Faith Like a Child

I was looking at a website the other day and I ran across this link. I just loved reading the story of this little girl!! She's only 5 years old, but she was touched by the needs of the hungry people around her. She came up with a plan to raise money, and ended up raising enough money to feed almost 18,000 people! I don't think this is a Christian family, but it really reminded me of how the faith of a child is pure and simple.

"And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:2-4

Oh God, give me faith like that! To step forward, not knowing what the outcome will be but believing anyway.

A Wonderful Opportunity

This week I had one of the best experiences I've had in a really long time: I got to speak at a campus event! Not that it might sound like fun to most people. And actually, speaking in public isn't something I normally enjoy either. But this time was much different. God blessed me in such a special way this week through what happened.

A few months ago, a few of my college friends and I were talking about the Compassion International ministry, and we came up with an idea to host an event to raise awareness of needy children on our college campus and try to get people to sponsor a child. We agreed that a few different people needed to speak at the event, and I mentioned that I would be willing to speak if it was necessary. My family has been involved with Compassion ever since I can remember, so I knew I would have a lot to talk about. Well, the idea kind of just brewed for a month or so before the people in charge were able to really start any planning. (Because of my busy schedule, I wasn't really in charge of planning anything, just kind of like a side helper for Alicia, who was in charge of the event.)

Once the planning really got started, Alicia came up to me and said, "You know, the other day I heard you mention a friend who runs an orphanage in Bolivia. Since you seem to know a lot about that country, would you mind giving a little talk just highlighting the needs of that area? I would also like for you to talk about the orphanage if you can." I was totally shocked. Alicia had no idea how perfect that was for me! I can't even begin to say how thrilled I was to have that opportunity!!!.... My closest friends will tell you that I love the children of Bolivia, and I could talk for hours about the needs of that region. (I have been interested in Bolivia ever since I started learning Spanish in high school. I remember it was highlighted one day in our lesson, and something about the culture just captured my attention. Only a few weeks later I started reading a book called His Chosen Bride; one part of the book spoke about the utter hopelessness of the street kids in Bolivia, and I've been hooked ever since!) And as far as being asked to talk about Casa De Amor... well, I've loved that ministry ever since it began!! :-)

So this last week I spent several hours compiling all the information I've gathered over the years and putting it together into one 10 minute talk. I hadn't been working on it very long when I stopped to check my e-mail, and saw I had gotten a forward from an "e-mail/blogger friend". She was forwarding a story about the kids of Bolivia!! [Thanks D.--that article was very helpful! :)] I was so excited. It was just amazing how it all fit together. And the very day I gave the talk--April 7th--the sponsorship forms for Casa de Amor were finally made available. So after the whole event was over, we had at least 5 people agree to sponsor children through Compassion, and at least 2 children will be sponsored through Casa de Amor!!

It was such an exciting day. I was just so blessed to be able to talk about something I love so much that I wasn't even nervous at all. I think that even though not many people came the the event (it ended up being unusually cold, and we held it outside), the people that did come were really touched. And to me, if even one child's life is affected, it was totally worth everything!!

Note: If you want to sponsor a child through Casa de Amor, download this form.

And yes, I really did post this at 1:15. I was up talking to my friend Susie while she rocked her newborn baby. It was worth the lack of sleep. :D

Blessings Innumerable

I've been needing to write on here for weeks.... Life just kind of runs by me and I forget how much I need to write. Writing is definitely my outlet! But I've been kept so busy with nursing school that I don't even feel like I have a minute to think sometimes.

I have been wondering again the past few days why God led me to get a bachelor's RN degree when I wanted to take the shorter route so much and finish with my ASN in two years. *sigh* I can't even begin to say how much I hate school. More and more every single day I'm in it. I think it's really because right now I'm so bored with what I'm doing. I've been doing the same thing for almost a year now (because that teacher failed me last semester), and I'm just really tired of it all.

The Lord has been so close to me over the past few months, though, and I know I wouldn't trade that for anything. I just wish that somehow I would be able to take joy in what I'm doing. I'm about to start my obsetrics/pediatrics rotation, though, and even though that is the hardest class, I'm looking so forward to it! It's truly what I love to do, and I think that it will be good for me to have a more enjoyable season. I definitely want to eventually end up doing pediatrics. I don't understand it, but for some reason I'm always able to work with the kids in our section of the hospital better than any of the nurses I work with. They just can't stand to have a baby for a patient. But I'm actually disappointed if I work and there are no children that day!!

Right now I'm at a good friend's house over spring break, holding her new baby and just loving it. What a joy it is to see my best friends having children! They are so precious. I love every minute of it.

Babysitting Funnies....

I babysit regularly for two little boys, Christian, who is 4, and Cohen, who is 1 1/2. There are so many funny things that happen when you are around little kids for any length of time. Last week when I was babysitting, Christian broke the tail off his rubber snake. ("I don't know how it happened!" he said. "I was just swinging him around and around and hitting his tail on the ground!") So of course, we had to set up a reptile clinic with his doctor kit and try to repair the snake. He said so many funny things while he was "doctoring" that I just had to write it all down.

Dr. Christian: Oh no!! His heart just stopped beeping!! Don't worry, Mr. Snake. I'm going to cut open your whole body with my saw cutters. You're going to die for a little while, but it won't hurt for long. I'll tape you back up again when I'm finished.

Me: Doctor, what's wrong with him?

Dr. Christian: Oh, he doesn't have a heart. I just heard it stop beeping.

Me: (trying not to laugh because I've already gotten in trouble for that...) Is that bad?

Dr. Christian: Oh, no. He'll be just fine.

After we finished with the "surgery", Christian pretended to pour some pain medicine for the snake. Then he pretended to take the medicine. I asked him, "Christian, wasn't that supposed to be for Mr. Snake?" "It doesn't matter," he said. "I just poured some more for him." I couldn't help thinking that hospitals would be quite a different place if all the doctors were four years old.....