Becca T at sea!

One small thing..

2012-01-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." Mother Teresa James Adoukpo grew up in a family made up of voodoo worshipers. All the way up until the age of 30 he was enjoying all the worldly pleasures of money, women, drinking, and drugs until he saw the love of Jesus. Once committing his life to Jesus he turned his life around and started living the way God

Part 2: The Fishing Village Photo Album

2012-01-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

A small glimpse in to the church, village, and friends, that I have fallen in love with.Eglise Mission Internationale de Christ otherwise known as the Fishing Village ChurchIn 2010 this is the church structure we use to worship in.This is the photo I took today of the new church building we now worship in. 2012Pastor James preaching in 2010 at EMIC or the fishing village churchPastor James

Merry Christmas family!!

2011-12-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you all! Being away from home at times is not easy especially during the holidays. Don’t get me wrong the ship is a great place but there is something special about being around people that really truly know you. Today is my third Christmas away from home and I am happy to say that God has really blessed me with an understanding of not only family but Christmas as well. My

Introducing Mr and Mrs Kulah

2011-12-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Surrounded by generosity, enveloped with prayers, covered with encouragement, showered with joy, and uplifted with kindness; Greg and I have not stopped talking about the amazing love and support that we have received leading up to our wedding and on our wedding day. There are so many thank yous that I want to write but for now I want to introduce you to the new Mr and Mrs

A Church Leaders testimony..

2011-10-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

I received an invitation in the mail with the name “Mercy Ships” inscribed on the envelope. I have known about Mercy Ships for many years but why were they sending me a letter? Upon opening it I saw that they had invited me for a 4 day Church Leaders Conference here in Bo, Sierra Leone. I was so excited to be a part of this Mercy Ships conference. As I read it in more detail I saw that the

Learning how to juggle…

2011-09-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Upon returning to the ship, after Greg and my time back in the US, I knew I was going to have to do a bit of a juggling act. As of September 5th I would be working 20 hours in the hospital and 20 hours out of the hospital (Off Ships). Just like any ‘change’ the beginning is always interesting as you try and figure out when to throw a ball UP and when to grab the next one. I wasn’t sure if I

September already?!

2011-09-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

What an amazing time Greg and I have had with all of our friends and family here in the US. This entire vacation was possible because of all of your prayers and God intervening to get Greg his visa. 'With God ALL things are possible' and that has been a reigning truth throughout not only Greg's and my relationship but through our lives as well. This past month has been anything but boring.

Moskita, me no like!

2011-07-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Moskita… me no like! I HATE mosquitoes! I thought I hated mosquitoes before I came to Africa but after being here for two years I despise, loathe, and abhor them (I love my thesaurus). Last year, while working with the Burkitt’s program, I discovered even more about why mosquitoes are EVIL (maybe that’s a little harsh). Here are some reasons why to hate mosquitoes:1. They cause malaria, which

Once upon a time...

2011-06-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

...there was a girl named Becca who decided to leave her family and friends in America and follow her heart to a place called Africa. God had called her to go and live and work on a big hospital ship called Mercy Ships.Around this same time there was a boy named Gregory who had been working on Mercy Ships as a Day Volunteer in Liberia for 3 years. He loved Mercy Ships and decided to move on to

Church Leaders Conferences

2011-05-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

(Bo Conference)It was all worth it. Every phone call, every minute (hours) sitting in traffic, every paper cut received, every frustrating moment, every miscommunication, every miscalculation… it was all worth it. (Bo Conference team with speakers)Sometimes you go through really crappy things and don’t see the result until months or years later and maybe even sometimes you don’t see it at all

New height: 7 ft tall

2011-04-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom… I am now 7 feet tall due to all this stretching so please buy me some new clothes. Thanks! Love BeccaTwo of the three church leaders conferences start next week. The first will be May 3-6 in Bo (5 hours away) and then second will be May 9-12 in Freetown, which is where I live, but still could be 2-hour drive depending on the traffic… yipeee!! These two conferences alone will include

Change...yuck

2011-03-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Who likes change? Now my immediate answer is ‘Not me!’, but my life is based on change and uncertainty so I think subconsciously I LOVE change. (diagnosis: schizophrenic)I knew coming into this outreach that there was going to be a lot of change. For starters I was no longer going to be a pediatric ward nurse. This year I would officially be working as a health educator. My whole nursing

Reflection

2011-01-31T12:12:00.000-08:00

As I write this I am sitting in the Accra Airport about to board a plane for the beginning of my next adventure in Sierra Leone. I am full of a mix of emotions but mainly filled with joy over the amazing lessons learned, friendships formed, and memories made over these 5 months. It is amazing to see how God has orchestrated every detail of this adventure. Even from the very beginning of me

Back to Togo...

