Durgapur

So thankful for all of the blessings and the wonderful memories from my time in Durgapur India! We were there for 10 days, and I would absolutely love to go back, especially with Mikey next time :) My favorite parts of the trip were:  1) the clinics we did every day, some in Durgapur, some in towns an hour or two away, and 2) the time we got to spend with the kids living on the compound where we stayed!  Those kids have been through some crazy things and have some wonderful stories...it was inspiring to hear their stories and to see their openness and joy in the face of some of life's great challenges.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures, showing some of the amazing times we had in Durgapur.

 Our room :)

 Teaching the children how to use a stethoscope

 Hugging on some of the children at one of the clinics!

 With one of the families we visited in the slums in Durgapur

 Learning some traditional Indian dance moves from some of my new friends!

 A typical Indian town's downtown area...I can't remember which one this was.

 Some of the kids in one of the slums we visited...they loved having their pictures taken! :)

Taking one child's temperature at one of the clinics

Taking Inventory

A New Year.

Full of promise. of hopes and dreams. of goals attained and unattained.

Full of opportunity..for good, for bad, for indifference.

It's customary at this time of year to take inventory, and it struck me this morning how little I do this with my life.  Inventory.  What do I have an excess of? What am I running low on?  Am I where I wanted to be? Am I where I could be?

It can be so easy to take inventory of others...how are they treating me? I wouldn't do that. I like how they are like this...but sometimes, we need to shift the focus of our appraisal inward. (The speck and the plank in the eye, and all that good stuff).  

This morning I started thinking about my own life.  I am very happy with where I am.  A college graduate, a prospective medical student, a wife with a loving husband, a daughter and a sister with a supportive family, a friend, a believer in Jesus Christ and His power and love.  But I also realized how little effort I sometimes put into these roles, these responsibilities towards those closest to me in life.  How often do I settle for a comfortable interaction or a selfish existence, rather than straining my own time, energy, and budget for those I love?  I'm not saying I always do these things, but there is so much MORE I could do...and in the end, will I be satisfied with a life that is lived 50/50...or shouldn't I give all that I possibly can to make my friends feel appreciated, to help my husband's dreams and aspirations come to fruition, to give an abundance of love to my family?!  I am doing these things now, but if I am honest with myself (which I am truly trying to be), they are not close to the center of my existence. Far more often than I consider these things, I consider what I want, how things affect me.  But that is simply no way to truly live.  And so, my New Years Resolution is not so much for myself this year.  I resolve to pour myself out for the people I love.  I want to give recklessly, to love unconditionally, to care without reservation.  I want to be more about my Father's business and the people He has placed in my life, and much less about my own business.

What do you resolve to do this year?  Taking inventory of your life, your actions and inactions, your motivations and aspirations...what would you like to see polished and brought into the light?  Or discarded in favor of a new and greater thing?  It is such a beautiful thing to be honest with oneself, and to find that though we are all broken, all clumsily searching our way through this life, there is hope for restoration, hope that a better way does exist and that we can become the person we planned to be all along!

I heart NC

This past week was spent mainly exploring the mountains and towns of North Carolina.  After celebrating Christmas with our families, including a stop at the Grandparents' in Spartanburg, SC, Mikey and I headed north to Hendersonville...


Day 1:

Bald Rock, SC

Caesar's Head (highest point in SC)

Pretty Place

(a chapel in Camp Greenville)

Unfortunately, we ended our adventures on Day One by getting stuck at the bottom of the hill to this lovely chapel...it was covered with ice and it took two hours of maneuvering and breaking up ice on the road before we escaped!

The gate at the top of the hill to Pretty Place

(notice the large patch without ice...just enough for a safe escape!)

Day 2:

Lake Lure, NC

After finding that many of our intended destinations were closed because of the snow,

we decided to be inventive and go sledding on a nearby hill on plastic box tops!

Day 3:

We explored Asheville, ate at the Tupelo Honey Cafe (YUM!), and then checked out the Grove Park Inn...it was beautiful!

Day 4:

THE BILTMORE!!

It was so gorgeous, covered in snow and all decorated for Christmas :)
And the audio tour was so interesting and really helped us to appreciate

the amazing history of the rooms! (Great idea, Meliss!)

After the Biltmore, we headed back to Spartanburg to celebrate the New Year with my parents and grandparents...and to do a little shopping :)

Hope everyone had wonderful holidays!!! 

I look forward to seeing what 2011 holds for all of us! :)

Is it really almost 2011?!

It is crazy to believe 2010 is almost over! This year has flown by, filling my life with so many wonderful memories and experiences.  I am so grateful for the blessings of this year...

Finishing my year-and-a-half-long research project in May

Celebrating our 2nd anniversary in June

Being accepted into med school in September

Finishing my last semester at College of Charleston a week ago

Graduation yesterday!

