What a fantastic performance--talk about total domination of the game. Now if Bama plays that well come November 29...oh, a girl can dream, can't she?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
And So It Begins...
What a fantastic performance--talk about total domination of the game. Now if Bama plays that well come November 29...oh, a girl can dream, can't she?
Friday, August 29, 2008
Attention, Fellow Problem Solvers!
Keep in mind that solving people's problems is really a secondary battle where you may not be able to help. The primary battle is to know God well. Don't get so caught up in people's problems that you lose sight of a simple truth: Every problem is an opportunity to know God better. Think more about how people's problems are influencing their relationship to God; think less about how you might be able to help them solve their problems. Don't confuse secondary problems with the primary one.
--Connecting by Larry Crabb (pg. 152-153)
--Connecting by Larry Crabb (pg. 152-153)
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Gossip Girls (and Boys)
There's some rampant gossip going on at my office right now, and I'm getting pretty fed up with it. I have to admit, many times I've fallen prey to the temptation to indulge in it. I often think about the verse in Proverbs about gossip being like choice morsels--as delightful as the gossip may seem at the time, I'm often left with a stomachache afterward.
I'm trying to avoid being a part of the gossip, both on the speaking end as well as the listening end, but that's easier said than done, especially when some of those engaging in the gossip are some of your closest co-workers. So what's the best way to avoid gossip in tight quarters? Should I speak up and admonish co-workers to not do it? Or should I just walk away when it starts to happen?
I'm trying to avoid being a part of the gossip, both on the speaking end as well as the listening end, but that's easier said than done, especially when some of those engaging in the gossip are some of your closest co-workers. So what's the best way to avoid gossip in tight quarters? Should I speak up and admonish co-workers to not do it? Or should I just walk away when it starts to happen?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Lost and Found
When I walked into work this morning our receptionist surprised me by presenting me with one of my earrings. I'd lost it about a month ago. It wasn't a valuable earring, or even particularly sentimental, but I'd worn that set often and liked them, so I was disappointed when I discovered that I'd lost one.
I'd looked in my car and the office parking lot but had been unable to find it. Finally, I resigned myself to the thought that it was gone for good. I had no reason to believe that it would be found. And the one earring by itself was useless. Still, something kept me from tossing it. For some reason I kept it in my jewelry box. And when its long-lost mate was returned to me today, I was elated to remember that I'd kept the other earring and had a pair once again.
What makes this lost-and-found story special to me was the fact that, mere minutes before arriving at work today, I'd been praying about a particular matter that seems hopeless. I've prayed countless times about this matter, and it seems that little progress has been made, at least from my very limited point of view. At times I wonder why I still hold onto the hope that things will change in this situation, when there is no evidence to suggest that it will. But hope, I'm learning, is not a bad thing. I certainly don't want to hang onto false hope--but I think too often, the temptation is to give up hope altogether, learn to live with the status quo and not expecting change to take place. Just because the change may not occur on my timetable, does not mean that it won't happen at all.
I'm thankful that God used a small lost earring to remind me that He is in the business of restoration. Perhaps today I needed some encouragement to not be afraid to hope and to ask.
I'd looked in my car and the office parking lot but had been unable to find it. Finally, I resigned myself to the thought that it was gone for good. I had no reason to believe that it would be found. And the one earring by itself was useless. Still, something kept me from tossing it. For some reason I kept it in my jewelry box. And when its long-lost mate was returned to me today, I was elated to remember that I'd kept the other earring and had a pair once again.
What makes this lost-and-found story special to me was the fact that, mere minutes before arriving at work today, I'd been praying about a particular matter that seems hopeless. I've prayed countless times about this matter, and it seems that little progress has been made, at least from my very limited point of view. At times I wonder why I still hold onto the hope that things will change in this situation, when there is no evidence to suggest that it will. But hope, I'm learning, is not a bad thing. I certainly don't want to hang onto false hope--but I think too often, the temptation is to give up hope altogether, learn to live with the status quo and not expecting change to take place. Just because the change may not occur on my timetable, does not mean that it won't happen at all.