2011-01-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

I just returned from my third visit to Togo… oh wait sorry, let me back up a second and fill you in on what made this third visit part of my itinerary. Many of you may remember my unexpected stop to Togo last September, when I was unable to get a visa to Ghana. At that time, I was just thankful to be back in West Africa and not to be in jail. I wasn’t thinking that God had a greater purpose but

Dagbe update!

2010-12-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

An Update! Let me start by saying Thank you SOOO much for all your prayers! They were felt and definitely strengthened and encouraged me. So I cant leave you all hanging so I wanted to write you an update about my return to Dagbe. After the ‘incident’, once I was better, I decided to go back to the village. Some of you may be saying, “wow Becca you are so brave” or “Wow Becca you are an idiot.

I NEED your prayers...

2010-12-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

At first I was unsure if I should write this blog but over this past week I realized I NEEDED to write this blog.I need your prayers.Last Saturday I went back to Dagbe village and was full of energy and excitement for all that the Lord would be teaching me. The week started off great. I helped with some farming, I went to the school and did a health lesson, and even helped build a mud house.

GOAL!!!!!

2010-11-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

So while in Dagbe I wanted to learn as much as I could from those in the village. On my first day on my own I decided to go out with one of the village teachers, teacher Eric. Teacher Eric, is also farmer Eric and also Pastor Eric oh yeah and father of 6. But on Monday through Friday from 9am to 12:30 he is Teacher Eric. At 8:40 on Monday morning we ventured off to school. WE walked down the

Opps my bad!

2010-11-26T02:42:00.000-08:00

So by now you all know that I like to laugh at myself so I’ll fill you in on a story that I think you’ll appreciate. On November 17th Daihwan and I arrived at Dagbe village. This village is about 2 hours outside of a main city and has no running water and no electricity. Daihwans family had lived in this village for about one year but due to some difficulties and then the news of a new baby

Malaria~ 1 Becca~ 0

2010-11-14T09:53:00.002-08:00

Yep its true, I got stupid malaria. I have always hated malaria but now I have a deep rooted loathing for this ugly parasite. So how did I get this ugly little parasite? It all comes down to bed nets and one missed dose of my daily prophylaxis (doxycycline). Now most people say that the doxy should protect me, and most people say that if I miss one dose it shouldn’t matter, well I don’t care

My training...

2010-11-14T09:53:00.001-08:00

My whole life I have done relief work. As time has passed I have seen the devastating effects of relief work in places where they are now dependent on it. Haiti is a prime example of that. Anyone who has done work there has to have noticed the thousands of NGO’s and missionaries that go in to Port au Prince every year for years and still see no change. I am not saying there isn’t a place for

The water experiment

2010-11-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

One of the MANY lessons I am learning during this training is how to purify your water. Now I don’t mean going out to buy a Brita water filter so that the water that is running out of the faucet tastes better, no I mean purify water so that it is potable. To me this was a completely foreign concept not to have drinkable water available. Clean water. Throughout my entire life I have never had

The School Screening

2010-11-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Since arriving back in West Africa I have been working with different people and families and finding out more about CHE (community health evangelism). As time goes on some things become clearer and some things become more confusing. While in Ghana I was able to take part in what they call a SEED Project. This is usually a project that can be done in a day. The SEED project takes place after

My Ada boys....

2010-10-19T01:53:00.000-07:00

Well during my first week in Ghana I did quite a bit of traveling. It went something like this… Ada, Sage, Pukase, Accra, Pukase, Accra, Pukase, Ada.. During that time I successfully got my Liberian visa! Hooray! Once I had that in hand, I then traveled back to Ada. In Ada, I am staying with the Song family, who are missionaries that are working with CHE. The Song family consists of Daihwan,

My schooling begins…

2010-10-14T09:20:00.001-07:00

Schooling for what? Well last spring, through a series of events, I got connected with a group called Community Health Evangelism. I should have told you more details about this earlier because it explains why I am traveling from Togo, to Ghana, to Liberia, to Ghana, to Togo, etc. This group, CHE, is in many countries around the world but in particular West Africa. As you know I wasn’t suppose

24/7 Charades

2010-10-08T01:37:00.001-07:00

When working on the ship over the past two outreaches I quickly picked up how important our actions/expressions were. This is especially true when working with non-English speaking patients. Now as I am back in Togo except this time without the ship and with out my translator friends, I am even more aware of how telling these things are. Over the past two weeks I have been challenged, as an

Hungry...

