Sunday, October 29, 2006

Fall at home in the Ozarks


Fall at home in the Ozarks
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Back to the Ozarks

Well, I came home to the REAL country...about an hour and a half from civilization way out in the Ozark paradise! It was such a beautiful peaceful drive up through the mountains, and the fall colors were glorious. Since I'm working in San Diego right now, I'm kinda in "season withdrawals" since we really don't have the signs of fall there. So it has been nice to catch up on some of the color and cool crisp air both at home in Oklahoma and back here in Arkansas.

My grandma has been really sick, so that is the main reason I came back to Arkansas on this trip. I was hoping my dad and Homer would be back from their forestry job up in Minnesota, but they come back next week. Oh well. At least I got to surprise mother and grandma and Daniel! We had a good time, and it was awesome to catch up on life a little face to face, rather than over the phone.

Again, I am sooo blessed to have such a great family and support network!!

With my grandma!


With my grandma!
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Day out with Mom

Well, Mrs. Holland and I had a blast...and boy was she surprised! We took off bright and early, and she had no idea where we were going, although she sure tried to guess! And as I headed south on I-35 toward Ardmore, her choice narrowed. But she was still surprised when we pulled up at the YMCA and I told her we were gonna play Racquetball. But it was good exercise and we had a blast, and as usual, she made me work hard. Mrs. Holland is a natural at hitting the ball...and I'm still learning. But it was fun!

Then we went out to Vege's to eat lunch. Then in the afternoon, after 1 more game of racquetball, I took her to the "Therapy Station" for a massage. Actually, we both had one. It was fun to be in the same room together and the therapist were really good. So it was a perfect ending on our day out.

The rest of the weekend went great, although it was too short. And now I'm getting ready to have to tell Holland's goodbye, as I head back to California's concrete jungle!

The Girls Day Out!


Mother-daughter date
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

With one of my best friends!




Young Again!!

If you haven't noticed, I've blogged a lot today catching up on things I wanted to share from this past week...too bad you can't reset the date for the proper date of event, but anyway!

This afternoon as I was cleaning the house for mom and dad and sorting the mail I came upon an interesting but all too familar advertisement. The funny thing is, it was addressed to me!! The title of the add was "To help you be young again!" I started laughing. I'm like, "Wait a second! I didn't know I'd turned old!!"

Yes, this year I turned 30, and in fact, in several short months I'll be 31! And while I don't always like the thought of increasing the size of the numbers, it's definitely better than the alternatives, and I'm excited to be getting closer and closer each day to meeting Jesus face to face.

But the age thing has been pretty funny lately. I guess since I'm "unmarried without kids" no one thinks I am as old as I am, and I run into some pretty interesting comments and questions quite often. But the best of all happened this summer while I was in Kenya. My dear roommate Kimberly, a freshmen from Southern Adventist University, was talking about a 26 year old and how he was sooooo old...and I was like, "Darling - that's not old! That's young!" And she's like, "That's old!" And then I asked her how old she thought I was, and she told me that she thought I was 19 when she first saw me! (Of course I loved her for that!) Then she said when she heard more about my travels and found out I was a nurse that she figured I was at least 23 or 24. When I told her no, she started going up the scale and her eyes got bigger and bigger. At about 28 she asked if she was going the wrong direction! (I loved her even more!) I told her, "No...keep going!" When she got to 30, her eyes were so big...you'd have thought she just found out that I was 100! :-) It was priceless...and though I doubt it will ever happen again, I will always remember dear Kimberly and her reaction!

I guess I can be thankful though that people don't think I'm an adolescent like my friend Rachel Nelson gets asked - and she's even a doctor and married! Bless her heart, she's working in the Pediatric department, and regularly has people question her credentials because she looks so young! Sometimes it's nice to look your age!! But then again...

But age and time, what is our few years in comparison with eternity??! Last Sabbath at Advent Hope in Loma Linda, the speaker talked about time and how we only have just a few short years to live and wait and work for Christ before our "timeline" is over. It made me realize in a new way that it doesn't matter whether God gives me 100 years on this planet, or only 1 more day. The point is, what am I doing with the time that I have? For when I go to sleep (depending on how I used my time), the next thing I know I'll see Jesus! The sermon was great, and it made me desire to even more to live each day to the fullest...to make a difference...to show Christ Character of love. Because, today is all I have to make a difference for eternity!

As usual, attending Advent Hope continues to be a big blessing!
Well I am back in Oklahoma Again. At least for 5 days! I had a free ticket that I’d almost forgotten I had to use before November. (It was remnants from the Ghana trip I’d planned and then switched airlines on last year!) So I was looking at the schedule and realized I had a long weekend, and Hollands were also off this weekend at OA, so I flew back and surprised them. Well, actually Mr.s Holland knew, because I had to make a few arrangements, but Mr. Holland and my sisters didn't. It was great!

