So the plan is to post different pictures on different days and tell about them. This picture was taken in my first week there... you think Memphis is humid... it happened to be a pretty hot day and yet there were many people who came to watch as a young man was baptized in the creek because he had given his life to Christ. This was my first experience to see someone get baptized outside a building and it was a neat experience! These were children that had come along the journey to the creek!

strongly recommends the book Crazy Love!

Today was my first Summer in the City here in Memphis...it was amazing! Many refugees have moved here to the city from different nations around the world. Different languages were spoken today and it was just such an incredible experience to be part of. The college and career at Faith Baptist started this ministry last year and is being done again this year, hopefully turning into a long term ministry. How cool it is to have traveled to different countries and be at home with have the nations here! Please pray for this ministry and for the families that we come in contact with...that relationships will be formed and wisdom will be given as to how to build sweet relationships! Thank you!

Happy 4th of July!! Well today is the day I head home! Right now I am sitting at the hotel near the pool...cant say it I am suffering :) There are parrots and deer here at the hotel..wierd combination. Yesterday in the morning we said goodbye to the children... tears came from Megan, Amy, and me. Please Pray for one of the treacher's, Lorvin, at the HCN... a famliy member is sick. My journey in Nicaragua is coming to an end and God has allowed me to experience a lot....I believe God wants to use experiences here to learn from them and grow. God allowed sweet friendships to be built during this time and that is such a sweet blessing and gift from God. Thank you to all who have prayed for me during this journey... that is a sweet gift! I will keep up with the blog... I am excited to get back to Memphis and be part of Summer in the City...it will be so neat to be with people from around the world who live in the city. Have a wonderful 4th and be proud to be American!

Last week here...hard to believe that six weeks have come and are about to go...my last day here at El Ayudante is this Friday... I am looking forward to being with my friends and family... I know this week will hold different emotions... happy moments and also tearful moments...I love these children and have made some dear friends and that will be hard to say goodbye... Amy has been moved to share the Gospel here with the children at HCN..please pray for open hearts and for the words to be shared... that lives will be saved...thank you for your prayers and love through this journey...it has been a journey unlike I expected..but one that God had planned just for me before time began..Mom and Dad cant wait to see yall :)

Today was a great day! I am able to help with a medical team that is here and that has been such a great opportunity to be part of...I have been able to tell patients about the meds they are to take, take blood pressures, blood sugar check, and translate. It has been so neat to be able to practice what I have studied and learned about. Today we had a patient that had a high blood pressure along with a blood sugar level of 408! Please pray for her and her health..it is very poor and that she has a personal relationship with Christ. Also pray for a medical student here..she has been helping with the medical team...she is so kind and has been very helpful...she has 2 children, one is sick right now...the other has a medical condition ( I am not sure what it is..she told Megan and I in Spanish).. please pray for this precious family....they need a door for their house..and that they will be provided with health and income to support her family. Tomorrow I get to be with the med team again and hopefully head to the beach with the groups here!

End of the fourth week and tomorrow(Father's Day) starts the 5th ...this morning the team from Peachtree UMC of Atlanta, Georgia left to head back to Managua tomorrow... they did a lot while they were here.. they did VBS, construction, helping paint at HCN...what a great group of youth that served! The team was a blessing and I enjoyed fellowship! I was able to go with some of the group for VBS three mornings this week...others in their group helped build two houses! Today 9 of the older girls at HCN were able to move into their new beautiful house! Tonight two new groups are coming here to El Ayudante... one group close to home...Southhaven, MS.. the other is a medical team coming..I am excited to help with the med team and look forward to this week! Today Megan, Amy, and I went into Leon... I had a new experience today and got to ride in a taxi...it was only $2.50 for the 3 of us to be taken back to El Ayudante..not too far from the center of Leon. Yesterday I went with Leslie, a sweet friend and translator, to the barrio right by El Ayudante and bought min for my phone and bought 3 bottled small cokes for $33 cordovas...$20 cordovas = $ US 1! Pretty cool! Megan was sick for many days here but is now doing great which is a praise! So tomorrow is Father's Day in the States... so Dad...Happy Father's Day! I hope you have a great day...wish I could spend the day with you..I think next year Brazil it is and you will just have to come! Dad I am so blessed to have you as my father... a dad who loves the Lord and has demontrated the love of the Father to me, Logan, Katie, and Daniel. Right now I am wearing my St Louis cards hat.. how cool it is that I get to spend time with you at baseball games..one of my favorite times I spend with you! Dad you have done so much for me and provided so much for your family..dad thanks for all of your hard work and of course being able to talk medical talk with you..I have a lot to learn..I suppose I could learn a little from the pharmacy field :)! I love you so much dad..thanks for the example you have set! See you here in about 2 weeks...I am ready for that coffee!! Tchau dad until next time I talk to you..butterfly kisses!

