Saturday, February 25, 2012

Dusting off the Spanish Books




I just finished my third treatment (out of a possible 14) and I think we finally got things the way they ought to be. What I mean is, the first two treatments didn’t go very well. I had, what I thought, was an allergic reaction (which was really a sudden wave of heavy nausea that triggered a panic attack), which kept me from taking the power-house anti-nausea medication Emend. As a result, I was nauseas all week. Treatment two was the same since I didn’t take the Emend, but it was worse then the first week. This past Tuesday was treatment three and we decided to give the pill form of Emend a try. And lo and behold, I was fine. It was a little bit of a mental battle but the thought of having the next twelve treatments go like the first two, gave me enough guts to try it again. So this week has been much better. Not awesome, but better. 
Today is sort of my “Hump Day.” Day five or six is when things start to get noticeably better and I can start doing normal human things like walk the dog or go to the store and not have it zap all my energy. Today, I find myself at the computer getting all the Adult Literacy materials ready to hold our third Teacher Training Program in Nicaragua!
On March 4th, I am flying to Managua to hold the first Teacher Training Program in the refugee community of Nueva Vida which is located on the west coast of Nicaragua, just outside Managua. Even though things have slowed down a bit, due to my illness, I’ve still been working with Orphan Network to figure out a way to get this training off the ground. 
Before I go any further, for my worriers, I already cleared this with my doctor! We planned it a week before my next treatment which is when I feel the best. :)
Mary (the Literacy Coordinator in Puerto Cabezas) and Sheyla (one of our shining star teachers) are flying over from Port to assist in the training. Dustin will also be taking on some of the sessions to lighten my load. I am beyond excited!
I recently shared this with a friend and she innocently asked me “why?”. Why during this time would I not just focus on my health? Here is why. Two years ago, I asked God to tell me where I could best use my talents to better serve him in Nicaragua. I loved going there but after a while I felt a desire to do more, especially if I was going to be there so much. At the same time, Dustin was exploring the Education component of the P.E.A.C.E. plan and was just told about a successful adult literacy program being used in India. After going to India and being trained on the program and then deciding to go serve full-time, it was clear that this is where God wanted me to be. I have a Masters in Education and seven years of experience under my belt. It was perfect.
When I found out I had cancer again and had to come home, I was confused to say the least. But I trust God with my life and I know he was going to use me whether I was in Nicaragua or Virginia. I just had to continue to trust him and listen to him. So I continued to do what I could from home, via email and phone calls, so that we could keep the literacy ball moving down the field. That brings me to today, getting ready to head to Nicaragua once again to do what I know God called me to do. I can see what God is doing with this program and there is too much at stake to not continue. I believe, even though I am home and sick, that God is still calling me to serve in this capacity. We’ve equipped people in Nicaragua who are capable to work alongside us so that things aren’t slowing down but moving ahead. So why? 
Why not?

James 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

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