I'm thankful that God used a small lost earring to remind me that He is in the business of restoration. Perhaps today I needed some encouragement to not be afraid to hope and to ask.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Q&A about Guatemala
I'm back from the first of what I hope will be multiple mission trips to Clinica Ezell in Montellano, Guatemala. I'm exhilirated, exhausted, and extremely thankful that I convinced myself to take Monday off from work, as I'm in no shape to deal with the hundreds of emails that inevitably await my return to the office. I'd love to share so many things about my trip with you, but since I'm still brain fried at the moment, I'll just answer a few questions and share more later when I'm more coherent.
What did you do there? As one of the "Compassionate Support" people, I didn't have a definitive role (at least not compared to the surgeons and nurses, for instance). It was mostly a case of try to jump in and help out wherever possible. Some of the things I did included helping sterilize instruments for surgery, sorting and packaging vitamins and medicines to be given out, and helping to record vital stats on the patients in the recovery room. One of my favorite experiences was being able to go to one of the mobile clinics and observe exams. Thankfully I had a translator with me to help me understand the diagnoses. I recalled a fair amount of my high school Spanish, but not enough to carry on a conversation with a patient on my own.
What were the Guatemalan people like? To put it simply, they exemplified the word "gratitude". They expressed thanks to us for every little thing we did for them, no matter how seemingly insignificant. They taught all of us volunteers quite a lot about appreciating what we've been given. They were also extremely friendly and always greeted us and came around and said "adios" and "gracias" as they left the clinic.
How many volunteers were there? In addition to the 12 of us from our church, there were another 30 or so from all across the United States. It was a mix of surgeons, nurses, nurse anesthetists, translators, and other non-medical support. Including the full-time clinic staff, there were around 70 of us working at the clinic this past week, which made for some close quarters but also very good teamwork.
What kinds of surgeries were performed? Mostly hernia and cleft lip/palate repairs, with a few other surgeries such as cyst removals, ENT-related, etc. We saw patients as young as 3 months and as old as 81. In all, around 60 surgeries were performed.
What was the weather like there? Montellano is about 50 miles from the Pacific, and fairly humid and hot--I'd say upper 80s for the most part. However, with the exception of one day, it rained every afternoon we were there, cooling everything off and making for some very pleasant evenings. We spent Friday night in Antigua, which is more near the mountains, where the air was cooler and less humid, more like the high 70s during the day.
Did you have all the same modern conveniences of home there? For the most part, yes. We did have running water--and potable, filtered water, at that, at least at the clinic. (We couldn't drink the water at the hotel in Antigua.) We had electricity, and the hospital had a generator that kicked in the few times the electricity went out. One thing that we did not have that I definitely missed was air conditioning--the only places in the clinic that had A/C were the operating rooms and the sterilization room.
What was the food like? The food was great. The cooks there at the clinic outdid themselves. We had a variety of food--chicken, fish, even lasagna one night. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a different fresh fruit juice, including hibiscus tea, at every meal. With just about every meal, including breakfast, they served corn tortillas. They were good, but I think I had enough to last me quite a while. My favorite thing that they made was probably the homemade guacamole. Yum!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the experience? (asked by my friend Karla at church this morning) 25
Do you want to go back? Duh. Anyone care to join me?
What did you do there? As one of the "Compassionate Support" people, I didn't have a definitive role (at least not compared to the surgeons and nurses, for instance). It was mostly a case of try to jump in and help out wherever possible. Some of the things I did included helping sterilize instruments for surgery, sorting and packaging vitamins and medicines to be given out, and helping to record vital stats on the patients in the recovery room. One of my favorite experiences was being able to go to one of the mobile clinics and observe exams. Thankfully I had a translator with me to help me understand the diagnoses. I recalled a fair amount of my high school Spanish, but not enough to carry on a conversation with a patient on my own.
What were the Guatemalan people like? To put it simply, they exemplified the word "gratitude". They expressed thanks to us for every little thing we did for them, no matter how seemingly insignificant. They taught all of us volunteers quite a lot about appreciating what we've been given. They were also extremely friendly and always greeted us and came around and said "adios" and "gracias" as they left the clinic.
How many volunteers were there? In addition to the 12 of us from our church, there were another 30 or so from all across the United States. It was a mix of surgeons, nurses, nurse anesthetists, translators, and other non-medical support. Including the full-time clinic staff, there were around 70 of us working at the clinic this past week, which made for some close quarters but also very good teamwork.
