All this time.

I can not stop listening to this song!!!  How encouraging it is to be reminded that God has been walking with me all this time.  He is for me and restoring.
I know God exists, because of the transformation that has occurred in my life.  And the transformation that occurs in the lives of those around me.

I hope you enjoy this song by Britt Nicole as much as I do!

Oldies but Goodies.

My mom has loved the elderly population for as long as I can remember.  At church, she would often talk to little old ladies about their grandchildren or high blood pressure with a big smile plastered on her face.  My mom would often say that children could connect in neat ways with the elderly.  So, she tried to pass this love along to me and my sisters when we were kids by forcing us into nursing homes.  During our nursing home visits, Alyssa and I listened to the same stories over and over again, learned to knit, and sang hymns or nursery rhymes. 

My mom was successful in sensitizing us.  Alyssa and I both dearly love old people.  Anyone over the age of 70, I want to treasure.  They have lived long and have gained much wisdom.

While working on my undergraduate degree, I worked at a local nursing home during summer breaks.  I used to love helping the residents with their activities of daily living and learning each resident’s little quirks.  For example, “Charlie” may eat only strawberry ice cream.  “Sandy” may want to meet weekly to practice our Spanish after being a Spanish teacher for 40+ years.  “Beth” may love to show me the wedding dress she was sewing for her granddaughter’s wedding.  I loved being a part of their daily lives.

I especially enjoyed those elderly couples at the nursing home who would walk to the dining room holding hands.  I loved to watch them physically supporting each other.  They often had sweet conversations and spoke about the Lord’s faithfulness throughout their long life together.  Some of these elderly folks had worked hard on their marriages over the years and have cultivated fruitful, loving relationships. 

So, I hope to be like my mom in this regard.  When I have kiddos, I will be forcing them into nursing homes, making them listen to stories and sing songs.  So, they can appreciate and learn some of the same lessons I did.  The elderly still need community, love, and attention just like anyone else.   

Graduation.

A Pinning Ceremony rather.

I had a friend encourage me to read 2 Chronicles 20 in light of my graduation.  The story is about King Jehoshaphat, who was king of Judah at that time.  He is given word that his country is about to be attacked by a powerful, invading army.  Jehoshaphat declares that no matter what happens - calamity, judgment, plague, famine - that "we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us." 

The Lord saw Jehoshaphat’s faith and spoke through one of the Levites, who declared, “Do not be afraid of discouraged because of this vast army.  For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”  God protects the people of Judah and the invading army ends up killing each other.

I know it may sound silly to compare this battle to nurse practitioner school, but there have been days when I felt like I was on the front lines against an invading army…

I have felt overwhelmed as I approach a diaphoretic, short of breath patient walking into the office.  As the patient is doubled-over in pain, he has proven to bring peace during critical times.

I have stood by patients who hear the new diagnosis of late stage cancer and have watched him give them hope.

I have driven home after a busy day at clinical to head home to a full evening of studying with a terrible attitude and have felt him transform my heart to one of gratitude.

God has been faithful.  He made it clear that the battle was his and I was to be obedient.  I stood firm and tried to trust him without fear.  I have done nothing in comparison to how he has worked.  I get to celebrate not just because of a program ending, but because God has been victorious!

Special thank you’s to:

Mom and Dad Raber, Mom and Dad Rohrer, Nan and Pap, Alyssa, Olyvia, and Janzen, who all drove to TN from PA for the weekend to be at the ceremony.  What a far trip!!!

Josh, “Thank you” is not enough.  He has done so much.

Honorary Degree.

Josh, my husband of one year, is an incredible man.  He’s the one who does twice as much cleaning, twice as much laundry, twice as much cooking, and twice as much of just about everything around the house.  I hope to catch up when I am no longer a full time student, but I appreciate his servant’s heart.

He has also edited many of my papers and has given me the space I need to study.  All of his small acts of service have encouraged me and supported me in big ways. His character is seemingly never shaken.  These are just some of the reasons why he is an incredible man.

New friends.

We have to admit that our time in Nashville was not our most social of times.  We moved to Nashville knowing very few people.  Although I had lived in Nashville before, many of my friends had graduated and moved to different parts of the country.  Josh was job searching and my nursing program was a distance program, meaning I saw my classmates one to two times per month.  Additionally, we church-hopped during the first two months we were in Nashville, visiting many different congregations.  So, neither of us had regular contact with others.  Although community seemed to be all around us, it was difficult to initially plug in.

