Life's Little Reminders

Last night was one of the hardest nights I've had since being on the island. I had my usual Friday: class most of the day, volleyball in the afternoon, dinner with friends, studying until bedtime. I generally study in a building near my apartment. I got home around 7:30, hopped in the shower and then was off to dinner. I went straight to the study building after dinner and stayed there until 11:55. This is the routine I've had since August of last year...with no problem. Last night was the change. I walked into my room and turned on the light to find that someone had broken into my apartment.

One wall of my apartment is made of wooden slats that open to allow for air flow. This is typical architecture for the Caribbean I assume. There is a large screen (like any normal window screen) outside the slats to keep mosquito's out when the windows are open. I walked into a giant section of the slats missing. Apparently whoever wanted to get into my room had cut a large rectangle of the screen away and then broken the metal clasps on the slats. They were quite neat crooks because they took the time to stack all of the wooden slats nicely in a chair that was on my patio. I was very lucky that I was not involved, such as being home at the time, as well as nothing was taken from my apartment. Luckily I had most of my valuables with me and the ones that were in the room were not in plain view. I was mortified and basically completely freaked out at the fact that someone had come into my room, or even that it was possible.

I spent the day today moving apartments to a room without the slats (simply because it makes me feel more safe). While I was moving, I kept thinking to myself...I can't believe this happened. However my thoughts were quickly turned away from the unfortunate event to the good fortune that God had blessed me with. Yes, someone broke into my apartment and caused some damage to the window unit. However, and I think most importantly, I was and am completely unharmed and safe. Materialistically, I didn't lose anything in the event. Unfortuanately a guy that lives two doors down from me was also robbed and lost his computer and iPod, please keep him in your prayers as he is trying to deal with all of this, on top of the loss of all his school work that would've been on his computer.

I was listening to some music that Chris, my fiance had recorded and emailed to me tonight while I was trying to get things straight in my new apartment. At the end of one of the songs, he goes into a song that most people know, but rarely take to heart...it really hit home with me as I was thinking about all that has happened since last night...

"Jesus loves me, this I know...for the Bible tells me so....little ones to Him belong...they are weak, but He is strong...Yes, Jesus loves me....Yes, Jesus loves me...for the Bible tells me so..."

Not only does the Bible tell me of God's love for me, but Jesus Himself shows it to me in the most miraculous ways. Obviously my first thought wasn't..."oh goody, what's God trying to teach me through this experience"...that would just be un-human. However, now that I've had time to think about it and God has really been speaking to me, I can only thank Him for the grace and protection he sent my way last night. I pray that God takes care of the people that were affected by last nights events, for the men/women that broke into my (and other people's) apartment last night. I pray that God finds some way to get through to them and completely rock their world the way He has mine!!!

The Key to Medical School

So yesterday was the first day of my third semester (start of second year) of medical school. The first two semesters were challenging but fun. They covered classes like anatomy, physiology, histology, and biochemistry...all subjects I have covered in undergrad. However semester 3 marks new territory, or "a whole new can of worms" as my dear friend Suma often says. We are now studying pathology (basically the study of when normal things in your body become abnormal), MMI (microbiology, molecular biology, and immunology), pharmacology (the study of drugs), and behavioral science (basically physciatry and how to interact with your patients). I'll be honest, pharmacology absolutely freaks me out. However, I just have to force myself to stay on top of it all, which I plan to do. Anyway, enough about that...

I often have people ask me for my advice or opinion on things that I have already gone through here. Apart from the usual academic answers, I find that there is one major key to medical school (for me at least...)...which is a solid group of friends. There is a group of 5 or 6 girls that I surround myself with as much as possible. It's amazing the impact they can have on the situations we all face here. Each of them brings something different to the table....

My best friend here on the island, Michelle, just got in today. We've only known each other since the end of first semester, a mere 7 months ago or so, but we became fast friends. I know that I can go to her for whatever I need help with and she'll always be there for me, but my favorite thing is our ability to laugh at some of the most ridiculous things.