So now I am heading into my fourth week!! A team from Georgia just left yesterday and we had a great time getting to know them and fellowship with them..love yall and thanks for the fun and fellowship! I have heard about the storm at home and heard there was another bad storm this morning... I dont think everyone's power is up yet so I hope that comes up there on the next day..Memphis humidity sure is rough! This past week I worked in the clinic a little...in the clinic I have been able to see a lot...I have also been able to participate in patient care (ie finger pricks and shots). One day this past week I was given a mask due to patients coming in with flulike symptoms. Megan, Amy, and I were able to go with the team and visit a barrio where many of the people have a 'job' of sorting through garbage... I do not believe I have ever been to a place as filthy as this place..it was awful..and this is how they live....and not everyone had a job. There is such an incredible need here..please be in prayer for this place..most importantly for people to come to know Christ and also for health, for education for the children, food, clothes...despite what is of this world.. God's love is so great for these people..and one man that Christ shines through is Pastor Felix..please be in prayer for him the church there as they reach out to the people...that the people will be receptive and will grow. With this team we were also able to have the Lord's supper one night and share devotion with them..I know I mentioned it earlier but the time getting to know them was great..it was such a joy and blessing! We were able to go a volcano with them...so neat...smoke was coming out..just really a cool sight to see! We also went to the beach with the group.. the beach had black sand and a whole lot of beautiful shells! Another group is coming tonight from Georgia...ya'll have a great week! Thanks for all the love and prayers! God is so amazing!

So about to go into the third week... beyond what I expected.... from my stethoscope coming apart to trails here.... there have been different emotions.... as hard as it is...even now..I know God allowed me to come here for a reason....thank you for your prayers.. I read this last night in Mrs Beth Marshall's book I Danced in Africa, "Prayer does not fit us for greater works- prayer is the greater work. Prayer does not win the battle - it is the battle!" And I am continuing to ask for prayer... that God will use me and I will do what He has called me here to do and for me to let things go. A new team is coming tonight here about 1130 pm! Today Amy, Megan, and I went into Leon and saw the 2nd Night of the Museum! It was fun to see the movie..it was in English with Spanish subtitles. We also shopped..I pulled a tourist thing today..I had 4 bracelets picked out thinking I was about to get them for 100 cordovas (= to about $5) haha..oh no..they had said $600 cordovas...yes I felt bad and apologized..buying nothing from this stand..oh me! Leon also has bread shops that sell this amazing tasting bread that has what I think is honey in it. There is so much need here...there are beggers..we saw several children and other ages as well. We just finished up kids week...yesterday they had a pinata..and candy..Amie Miles and I participated in a folk dance with several of the ladies that work at HCN...we had the dresses..hair and makeup..quite entertaining. Thanks again for your prayers and support! Btw back at home I know college and career did a block party in Binghampton..please pray that relationships will be developed and lives will be saved! Hope it was great, guys!

Hello everyone...so we are going into the second week here and it has been an emotional experience and not for the reasons one might think. It is an honor to be here and be part of what God is doing here... and one verse that is so amazing is in Esther 4 :14..for if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish."such an appropriate vs for what we have faced. This verse, for one thing, shows and demonsrtates that God's plan has already been set in place and that He has won... it is a way to be humbled..one thing I ask for prayer for myself in this..that I will be humble. Amy and I are here to serve Christ..I ask that this will be prayed for..that His will alone will be accomplished and that we will seek Him daily and rely on Him...another thing needed is lice shampoo and that it can be erradicated..impossible as it may seem in a third world country...all things are possible through Him. One little girl has chicken pox..pray for this as well becuase not every child here has had this..that it can be quickly over and for the health of the children. There are so many things here that have been brought to attention..unspoken right now but please be in prayer here for the leaders, the teams, the children, discipline, and above all that the Love of Christ will be shown in abundance to these children and that salvation will come to the children and those here who do not know Christ. Right now I believe that I need to be here at the center and not in the medical clinic..I even ask for prayer about that..for it to go smoothly and for me to know if and when I need to return back to the clinic. Thank you so much for your love and support..the power of prayer is so amazing and I know that Faith and friends of our family are praying for us...God is teaching me and showing me things and we have been blessed with Amie and Jeremey Miles here..for their wisdom, support, and friendship. Please pray for them as they are in the transition of moving..also in the clinic last week a young girl came in who had been molested..please pray for her..for true love to be shown to her and if she does not know Christ..she too will come to know Him...abuse here is in abundance..as it is in the Sates..please be in prayer for this...thank you so much again! (I am sorry for spelling errors)
Because of Him