A friend from high school, Dan, connected us with his aunt and uncle who live in Nashville.  After meeting (Uncle) Dave and (Aunt) Vicki at a free symphony concert, Josh and I felt like we had found our Southern long lost family members.  We intermittently spent time together and each time felt comfortable, normal, and somehow familiar.  They encouraged us in our endeavors and filled our bellies with delicious food!  Their friendship felt like a gift to us while we were far away from home.  We are excited to travel to Nashville in August for my pinning ceremony and see Dave and Vicki again!

Vicki is a super talented artist.  She mainly paints birds (my favorite) with a unique, whimsical style.  She actually is now painting full time, which is quite a feat.  Check out her website to view her art and try out her unique recipes.  We love her rhubarb lime custard pie!  www.vickisawyer.com. 

the lovely couple

Spring break.

Josh and I decided to pack up our tent and make a quick road trip to Savannah, Georgia for Spring break.  It seemed like the perfect time for a road trip, you know, with final exams and projects on the horizon.  We liked the idea of one more “hoorah!” before the end of the semester to liven our spirits.

We stopped in Atlanta en route and visited Josh’s good friends from college, Andrew and Camille.  They had been teaching English in Korea for over a year and now have returned to the states.  They gave us a comfortable bed, showed us Atlanta’s farmer’s markets, and introduced us to some tasty Vietnamese sandwiches and soups.  After this delectable time in A-town, our travel south continued.

Josh and I loved Savannah and appreciated a change in pace!  We loved Forsyth Park, River Street’s talented artists, and the many varieties of glazed pecans.  We also enjoyed time on the beach at Tybee Island for a day, soaking up the vitamin D.  We would recommend the Freedom Trail Tour, which was an educational experience about the civil rights progression in Savannah. 

My most favorite parts of the trip were seeing the huge magnolia trees, the Live oaks with Spanish moss, and Painted Buntings on our hikes!  If you don’t know what a Painted Bunting is, look it up please!  You will be so glad you did.

I hope to remember these fun weekend get-away-trips with Josh.  Our little family of two has a lot of love and many places to explore.  All we need is our car, tent, and some Vietnamese sandwiches.

southern magnolia

Hubs

Forsyth Park

spanish moss

First African Baptist Church

River Street

our campsite

Live Oaks

the savannah

hiking

Vanderbilt.

Josh and I moved to Nashville last August for me to continue in Vanderbilt's accelerated MSN program.  We saw the transition as an adventure and as a pursuit of a dream.

In 2007, I first heard about Vanderbilt’s MSN program from a nurse practitioner I met in Kenya named Robin.  Robin worked at Tenwick hospital and was leading community health and development efforts in the surrounding rural areas.  God was using her, in essence, to build an actual health care system and plant churches in an unreached, underserved area in the country.  During my time in Kenya, God showed me through Robin that health care could be such a tangible asset to introducing the good news to people. This quickly became my dream.

After returning to the states, I decided to whole-heartedly strive toward Vanderbilt.  I transferred to an undergraduate school in east Tennessee, Bryan College, that had a friendly relationship with this big Southern university.  My advisor, who became my mentor in many ways, encouraged me to take every biology class and participate in every extracurricular possible.  I painstakingly increased my GPA, took the GRE, wrote numerous essays, and participated in several face-to-face and phone interviews.  Then, God stepped in, I was accepted into the program and the rest is history!

In 2010, I completed the first year of Vanderbilt’s accelerated MSN program, passed the NCLEX, and decided to move home and take a year off from the program.  God showed me that I needed to rejuvenate, refocus, and relearn contentment.  After working as a RN in a family practice, I returned to Vanderbilt to complete the family nurse practitioner program.

I have heard it said, “Don’t choose a school based on how much it costs.”  After my time at Vanderbilt, I have to agree.  Vanderbilt is definitely not the cheapest route to a nursing degree, but the program has exceeded my expectations.  Academically, I have been pushed toward excellence and accuracy in every course and in every assignment.  We memorize pharmacology, mentally process global health care infrastructure, and kinesthetically learn from our preceptorships. Although, I wish we had more semesters and courses in some ways.  It is difficult to learn everything about family medicine in 3 semesters!!!  Not only is the faculty scholarly in their field, there are professors who love Jesus, pray for us, and have a background in international community health and church planting.  They have motivation for being a part of this sacrificial, tiring, not always rewarding profession.

I am just so thankful for my experience here at Vanderbilt no matter what it has cost, financially, emotionally, or time-wise.  The program is making great efforts to prepare me for this next season as a nurse.  I am so thankful that Josh and I made the choice to return and praise God for providing the opportunity!

the adult hospital

the nursing school

21st Ave