I am anticipating (and mildly dreading) my upcoming semester off.  I am trying to fill it up enough with work and volunteering that I don't get restless, but I want to take the time to rest and recharge, as well, in preparation for the very busy years ahead of me.  I am exceedingly blessed to have the experiences I have had, to have my amazingly supportive, sweet, and hilarious husband, to have loving and encouraging family and friends...it is truly humbling to realize all that these people have done to help me get to where I am today...a graduate of CofC and an upcoming medical student.  Thank you. I love you guys, and I hope you know how much I appreciate you daily.  I look forward to seeing what the year ahead holds for all of us!

unashamed tour

Last night, Mikey and I went with a couple of our friends...Jacoby and Kyle, two interns with our church's youth ministry...to a concert in Florence.  The show was a part of the unashamed tour put on by Reach Records.  It was so amazing!  All of the artists were so talented, and not only were they excellent performers, they were also very sincere and eloquent in sharing their faith.  It was awesome to see the huge diversity of people at the show...all ages, races, and backgrounds.  And it was great to hear some of what these artists had to say.  One illustration I particularly loved was shared by Tedashi:


A little girl in the fourth grade got a little snake for her birthday.  She always wanted a snake, and her parents finally agree to let her have one.  She loved it so much that she took really good care of it, always feeding it and cleaning its cage.  It even slept curled up next to her at night.  Cute, right? ;)  Well, after she had the snake for a while, it stopped eating the food she normally gave it, so she tried a new kind of food.  He wouldn't eat that either.  Not only did his eating habits change; he also stopped curling up at night.  He started stretching out long-ways next to her.  After a while of this, the little girl got worried, so she took it to the vet and explained the situation.  The vet listened carefully and then looked worried by the time she was finished.  He told her she needed to come home and kill that snake immediately.  The little girl was stricken. She really loved her snake, and she wouldn't agree to this until the doctor explained why.  The vet explained that the snake was not eating because it was starving itself.  And it wasn't curling up, and was instead stretching out next to her, because it wanted to measure itself against her...you see, the snake was preparing himself to eat the little girl whole.  He wanted to starve himself so he would be able to, and he was waiting until he was big enough to do it. 


That snake is like sin.  At first, it may seem harmless.  We find ourselves defending it, feeding it, caring for it as it grows in our lives...still seeming tame.  But it's important to not forget that it is still a snake.  And that snake can grow and can devour us.  It is not enough to think about changing our lives...we need to go home and kill our snakes.  Whatever they may be.  Because those snakes can kill us, can steal our life.


And THAT is just one little piece of the night! It was amazing!!!


Here are a few pics and videos from the concert:

 Trip Lee

 Lecrae

Mikey and I after the concert :)

All of the artists CDs are on itunes, and you can go to reachrecords.com to check out more!

Medical Mission Trip

"Missions is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there" -The Velvet Elvis

In the past week, I have heard about, prayed about, talked about, and decided to attend (God-willing) a medical mission trip to India.   The medical clinic that I have been volunteering at for the past (almost) year is taking a team to Durgapur, India to help in a clinic that was established there in the past year.  Dr. Sabback, a retired surgeon who is one of the medical directors of the Dream Center Clinic and who has been on many medical mission trips, went there a couple of years ago and has been a part of getting the clinic started, funded, and now, occupied.  A local team of doctors and nurses staff the clinic most of the year, but extra help is always appreciated!

Those of you who know me well or have been reading my blog know that I have a passion for medicine and for reaching out to people in need, especially physical need!  There are so many people in the world suffering from diseases that are curable and injuries that are fixable.  I have been wanting to go on a medical mission trip ever since I decided I wanted to go into medicine in high school.  Now that I have some training, my EMT certification, and a smidgeon of experience under my belt, I think I actually might be able to be of some service to the people in need in this area of India.  Dr. Sabback assured me (after a timid email asking if I'd just be in the way, as I am not yet IN medical school, nor am I a nurse) that medical mission trips are the perfect place to learn more and do more!  And so...I'm now attempting to get together the necessary funds and paperwork to make this long dreamed-of trip a reality.  

The trip is January 13-22, 2011, which is just two months away.  There is a lot ahead of me between now and then...finishing up finals, graduating from undergrad, raising money for this trip, and getting a visa for India.  If you have any fund-raising tips, please let me know!  I would really appreciate your prayers and any advice from those of you who have travelled to India before.  Pray that our team would be effective in caring for these people's physical needs, as well as their spiritual ones.  Pray that we will have the tools, medicines, and knowledge available to us to make a true impact.  Pray that the planning and pre-work all gets done in time for take-off on January 13!  And most of all, pray that God's will will be done, one way or another, regarding this trip!