Hola! I have made it here safely and have housemates with geckos(I believe one has a bug in its mouth now) and bugs (mom you would be proud..i got a spider out of a girls hair today)...slighly humorous when we arrived at the airport becuase we had to stand in front of a heat sensor to see if we had fever r/t (for you dad and lar) swine flu, along with a questionair to fill out, and then many workers wore masks. We were then shortly greeted with humidity that I belive is worse than Memphis..believe it or not. The protection center is amazing.. Bill and Teresa have such a heart for the people here and the children that live here. Today we were able to spend time with the older girls and just eat and fellowship...we tried the American thing..appetizers and that was a new concept to the girls living here. The fruit well it is amazing here! We also went into town with the women from the Faith team and helped as they led a women conference..it was an amazing turn out and had topics about fruits of the spirit to abuse.
One thing that happened that I did not anticipate was my Itouch is "fried" I know God has a plan even for this unexpection. God is at work here and I hope tomorrow to see baptisims at a river. Well I need to head to bed..hasta luego and buenos noches! Tchau pei.... eu te amo muito! tell mom and the siblings hey for me..sonic when I get back! hey KTbug..I love you!

Well I leave to the airport in about 4 hrs! Thank you so much to those who have supported me, whether with prayer, finances, encouragement, or goody bags..thank you! God's love is so abundant and I have seen Him work in such incredible ways. My trip has been provided for beyond what I imagined even when I found out there were extra expenses..it is funny how most of the funds were provided about a week of me leaving...it just shows that God has His own timing and a sense of humor. Not only that but yesterday I prayed about a job when I return...today I found out I will be working in a Dr's office. He is so good! The journey for this trip has been amazing..and I havent even left! I am ready to see what He has set in place. Mom and Dad thanks so much for your support through all of this, your patience, support (in more ways than one!) time, and love! I love yall so much..you have helped me become who I am and where I go! Te amo!

6 more days! I am very excited...and yet still have quite a lot to do....now to get the my stuff in a suitcase. God's timing has been perfect, which always is...it is accepting that timing on my behalf which is the hard part, and quite frankly not always fun. He is preparing me for more than just this trip..and I have been stubborn..yet His grace and love continue to flow. Another exciting opportunity that our college and career get to do are block parties here in Memphis. The need here is great and the field is ripe...literally the nations are here..I am excited to come back from Nicaragua to the mission field here

I finally got my passport in the mail yesterday...nothing like getting it two weeks beforehand! It is so blank... I will have to work on that. I am so looking forward to this trip... God's timing is perfect and this trip has come at a wonderful time in my life. A year and a half ago I started nursing school... last semester was one of the toughest times in my life. I had a knee injury playing soccer which really impacted school and had to miss a nursing test, therefore my final was weighted more. The final didn't go very well and I found out that I would have to repeat most of the semester. I was so upset... I did not want to go through it again ( I am sure I told God I couldn't do it)...but God had different plans. I was to be taken through the fire... throughout the trial God allowed me to see why I did not pass... because He loves me so much... I still remember that precious moment with my Father. Not the way I would have chosen, but I can look back at that time and see Him. In Hebrews 12:7, Believers are to "endure hardship as discipline," for this is God treating us as His children.... one of my favorite verses during this time was in vs 12, "Therefore strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 'Make level paths for your feet,' so that the lame may not be disabled but rather healed"... and also Isaiah 55: 8- 13.
So I thought I would do summer school to graduate on time... this was to not happen either! Through different doors I have been lead here..to this trip. What a journey...highs and lows... and God is faithful through it all.

So this is my first ever post! I am leaving for Nicaragua in 3 weeks and will be there for 6 weeks...so I thought I would create a blog. The title comes from an Avalon song... since I will be working with orphans... I think the name fits. I am a nursing student and have helped with medical missions before in Cuiaba, Brazil, but this is my first time to be away this long and work as a student nurse. I am very excited about what is ahead...but currently need to focus on what is present..which is a test in Medsurg on Tues= studying now. I hope that you can join me on this adventure...I know God has amazing things planned out!