Suma is a tricky one. We have been in the same PBL (problem-based learning) group for both semester 1 and 2. She was actually the only person I associated with from my groups on a regular basis. At first, I thought she was JUST a sweet girl with a very deep heart. No matter what I came to her with, she always found the positive in the situation and encouraged me. I've now come to learn of her comical side with her quick wit (especially with Diana). Suma if you read this, please don't get mad about the picture...we kknow you have no problem with your mandible, but I need more pictures!

Mary (unfortunately not in the picture) brings some northern spice. She shares a great passion for sports, particularly football with her, but still. I always enjoy her stories from home...but mostly I like to remember the time she saved me from Angelman....TWICE! :)

Diana (mentioned in Suma's blurb)....oh "double d"...there aren't really words to explain this girl from northwest Arkansas. She's absolutely hysterical and someone I find a true joy to be around. She shares my love for sarcasm and we often tend to spark each other in that direction. While I love Mary's stories, I love to WATCH Diana tell her stories with her infamous hand gestures as she explains.

Steph is my favorite Canadian girl ever. She has such a sweet spirit and always wants to help people. I admire her determination to any task she puts her mind to. She has competed in ironman competition, which I find absolutely astounding and something she should be incredibly proud of. One day I might be able to keep up with her when we run :)

So I'm sure that most people that read this haven't and probably never will be able to meet these 5 incredible women. However, I can tell you, that if just some of their attributes rub off on me during the course of our friendship, I will most certainly be a better person for it! I love each and every one of them dearly!...but for now I'm gonna run...time for dinner..with the girls!!!

Holy Mother's Day!!!

First, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mother's that read this (I LOVE YOU MADRE!!!). I honestly think that you have one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Motherhood is quite a ways off for me, but it is an experience I look forward to.

I have to say that I have been completely blown away by thing things God has allowed to happen in the life of my church recently. I attend NewSpring church (www.newspring.cc CHECK IT OUT!!!). I was able to be at home ( on break from school) April 24th through May 7th. During that time I was able to attend NewSpring live at the Greenville campus twice. I'm not usually an overly emotional person, but when God allows us to be part of his miracles, I just can't help it. I've completely boo-hoo-ed (I think I just made that a word...) my way through the past three Sunday's (including today's service which I watched live online). The church is currently in a series called "The Gospel". The whole reason NewSpring exists is to make the name of Jesus Christ famous, one life at a time....so what better way to do that than to simply preach the gospel. During this series over 1,000 people have given their life to Christ...OVER ONE THOUSAND!!!! THAT IS GOD'S WORK! I'll be the first to say that NewSpring is an AMAZING church and it is led and filled with people of God that are willing to get out of the way to let God have his way, but these 1,000+ people have nothing to do withthe church, or the people "running the show". WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD and it is only because of Him that these 1,000+ people will be forever His! I started thinking about what 1,000+ people looked like. I'm a visual learner however, so I had a hard time picturing that. So here's the best I could come up with...with each dot representing a person that will now be spending eternity in Heaven: ......................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................
that is 1,000 dots, so there were actually more than that. I know the dots are small and this may seem insignificant, but just try to think of that small dot as a person, maybe a friend or family member. I just can't get over the things that God is doing THROUGH our church!!!

Mother's Day is always a day I look forward to at my church. As I already mentioned, I sat watching the NewSpring service on their live web campus this morning at 11:15 and wept. I can't begin to explain the impact this message had. I highly encourage that you go watch the service (www.newspring.cc just click on the "join us online" tab on the right, the next live service will be at 6 p.m. tonight, or you can get the messages for free on iTunes podcast!) The best way to describe the service was a spin from the hit t.v. show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. NewSpring gave a home to a single mother and her 6 year old son. The mother was truely working hard to give her son the best in life. She was working, going to school to further her education so that she could have enough money to one day send her son to college. But with all the struggles, the home wasn't high on the priority list. So tons of volunteers from the church came together and made this house a home for the lady and her son in just 8 weeks. Also, the church gave the mother a scholarship for her education expenses and started a scholarship fund for her son. That wasn't all! Not only did this dream become a reality for this family, but also for another lady in the church. She was also a single mom with a daughter. This lady was in a similar situation, working, going to school, and volunteering at NewSpring. The mother and her daughter had been living with her parents for over two years. The church found her this amazing apartment so that they could have a place of their own. She also received a car, and the church paid off her $7,000 or so debt that she had desperately been trying to get rid of. Like I said, these words aren't enough to fully appreciate it, so I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

