasn't swamped--all at the same time! But now what? They decided to venture onto the unknown ground of what some people would call "town". This was an extremely foreign place to them, but with the support of each other, they clammered shakily into a car and made their way down the road to "town". After sweaty palms, knocking knees, and much stronger abs, these foursome made it to the safety of their dorm rooms a couple hours later and enjoyed a wonderful night in new pajama pants!

"Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them." Psalms 126:2

Triathlon

2008-10-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

Event Time (Rank)

Swim 15:58 (4)

Bike 1:05:17 (8)

Run 33:15 (1)

Overall 1:58:19 (5th for my age group, 117th overall)

Mountains

2008-09-29T15:46:00.009-04:00

"I can do all things through Christ

which strengtheneth me." -Phil. 4:13

My Life

2008-09-09T19:38:00.008-04:00

Blog? What's that?

You mean nursing?

Everyday

2008-06-17T13:52:00.001-04:00

Everyday I look for beautiful sunsets...

Moss to sleep on...

And most importantly, God's will for my life.

Work

2008-05-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

I frantically read my book, CLEP Human Growth & Development because I felt left out... Everyone else was out working in the field and I was missing out! With a CLEP test coming up in a week, I had to study. So I read as fast as my little eyes could go and as soon as I finished, I ran the 1/4 mile to work. Thrilled just to be outside, I ran down the slight decline to those who were pushing brush into the bucket of the tractor and whoop! My feet flew out from under me and there I was--sitting on the ground. The pain was minimal, but I glanced down at my hand and noticed some cutaneous membrane out of place with a semi-deep crevice beneath. Being a nursing student, I concluded that I best return to the house and clean it up. Jumping in the truck I drove home and had, what I thought was, a decently clean wound in a jiffy. The day progressed nicely and a few hours later I was enjoying analyzing the lesion, but it just didn't look clean enough. With the assistance of a needle, I came to the conclusion that there was granite in my hand. I tried a few times to coax it out, but to no avail. Then my dad and a few other people started squeezing, pinching, pushing, poking, and many other painful procedures on my hand. Finally, with some tweezers, they pulled the rock out of my hand. Of course, this whole time we sterilized our tools like good Microbiology students. One thing I would not recommend is sterilizing a tool and not giving sufficient time for it to cool... My dad tried that, and I think it hurt worse than everything else put together.

Before surgery...

After procedure...

Discovered to be the best way to keep a charcoal poultice on.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strenght is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Road Trip, cont.

2008-05-24T23:04:00.000-04:00

I thought you all might enjoy witnessing the other roadtrip participant's feeble attempts at the badgerbadgerbadger chant...

Road Trip

2008-05-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

Two weeks later and we are yet alive... Enjoying the beauty Blue Mountains of Washington Grand Canyon I'm not sure who were more scared... The guys or the girls! :)

For more information go to badgerbadgerbadger.com.

Greatness

2008-04-28T17:41:00.000-04:00

"The real greatness of the man (and woman) is measured by the power of the feelings that he controls, not by those that control him." ~Patriarch & Prophets 568

Lepers of today

2008-04-11T21:15:00.000-04:00

Four forty-five came early. The birds were yet in bed and my body thought I should be, too. Another morning of clinicals had arrived and we had to be up before the break of dawn to go to Chattanooga. I was able to crack my eyelids open enough to receive an important lesson that I will never forget. It came from a delightful book entightled "The Desire of Ages" by the inspiring author, Ellen G. White.

My reading started off on page 262 by saying, "Of all diseases known in the East the leprosy was most dreaded. Its incurable and contagious character, and its horrible effect upon its victims, filled the bravest with fear..." It continues about lepers and specificly one that was guided to Jesus. About him it says, "He was a loathsome spectacle. The disease has made frightful inroads, and his decaying body is horrible to look upon. At sight of him the people fall back in terror. They crowd upon one another in their eagerness to escape from contact with him. Some try to prevent him from approaching Jesus, but in vain..." Pressing to Jesus he cast himself at His feet and cried out that if Jesus would, He could make him clean. Jesus replied, "I will; be thou clean," and laid His hand upon him (Matt. 8:3).

At six-thirty Kindred Hospital welcomed us with bright lights. As a result of some challenges with our clinical instructor, I had the privilege of following the wound care nurses around. One particular patient stands out in my mind more than most. The nurses told me about him, and when we finally entered his room, I could sense that something was different. It was not the lighting. It wasn't the furniture or the arrangement of things. Something was different in my mind. I felt somewhat closed toward this patient and didn't really feel like assisting as I had previously. I tried to smile and be kind, but I was afraid to get too close. Why? Simply because this patient had AIDS.

When clinicals were over and I had time to think over the day, my morning devotions really hit home. In Jesus' day everyone was afraid of lepers and would not dare to go near them. One such outcast came to Jesus to be healed, and not only did Jesus speak kindly to him, but Matthew 8:3 says that He "laid His hand upon him." Do we have such a deep love for our fellow man as Jesus has for each of us dirty sinners? How can we learn to love with the unfailing love of our Savior?