2010-10-08T01:33:00.000-07:00

Before I left the ship I was only able to get a few hundred dollars due to limited access to funds when we first arrived in South Africa. So I left the ship with about 400$ and started on my adventure. My original plan was to start a bank account in Ghana as soon as I arrived but as you all know my plans were changed. So instead I had to use some money to get my multiple entry Ghana visa and

Joke is on me

2010-10-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

Thankfully I like to laugh at myself, especially when embarrassing or unexpected things happen to me. Over these past 2 weeks I have had the pleasure of being able to laugh A LOT.Last year I did some teachings, on Community Health, at two Togolese churches. Well after these past 2 weeks of living here in Africa I can see I have a lot of revising to do.Get ready to laugh, at me.Handwashing:

Sick.

2010-10-08T01:31:00.000-07:00

I know technically I have been living in Africa for 16 months but I was living on the ship that is more like a mini-America. So over the past week of LIVING in Africa, my body has had to go through major adjustments. New climate, new foods, very limited fruits/veggies, motorbike rides for 2-4 hours a day on dusty roads, late nights and early mornings. Uhohhh! Finally all of these things

Washing Clothes

2010-09-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Okay so as I was mentally preparing to embark on this adventure of ‘Living in West Africa’ I knew that there was going to be many things that I had never done that I would need to learn. One of those things was learning how to wash my clothes by hand. Now for my African friends this may seem silly or trivial but this was something I really wanted to accomplish. Once I got to Alidas house, the

Becca's beds!

2010-09-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

I want to post a special thank you for the many beds that I had the pleasure of staying in over this past month. MeganAtlantic PointMurray CrawfordLyn and James BurnettGhana 4 star hotelAlidaMost of these people opened up their homes to me even though I had never met or even spoken to them. But EACH ONE quickly accepted me into their homes and showed me boundless love and hospitality. If by

Adventure back to West Africa!

2010-09-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the airplane flying into Accra many thoughts ran through my head. “What am I doing? I wonder what a Togo jail cell looks like? I wonder how much my bail will be? I wonder what it is like to be deported?” Ya know the usual questions you ask while you are about to fly by yourself into a West African country without a visa. Many of you may be asking “Becca how did you get yourself into

Beautiful...

2010-09-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

God you created the heavens and the earththe sea and the sky, the night and the day.God you created all these things and more, and said they were 'GOOD'Then God you made something even more magnificent than mountains, even more majestic than your vast oceans,even more breathtaking than sunrises and sunsets,even more beautiful than your precious flowers and even more intriguing than the grace of

Where is Becca now?

2010-09-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Many of you may be asking, “Where in the world is Becca? “Right now I am sitting in Cape Town and will be here until the 22nd of September at which point I will be flying back up to West Africa to start learning more about community health education. I’ll talk more about that later. First I need to catch you all up with all the events of this past week. The ship arrived safely in Durban on

Pierrette's Posse- dining room divas

2010-08-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well right now we are somewhere between Togo and South Africa on the 9th day out of our hopeful 18 day sail. Now in past sails I have stayed in the hospital department helping with scanning patient charts, writing or rewriting protocols, helping with nursing orientation, or researching Burkitt’s. Well this sail I decided to branch out and join the dining room team. (*sidenote: Annie and Mom

Community health education

2010-08-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

If you were to ask me a year ago if I would ever be interested in teaching community health in Africa, I would have said “No I’m all set. I don’t really like teaching.” Well God has a funny way of taking my words and flipping them COMPLETELY around. For example I told my coworkers, Emily and Sue, “I would never live on a ship” and “I would never go to Africa.”…. Right. I have MANY examples of

Bubbles breaking walls!