I called Mr. Holland on the phone and asked how things were going since it had been a few days since we talked. He started going on about this and that, and two minutes into the conversation, I walked in the door with cell phone to my ear as he talked away. He was like, "What??? You turkey!!" And he started laughing! It was awesome!!! I love surprising people!

It’s good to be back. I miss the peacefulness of the surrounding hills and quiet streets here, and not having to lock your doors at night or worry about your car being broken into.

Tomorrow Mrs. Holland and I are taking a "Girl's Day Out" together. Imagine that, getting the busy Mrs. Holland away for a whole day to myself! I am soooo excited! And I have some really special things planned, but of course I can’t tell anyone as word might get back to her about it. So...stay tuned for the report!

Time is short, but I just praise the Lord for another opportunity to be with those that I love!

Thank God for sunsets...


Sabbath sunset over the Southern California cities
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Fallen, but not cast down!

This last three days of work has been one of the busiest and most hectic of my time here. Seems I have been running constantly, have had lots of admissions (which is unusual since I didn't have any for the first 2 months I was here), have had very seriously sick patients, have had very little help since we are under-staffed, and often can't even get to all the tedious paper charting until late afternoon due to continual emergencies, thus I have been leaving work late every night.

Well, on one particular harried day (I think it was Monday), I had just drawn some blood cultures and had needles and viles in both my hands. As I stepped away from the bed, my feet got tangled in the call-light cords and since my hands were full of very precious cargo, I had nothing to catch myself, so I crashed out full force on my right side to the hard tile floor. Of course it was a horrific crash, and everyone came to see what had fallen - only me, of course, the tall green giant! I may not be the most athletic, but I am usually good with my feet, so it's been many a year since I've had such a fall...and my bones and joints don't take so kindly to such now (at the splendid age of 30) as they did when I was a teen. Ouch, that hurt!!! :-(

I pulled myself and my pride off the floor very slowly...bottles and needles still intact. At first I thought it was going to be my knee that would hurt me, since I had skinned the side of it in the fall. But no, it was my lower back. I hobbled around like an old lady the rest of the afternoon, and the next morning, my back hurt so badly to sit up, I didn't think I could get out of bed. But stubborness kicked in, and I made myself get up anyway! And as the day wore on, the stiffness and pain lessened. (I've been to a Chiropractor now and am feeling much better!)

There have been many difficult and yet faith-building circumstances in my life lately it seems. And sometimes I am tempted to get overwhelmed. But the experience of my fall reminded me of a verse in Psalms that I memorized many years ago. "The steps of a good [woman] are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in [her] way. Though [she] fall, [she] shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth [her] with his hand." Ps 37:23,24 (Feminine aspects added)

So, despite the fall, and despite the trials...I thank God that he holds me safely in his hands!

Soup in a Bag...

Last Sabbath night, Sunny and I went to a "house-warming." (I guess it wasn't warm enough already, so we had to help! JK!) Anyway, while there were lots of people I didn't know, there were a few old friends that I enjoyed catching up with (like Janine and Tim and Chris) and I enjoyed getting to know the others that were there as well.

However, the experience made me think of two things:

1. What is the housewarming going to be like when we get to Heaven and God introduces us to our new homes?? What a celebration that will be!!! Can you imagine the "warmth" that will bring to our hearts? Wow, just gives me excited shivers thinking about it!! I could go on, but that's the concept in a nut-shell for now.

2. After everyone had left, a few of us stayed behind to clean up the scraps and wash the dishes (my favorite part!) and we also benefited from a few left-overs. They had tons of soup, but no containers to put the soup in, so they got out their zip-lock bags and started pouring soup into bags and handing it to everyone! What fun it was!!

What was really fun though, was when I got to work the next day...I didn't have time to go back home and get anything since I had come from Sunny's, so I took my "Soup in a bag." You should have seen the look on my co-workers faces when I pulled my bag out and stuck it in the microwave and then rolled down the flaps and started eating it along with my (also donated) french bread!

They're like, "Melody - can you not afford a bowl?" :-) But would having a bowl have made it taste any better?? I don't think so! I actually enjoyed it immensely. And it also reminded me of how incredibly blessed I am. How many homeless and hurting and hungry souls around the world would love a "bag of soup." Yet, we are so stiff and picky that we usually turn up our noses at such...infact, we even complain about the fancy "bowls" that God does give us. Oh that we could be grateful for what God has given, and focus our means on what is really important...on finding and helping save those lost souls.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Let's go to the Mountains!


Let's go to the Mountains!
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Sabbath rest...