What kinds of surgeries were performed? Mostly hernia and cleft lip/palate repairs, with a few other surgeries such as cyst removals, ENT-related, etc. We saw patients as young as 3 months and as old as 81. In all, around 60 surgeries were performed.
What was the weather like there? Montellano is about 50 miles from the Pacific, and fairly humid and hot--I'd say upper 80s for the most part. However, with the exception of one day, it rained every afternoon we were there, cooling everything off and making for some very pleasant evenings. We spent Friday night in Antigua, which is more near the mountains, where the air was cooler and less humid, more like the high 70s during the day.
Did you have all the same modern conveniences of home there? For the most part, yes. We did have running water--and potable, filtered water, at that, at least at the clinic. (We couldn't drink the water at the hotel in Antigua.) We had electricity, and the hospital had a generator that kicked in the few times the electricity went out. One thing that we did not have that I definitely missed was air conditioning--the only places in the clinic that had A/C were the operating rooms and the sterilization room.
What was the food like? The food was great. The cooks there at the clinic outdid themselves. We had a variety of food--chicken, fish, even lasagna one night. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a different fresh fruit juice, including hibiscus tea, at every meal. With just about every meal, including breakfast, they served corn tortillas. They were good, but I think I had enough to last me quite a while. My favorite thing that they made was probably the homemade guacamole. Yum!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the experience? (asked by my friend Karla at church this morning) 25
Do you want to go back? Duh. Anyone care to join me?
Friday, August 01, 2008
Mission Submission
My bags are (mostly) packed, all my chores are done, and soon I'll be turning in early for the night so I can get up before the crack of dawn tomorrow and head to the airport. It's hard to believe that after all these months of anticipation, tomorrow begins the adventure of my first mission trip. I'm feeling a combination of excitement and slight apprehension, mainly because I don't know yet exactly what my role will be there at the medical clinic. However, I have a feeling that once I get down there, check out the lay of the land and get my job assignments, I'll be more at ease.
A couple of weeks ago at our last mission team meeting, our mission leader asked us to share something that we hoped to accomplish on this trip. My answer was that I anticipated learning to be more submissive and more dependent on God. I'll be thrust into an unknown environment with people and customs that are new to me. I may get asked to do some chores that I don't particularly want to (or that intimidate me). After all, we'll be working in a medical clinic, and my medical knowlege stems largely from copious amounts of "ER", "MASH", and "Grey's Anatomy". I have a feeling that this week is going to provide plenty of opportunities for me to practice depending on God and being where He wants me to be, doing whatever He wants me to do.
Of course, I know that this is just one of the things that I will learn on this mission trip. I'm excited about the bonds that will be formed over the next week, both with my teammates as well as with the people of Guatemala. I'm looking forward to soaking in a new culture and atmosphere. I'm eager to capture in words and pictures the amazing sights I'll see.
Most of all, I'm ready to see the many ways that God will be working through each of us. Although we are being sent to minister and be a blessing to others, I know that they will in turn bless us greatly. Lord willing, I'll return in a week and be able to share some of these experiences with you.
A couple of weeks ago at our last mission team meeting, our mission leader asked us to share something that we hoped to accomplish on this trip. My answer was that I anticipated learning to be more submissive and more dependent on God. I'll be thrust into an unknown environment with people and customs that are new to me. I may get asked to do some chores that I don't particularly want to (or that intimidate me). After all, we'll be working in a medical clinic, and my medical knowlege stems largely from copious amounts of "ER", "MASH", and "Grey's Anatomy". I have a feeling that this week is going to provide plenty of opportunities for me to practice depending on God and being where He wants me to be, doing whatever He wants me to do.
Of course, I know that this is just one of the things that I will learn on this mission trip. I'm excited about the bonds that will be formed over the next week, both with my teammates as well as with the people of Guatemala. I'm looking forward to soaking in a new culture and atmosphere. I'm eager to capture in words and pictures the amazing sights I'll see.
Most of all, I'm ready to see the many ways that God will be working through each of us. Although we are being sent to minister and be a blessing to others, I know that they will in turn bless us greatly. Lord willing, I'll return in a week and be able to share some of these experiences with you.
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