2010-07-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

As we near the end of this outreach I have been doing a lot of reflection. God has been showing me so many things about who He is and also teaching me how to be a better follower of Him. He has blessed me with so many amazing friends and opportunities especially over these past six months. For now I want to focus on the Burkitt’s program and the amazing blessing that it has been to both Suzanne

"I am a somebody"

2010-07-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am a pediatric nurse. Ever since I was a kid I have always lovvvveeedd children and knew that whatever job I ended up with it would involve working with kids. So when I came to Mercy Ships last year, for the first time in my nursing career I had to take care of adult patients. Most nurses come to the ship nervous to take care of children or babies where as I was nervous about taking care of

But WHY?

2010-06-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Why do bad things happen? Why does God allow tragedy? Why doesn’t God stop disasters? Why doesn’t Jesus heal everybody? We have our “WHY GOD” questions and sadly some have them more often than others. Recently while visiting the hospitality center (a place where our pre operation and post operation patients stay) I wondered what “Why God?” questions they would ask.God why would you let me

Blinking billboard!!

2010-06-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Over these past few months in Togo I have noticed this ‘thing’ slowly slipping into my life. At first it was very subtle but now it has turned into a blinking billboard. This ‘thing’ I am talking about is……. pride. I know that pride is something that we all battle everyday normally but recently as I have become more comfortable with what God has called me to do the voltage of my pride was

Give me your eyes...

2010-05-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I woke up feeling, not so great. I got up at my usual time but i felt weak, nauseous, fatigued, etc. I did my normal morning routine before work but by 0645a still felt the same so decided it was probably best that I call out and rest. Now for anyone that knows me, I HATE calling out and rarely ever am sick enough to bring myself to the point of taking a day of rest. BUT once i

Breaking Chains

2010-05-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

So right now I am suppose to be working on this online class but I cant wait to tell you about all that has been happening this past week. Since coming back to Togo there have felt the spiritual heaviness on or around the ship. There has been an increased level of precautions needed while going out due to safety issues, we have had long term crew unexpectedly have to leave due to illnesses, we

My Big Boy!

2010-05-10T02:14:00.000-07:00

Step #1~ Admit Marius into the infant feeding program.Step #2~ Get him fat so that he can get his bilateral cleft lip fixed.Step #3~ Give Marius and his Mama lots of hugs and kisses and pray for them as they go back to their village and shine brightly.

Love-o-meter= Overflowing...

2010-05-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

My SURPRISE home started being planned last November. The plan started being formulated when most of the ship crew around me were either going home for the holidays or forever. Hearing everybody talk about his or her families and loved ones, I started REALLY missing home. Over the next couple weeks, I worked out my ‘vacation time’ and booked my SURPRISE trip to go back to Boston in April.

Light in darkness.

2010-03-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Ouch….Poverty hits me in the heart once again My tear ducts literally can’t dish out any more tears. My heart is so heavy with the reality of poverty being thrown in my face that I run, once again, into the strong and compassionate arms of Jesus. I knew coming to Africa I was going to see some shocking things but I didn’t realize how hard it would actually be. Last year in Benin we had a Mama

Gerald and Michael

2010-03-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Cancer sucks. There is no way around it. Burkitts Lymphoma is in a league of its own. Over the past few days my heart hasn’t stopped aching and my eyes haven’t stopped welling up as I think about this terrible disease. This cancer is found mainly (90%) in subsaharn Africa and is spawned from the terrible effects of poverty. This disease affects malnourished children whose bodies are

Screening day...

2010-02-28T05:04:00.000-08:00

Due to upcoming elections in Togo they have asked us to do multiple smaller screening (30 screenings 400 patients a day) compared to our usual one time large screening (up to 5000 at once). I was told going into the screenings that we only are able to do surgery for about 25-20% of the people that we see. But this year we have added limitations with only 3 operating rooms in use and the fact we

It's Togo Time!

2010-02-12T00:34:00.000-08:00

We officially made it to Togo! I can’t even begin to tell you how happy and joyful I am to be back!! Yay! Being away these past two months, God has really shown me how truly IN LOVE I am with Africa.A part of you has grown in me.And so you see, it's you and meTogether forever and never apart,Maybe in distance, but never in heart.As we start this new outreach in Togo I am so excited and thankful

Pipe Twister

2010-01-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

After helping write pediatric protocols and updating other hospital information for the first month after Benin, I decided to take the last month in Tenerife and expand my resume.Rebecca Taylor- Pediatric ward nurse, Engine Room Volunteer..I figured that I usually work with human plumbing so that working with ship plumbing shouldn't be too different. The engine=brain, the plumbing= veins/arteries

The BEST Christmas present EVER!!