Sabbath afternoon Sunny and Kathryn and I took off for the mtns up above San Bernadino. We entered what was called "San Bernadino National Forest." At first I was thinking, "what forest?" for there was only weeds and scrub brush as we climbed the mountain in our car. But as we got closer to the top, the tall pines and firs began to grow and pretty soon we were in the midst of a beautiful forest, and the world of city life was left behind. Ahhhh, what a blessing!

We took a small hike (for we didn't have much time) but it was so refreshing. And it made me homesick, not only for the peaceful country life that I was raised in, but for Heaven. Oh to be free from the cares and the hustle and bustle of the world. To be free of the traffic and people and the sights and sounds that constantly harrass and attack my senses and try to turn me from God. It was a short interlude, our time up in the mtns, but it left me engergized and refreshed, and gave me courage for the mission field that God is preparing me for. Even if it's not in the location I would prefer, and even if I have to be away from home a long time, I know God will be with me and give me strength. So it is with this courage that I go back to the city. Yet no matter where I go, I believe my heart will always be in the mountains!

"For I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." Ps 121:1

Saturday, October 21, 2006

LLU Singing Bands

Last night I had the priviledge of being a part of the singing band ministry that goes throughout the Loma Linda Hospital cheering people up with song and prayer. This was only my second time to attend as Sunny just introduced me to the ministry last week. I can't believe I've been here over 2 months now, and I never knew what I was missing. :-( But...now I do, and I will enjoy it as much as I can!

At the end of singing bands, we always gather around to talk about prayer request and thoughts from the evening. Last week, one girl shared something that I thought was a blessing. She talked about how she couldn't imagine being confined to a body that no longer worked or had been crushed by some deadly tragedy. "Lord, how could you allow this?" she wondered as she observed different patients. Then it was like the Lord reprimanded her gently, "What? I survived that! I came to earth and was confined to a body that was not my own...And so, if anyone understands, I do. But I did it for you." What a blessing that little illustration was.

Last week I went with the Adult group singing bands. This week I wanted to see what the Peds group was like. And I was again blessed and refreshed. There were many children too young to recognize our presence, too young to understand the world of pain and caus that they have been involuntarily thrust into. But none the less, they are here. Will they live another week or another year? Will they grow up to know Jesus? Will someone tell them of His love? How my heart aches to see the pain of the little children...I wish I could make them well and then take them home and love them and shield them from the hard knocks that life inevitably will bring. But I can't...all I can do is reach out in the little avenues God has given me...and last night it was singing bands. "Someone needs to tell them, someone needs to care...someone needs to show them that Jesus is there..."

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Completed Sewing project


My new skirt!
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Aren't you proud of me, mother?

Have decided to take up a new hobby ~ Sewing! Of all things! (I can see my mommy smiling!) She of course is a professional seamstress, and has tried to get me to sew for years. And I have done a little, a dress here and there, and every now and then a few skirts. But I seem to struggle when it comes to patience with a thread and needle that went the wrong way, so I mostly have shoved my projects back into her lap, "Here, you do it - you are so much better at it anyway!" But my sister Sunny is having a good influence on me, and I decided to give it a try again. So...here I go! "Lord give me patience, and I want it right now!!!!" :-)

A pile of glass ~ After my car break-in


A pile of glass ~ After my car break-in
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

My joys of California city life...

Car Break-in

This last week has taught me some more lessons along the road of self-surrender. Came up to visit Sunny for the weekend at LLU, and had my car broken into. MY CAR!!!! Of all cars! I know it happens to other people all the time, but to me? Well...yes, even to me! But even through this small trial (and it is small) God has given me more of His strength and grace to trust Him and to rejoice that He is still looking after me and is in control. I lost my medical equipment, and a very precious notebook from my nursing days at Southern, as well as my favorite CD's and a few other odds and ends, and am having to rent a car to drive back and forth to San Diego to work, while my car is in repair shop. But...I also lost some awesome witnessing books, that were in my medical backpack, so I pray that whoever took them will read them and be changed. Only God knows why it was "my car" that was hit! I will praise and trust Him.

Monday, October 16, 2006

My Baby Milkosha has grown up!


He's soooo sweet!
Originally uploaded by EchoHisLove.

Wait ~ I'm behind!!!

Wow! It's been forever since I've made any post on my blog...where has the time gone! I finally left my little cozy corner in Oklahoma, and ventured out again...first to TX for my first Travel Nursing job, then to Kenya Africa to do Evangelism. I am now working as a "Travel Nurse" in San Diego California. I'm in the process, Lord willing, of becoming part of a full-time ministry. The Lord has been teaching me many lessons the last few months, and I am excited to see what He has around the corner. I will try to keep more updates on my life and thoughts and the lessons He has been teaching me. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths..." Prov 3:5,6