Holland!

2008-03-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, How are you doing? Things are going great here in Holland. We have been staying each night in an old castle here. It is really really cool. I’m staying in a room with 7 other girls. One night I went exploring w/a few guys and kinda illegally got into some places. Pretty exciting! We have had 2 concerts and been site seeing a couple times in Haarlem, Amsterdam, and Leiden. We are going today to see more of Amsterdam*. Wednesday we are going to move on to another place to stay. We travel everywhere in 2 buses and have had some exciting rides with STORY TIME! Not quite like the Sanctuary story time, but it is good anyway. It seems like I am dropping and breaking everything! Ok, well only 2 things…. My cell phone broke into 2 pieces in the airport and I dropped my metronome and it doesn’t work now, although I think it’s fixable. I’ll tell you more about the trip when I get home, b/c I don’t have long. I’ll try to call sometime but the lady with the cell phone left this morning but maybe her husband is keeping it here, I’m not sure.

*Ok so I tried to send this email before we left for Amsterdam, but couldn’t get the internet to work. We spent all day site seeing. It was quite an adventure. We first went to an art museum and saw all kinds of paintings by famous people such as Rembrandt and Vameer or something like that. Lol anyway then 3 other girls and I got lunch and froze (it was very cold today, I wish I would have worn my long-johns!) as we walked along to meet up w/some other of our group at Ann Frank’s house. I think that was my favorite place to see. It really made me think about how important it is to have a walk with God, because some day very soon we could have to hide because of our faith. It also went along very well with what I read in Desire of Ages this morning. I was reading about John the Baptist and how he had been proclaiming Jesus’ coming and preaching about Him and everything, but when he was in prison for a while he began to doubt. It is so important to really have something to base your faith off of, otherwise you will not be able to stand through hard times. John kept remembering the prophecies and when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove and that helped him to keep his faith.

Food here is good—especially if you like bread…. LOTS of it! That is pretty much what we eat. It is nice to get to a market sometimes and get some fruit or something, but I know I will be more than ready for a good salad when I get home. We’ve also been having some fun playing hacky sack (spell?) and throwing Frisbees. It’s too bad that I’m not recording all my exercise for Fitness for Life class, because we walk enormous amounts every day. Oh well….

I would write more, but tomorrow we are going to tour in Belgium and so I need to get some good rest. J God bless you all. You are in my prayers. Laurel wanted me to tell you that she didn’t die, and neither has anyone else! Yay. See ya!

~Shama

Fun?

2008-02-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

A group of nursing students were gathered together one evening to practice/learn some skills. One of the skills that they were learning about was how to insert an NG tube. NG tubes are long tubes that reach from the nose to the stomach and are used for such things as eating (for those incapable of doing so through their mouth).

It has been said by a famous nurse, "I would let alot of my classmates give me shots that I wouldn't let put an NG tube down me!" It was recommended to practice this procedure on a manikin, but three slightly nonsensical students wanted their classmates to practice on them! The following video is one of those students enjoying the experience.

(The laughter is a result of the expressions on the faces of the classmates. The "patient" said, "if you could have seen their faces, you would have laughed, too!" The crying is simply from the lacrimal gland being stimulated.)

A Strong Woman vs. a Woman of Strength

2008-01-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape;
A woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything;
A woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her;
A woman of strength gives her best to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes & avoids the same in the future;
A woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings & capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure footedly;
A woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face;
A woman of strength wears grace.

~Anonymous (At least I don't remember who wrote it... We were blessed to have this posted in the girls' dorm "Grapevine" a couple weeks ago and unfortunately that paper is now in in file 13.)

When I Grow Up...

2008-01-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

“¡Maestra, maestra, venga aquí pronto!” The students ran frantically toward the other thatched-roof hut, crying loudly for their teacher. Hearing the shrill cries, Fawna stepped outside, only to be repulsed by the sight that met her eyes. A chill ran up and down her spine and her mind began to spin—what should she do? Writhing on the ground not far from her hut was a fellow staff member. Although it seemed like ages, it was merely a matter of seconds before Fawna was by Ruan’s side with her first aid kit, assessing the injury. Many of the staff and students had been playing soccer in the field when suddenly, while proceeding to run after the ball, Ruan landed on a large piece of rebar which punctured his foot and was only millimeters from protruding out the other side. It was a result of nursing school combined with many earnest prayers that Fawna was able to properly care for the wound.

Caring for people and helping them in any way possible is a burden that is heavy on my heart. It grieves me to see someone hurting and not be able to ease their pain. It is not only my desire to ease physical pain, but also spiritual. Ellen G. White says in Testimonies, Vol. 7, p. 59 that “Medical missionary work is the right hand of the gospel. It is necessary to the advancement of the cause of God. As through it men and women are led to see the importance of right habits of living, the saving power of the truth will be made known. Every city is to be entered by workers trained to do medical missionary work.” My life aspirations are first to help people with their health and then to help save their souls. I believe that God is calling me to take nursing and it is with this degree that I will best be able to do my part to hasten His coming.