As I sit here in the internet cafe on board the ship, I am more aware of the constant movement of my new home for the next three months!:) Back and forth, back and forth. I have had 'sea legs' from a day out on my family's boat before, but this experience of living on a ship will give the term new meaning!
Whew! It is hard to believe a whole week has gone by already, and with it the passage of many emotions inside of me as I adjust to this place...from initial jet-lag...to feeling extrememly overwhelmed, lonely and admittedly fearful...to the other end of the spectrum...of feeling a depth of joy and peace and comfort from my God and from Him giving me eyes to see Him here and a glimpse of what these next months are sure to hold. So as I sit here now, and reflect on this past week, I am thankful and amazed at how much God has done in just the span of several days.
So I will sum up briefly the past week, and then will try to follow with a couple of stories to give you a glimpse of what this last week has been like! We started out right away on monday with much general ship orientation and much time was spent with our nurse manager as she gave us new comers the low-down on our new jobs that we would be starting. Tuesday I was able to catch up on a little of the jet lag in the morning (zzzzzz.....), and then actually set foot on Liberian ground later that afternoon as I headed into town with my friend Kelly, who I know from eight years ago when we did our Discipleship training school together on board the Anastasis, the retired mercy ship. Wednesday was my first day of work......and that has been the story ever since:). Those who know me well know that six days of work in a row for this nurse is unheard of!!:) But as I have said to some friends, I believe this was all God's good grace to throw me in there and help me to get acquainted quickly!! There is still MUCH to learn, but putting in a big week to kick things off proved to help me a LOT, and far from my initial fear and hesitation, I now feel anticipation, excitement, and thankfulness for the work God has brought me to do here. After two days of orientation on the wards, I was meant to be working on my own last friday, when I arrived to find my assignment for the day to be in the ICU, for which I had not been oriented at all!! To my great relief, the ICU manager did not intend to leave me alone in an unfamiliar unit, and graciously stayed my entire shift with me, helping to get me oriented to different machines, equipment, medicines, and charting....After a couple of days on the ward, I strangely found myself to be more comfortable and at 'home' feeling in the ship's small Intensive Care Unit:) I laughed at God's sense of humor, as I am not sure I ever could have said the ICU at home has ever given me a sense of comfort:) haha! But I found it to be a piece of familiarity and was surprised in a good way to see how the Lord has prepared me in the last five years to now be doing what I will be doing here for this time. So I was privileged to work the weekend in the ICU, and then spent yesterday working on the ward for my final shift. Not completely recovered from my jet lag...my head hit the pillow EARLY last night, and I think I slept for a solid 10 hours! :)
Now I have my first official 'day off' and have been eager to catch up...in terms of rest, of reflecting on what this week has held, and on communicating with all of you. Thank you for your emails, your encouragement, and your notes that were sent along with me. God has BLESSED me through your friendships and I am thankful. So if you are interested in some stories from the first week here...read on:). Much love to all of you.
Whew! It is hard to believe a whole week has gone by already, and with it the passage of many emotions inside of me as I adjust to this place...from initial jet-lag...to feeling extrememly overwhelmed, lonely and admittedly fearful...to the other end of the spectrum...of feeling a depth of joy and peace and comfort from my God and from Him giving me eyes to see Him here and a glimpse of what these next months are sure to hold. So as I sit here now, and reflect on this past week, I am thankful and amazed at how much God has done in just the span of several days.
So I will sum up briefly the past week, and then will try to follow with a couple of stories to give you a glimpse of what this last week has been like! We started out right away on monday with much general ship orientation and much time was spent with our nurse manager as she gave us new comers the low-down on our new jobs that we would be starting. Tuesday I was able to catch up on a little of the jet lag in the morning (zzzzzz.....), and then actually set foot on Liberian ground later that afternoon as I headed into town with my friend Kelly, who I know from eight years ago when we did our Discipleship training school together on board the Anastasis, the retired mercy ship. Wednesday was my first day of work......and that has been the story ever since:). Those who know me well know that six days of work in a row for this nurse is unheard of!!:) But as I have said to some friends, I believe this was all God's good grace to throw me in there and help me to get acquainted quickly!! There is still MUCH to learn, but putting in a big week to kick things off proved to help me a LOT, and far from my initial fear and hesitation, I now feel anticipation, excitement, and thankfulness for the work God has brought me to do here. After two days of orientation on the wards, I was meant to be working on my own last friday, when I arrived to find my assignment for the day to be in the ICU, for which I had not been oriented at all!! To my great relief, the ICU manager did not intend to leave me alone in an unfamiliar unit, and graciously stayed my entire shift with me, helping to get me oriented to different machines, equipment, medicines, and charting....After a couple of days on the ward, I strangely found myself to be more comfortable and at 'home' feeling in the ship's small Intensive Care Unit:) I laughed at God's sense of humor, as I am not sure I ever could have said the ICU at home has ever given me a sense of comfort:) haha! But I found it to be a piece of familiarity and was surprised in a good way to see how the Lord has prepared me in the last five years to now be doing what I will be doing here for this time. So I was privileged to work the weekend in the ICU, and then spent yesterday working on the ward for my final shift. Not completely recovered from my jet lag...my head hit the pillow EARLY last night, and I think I slept for a solid 10 hours! :)
Now I have my first official 'day off' and have been eager to catch up...in terms of rest, of reflecting on what this week has held, and on communicating with all of you. Thank you for your emails, your encouragement, and your notes that were sent along with me. God has BLESSED me through your friendships and I am thankful. So if you are interested in some stories from the first week here...read on:). Much love to all of you.
1 comment:
Oh my friend! God is so GOOD! I am glad to hear you are adjusting to all that God is throwing at you in such a small timeframe. Keep the stories coming! May the Lord continue to bless and pour out His love in and through you. HP :)
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