The look on the faces of these women, such gratefullness, I believe is what brought me to tears. However, it wasn't that they were necessarily so grateful to the volunteers (although I know they were extremely grateful to them as well), but it was their love for Christ. They recognized that they did not deserve any of this, but it was given to them anyway. That is the story of every Christians life. Not a single one of us deserves the grace and forgiveness of Christ, but He gives it to us anyway. It's something that still, after being a Christian for around 14 years, absolutely blows my mind. I'm so pumped up writing this, so I hope that some of it made sense...Glory to God for the phenomenal work that is being done through NewSpring Church...I'm so grateful to be a part of these miracles!!! And the best part is...I know God is just getting started!!!!!!

A Day to Remember...

April 28th is a day that will be printed in my memory as one of the greatest and most memorable days of my life. It was on that evening that Chris, my boyfriend of almost 3 years, asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I've been asked to tell this story numerous times, so I figured it was worthy of putting on here...I'm generally a horrible storyteller, but I'll do my best. Also, the words I use won't do justice to the actually event, but it's what I have for now :)

Chris led a Bible study on campus during college. It always met in the Sullivan builidng, so he told me that he ws going to have his last one and he really wanted me to be there...of course I wasn't going to miss it because I knew it was really important to him. So...I got dressed in my usual comfy clothes, holey jeans and plain white T with a long scarf and flip flops and headed over to campus. When I got there I walked in and there were rose petals all over the floor that led into the main room. By then, I was pretty sure what was going on... :) So I walked into the main room where the "bible study" was supposed to be. I walked in to find Chris sitting on the stage with his guitar. He asked me to sit in a chair that he had put in front of the stage. There was a table beside the chair with a box of tissues (just incase) and a huge bouquet of daisies (my favorite!). I jokingly told him that he lied to me and that this wasn't the typical bible study...although I wasn't complaining! ;) So I sat down with this huge grin on my face...he has put together a slide show. It ended up being around 90 slides from the first picture we had ever taken together all the way up to pictures of us dancing at Beth's (one of my best friends) wedding three days before. While the slideshow was playing he played 3 songs on his guitar, "Tangled up in you" by Stained..."Steady As We Go" (which is pretty much the best song ever at describing our relationship) by Dave Matthews Band, and "God of this City", which we both absolutely LOVE! So he sang those songs, the slideshow ended...he walked down from the stage to where I was and said "and there's one more thing..." and he dropped down to one knee, told me he loved me very much and asked me to marry him! :) :) :) :) :) of course i gave him a huge hug and a kiss...after which he looked at me and was like...."so....?"...so then i realized that i never technically answered his question! so I said yes as he was still holding my GORGEOUS ring...which he reminded me he bought for me and that yes, i could have it....haha...i just got so caught up in the question and the moment that i forgot about the ring and the answer...after all of the hugs and kisses we packed his stuff up and met my parents and his at Sullivan's downtown....it certainly was an amazing night!!

the ring is amazing...he worked with a jeweler and had it built...the center stone was his great grandmother's and is over 200 years old...special touches and all of his sneaky but special planning made it the most amazing proposal i could have ever dreamed of...the text of this message can't really express how awesome it was, but hopefully it'll give you so sort of an idea...

i'm in love with the most amazing man i've ever met...and one day, i'll get to call him my husband! :)