2009-12-30T05:14:00.000-08:00

As most of your know Christmas is by far my favorite season of the year. The family time, the giving, the receiving (yea that means presents), the songs, the lights, the tree, the games, the movies, the snowboarding, the cookies, the cinnamon rolls, the candy canes, etc. (etc actually just means more food items.. hehe). But as the Christmas season approached most of these things were not on

I’m walking on solid ground!

2009-12-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

After 11 days of sailing from Africa to Spain,we officially made it to Tenerife. The sail was absolutely breathtaking. I got up every morning at 530am to do some praying and then I would go and watch the beautiful sunrises. My work day would then start around 8am where we would have hospital devotions on the bow. This was extra special since normally the nurses and hospital staff don’t get

Becca T is finally at sea!

2009-12-08T00:20:00.001-08:00

"The engines are overheating", "The radar isn't working", "There is no way we are going to leave by Tuesday." These are some of the many things that I was hearing as I walked through the ship. Our plan has always been to leave on December 8th but for some reason ALL these things were going wrong. The deck and engine department were working overtime to try and get everything ready to leave but

My Benin friends..

2009-12-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was a very sad day. We had to say goodbye to the translators and day workers that have been serving with Mercy Ships for the past 10 months of this Benin outreach. Even though I have only been here for 3 months, the friendships that I have made are truly God given. Working with the translators on the ward as been such a blessing and playing soccer with the soccer team has been SOOO

Dinner at the Presidents!

2009-11-26T21:31:00.001-08:00

Dinner with the President! Yes you read correctly, I was invited to eat at at the presidents palace, well me and 350 other crew members. hehe! Here is the article printed after this very memorable event:Mercy Ships Is Honored by the Republic of Benin Cotonou, Benin, West Africa, November 17, 2009 - Mercy Ships received a high honor given by the President of the Republic of Benin, H.E. Dr

Ephriam

2009-11-22T06:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning I arrived to work to start my 12 hour shift. I was a little sad because on this day was the big soccer match with the Crew vs. Day workers in which they got to play on a real GRASS field. The night before I was talking to a friend and he said that there was probably a good reason that God wanted me to work and not play. Suuuurre, I thought and prayed that if so God would show me.I

Gorgeous Ghana

2009-11-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

So after a 4 day vacation in Ghana I am feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. There was 11 of us total; 6 from USA, 1 Canadian, 1 Norwegian, 1 Swedish, and 2 Ghanaians. Getting to Ghana was a bit of an adventure in itself but after 3 breakdowns, 4 cars, and 2 immigration processes we made it. First was the Canopy walkway. One of 4 in the entire world. Next we went to Elmina Castle located in

Reality check..

2009-10-23T01:50:00.001-07:00

This past week has definitely been a huge reality check for me. There have been a lot of hard things that have happened over this past week and my heart was definitely feeling pretty heavy. I felt like it was just one thing after another and whenever I felt like ‘Okay God this is all I can handle. You can stop now’, something else would get piled on. Since I have been on

-For the glory of God-

2009-10-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.I have now been in Africa for almost 2 months serving on the Africa Mercy. I am still settling in and feeling 'comfortable' but defintiely know that it'll be awhile before I can truly call this ship my home.Working on the wards has been unbelieveable. The nurses that I work with come from all around

day of rest...

2009-09-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

So I woke up this morning and went up to breakfast to start my day before work. I then took my 2 minute commute to work, one floor below the dining hall. Once I arrived on the ward they asked if I would be willing to come back for the evening shift because they have been having a lot of sick calls and weren't sure if they would be short staffed. I said that was fine and off I went. Now a

Shine Abla Shine

2009-09-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

God has definitely been working in my heart in amazing ways over this past month. As you all know I had asked you to pray for a special little patient of mine named Abla. God used this little girl to touch my heart and show me another dimension of his love and how he uses all things to make his light shine to all people and all nations.Little Abla: My evening shift started like any other shift

on a lighter note...

2009-09-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Soccer!! Okay so you all know how much I love soccer. I know I know its been a few years since I have really played but soccer will always hold a special place in my heart. Anyway over the past 2 months of training and now in Africa I have had multiple soccer situations. Now mind you i am not in soccer shape AT ALL but it was nice to play around. Anyway so this past week I was able to play 2

Some random stories:

2009-09-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Back flip FLOP: So a few days after i arrived in Benin a friend suggested that a bunch of us go to a nearby swimming pool. Once we arrived I instantly noticed a tall diving platform and the ideas started streaming. My friend, Elliot, decided he would do a back flip off of this 5 meter platform. Jump up, flip around all the way, SPLASH! "Psshh I can totally do that" I thought to myself. I

AfRiCa

2009-09-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

My view every morning!!Before I forget I want to update you all on my arm. My arm is doing great. I had a friend ask the other day and I said " It looks so good" she then said "Becca, good is not the word, it looks better but not good." So basically my aspirations of becoming an arm model are out but I could spokes person for why to wear Deet repellant. hehe! Anyway so now on to what you all

Welcome to Africa!

2009-08-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Africa! I have officially been in Benin for a week and all I can say is "wow". As i write this i just have to laugh thinking about what i thought my first week would be like verses the reality of what it ended up to be. Grab a coffee and sit up straight because here is the breakdown of my first week in Africa.Arriving in Benin was great as we were welcomed by 3 friends from our past

Plans made in jello; Our European road trip!

2009-08-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

My original ship date was the 10th of August but due to the swine flu our date got pushed out to the 19th. My friend Christina and I had been in contact earlier in the year to try and coordinate flights to Africa so when our date got moved we should travel around Europe. Once in Texas another friend of ours, Leah, was in the same boat so here began the story of the 3 Amigas! Our adventure

Our trip to the DR...

2009-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

A lot of you may be wondering "when are you finally going to Africa? 17 day vacation in the Dominican?" I know I know but the main purpose of this trip was to be able to put all the things that we have been talking about and learning about from class into practice. The long classroom hours on knowing God and His character, spiritual warfare, worldview, hot/cold culture climates, living in

Fire and Water!

2009-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at 3am, myself with 10 other Mercy Shippers, will be leaving to go and serve down in the Dominican for 17 days. After 4 weeks of intense classroom training down in Tyler TX i am excited for this change of pace but moreover to go and serve and work with those in the DR. Please be praying for us all. This past week was the most physically intense week that we've had thus far.

i will miss...

2009-07-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

I won't miss my car, my house, or my money But I will miss those that made life so enjoyable and funny I will miss getting hugs by my mom and dad Their constant love, even when I made them mad I will miss my sister whose also my best friendHer love, honesty, and loyalty, no one can contend I will miss my dog (I know I'm a loser) and his constant joy His high-pitched

Spiritual warfare...

2009-07-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

After last week God definitely softened my heart to be able to listen for what God was trying to teach me during this training session. This week we were focusing on Spiritual Warfare. Now I’ve been a Christian since I was 13 and have been around Christians my entire life but this is the first time that I received teaching solely on just how evil and conniving the devil truly is. One of the

silence + becca =challenge

2009-06-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

So maybe the pics don't depict how I've been feeling but in all honesty this past week was A LOT harder then I had imagined. I expected that sitting in a classroom for 8 hours a day might be a bit much, I thought that the Texas heat might be a little distracting, and I figured that some days would be harder than others, but I didn't think I would have all these feelings on day #4 of my 6 week

2009-06-20T17:33:00.001-07:00

Okay so I know I need to update my blog and so bear with me as I try to fill you all in and sort out the many thoughts roaming around in my head.These past few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions and changes. Last night I arrived in Texas with 2 body bags in hand. These body bags contain everything I will need for the next two years of my life. I’m not going to lie I felt a little

Bittersweet

2009-05-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

Bittersweet. This sums up exactly how I am feeling after going through my official last day of work today. I have been working at Mass General Hospital in pediatrics for almost four years now. The relationships that I have made with coworkers, families, and patients are something I will cherish forever. It has been such a blessing and honor working beside the most caring, loving, wise, and

relaxation... or maybe not...

2009-04-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

Definition of: Relaxation~ abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, effort, application, etc.So, I just got back from a week of relaxation in Miami with two of my best friends. You may be asking, what does relaxation entail? Personally for me this meant no work, no internet, minimal cell phone use, good conversation with friends, exercise, reading, and of course slleeepp. I am happy to

Inspired...

2009-02-27T14:23:00.001-08:00

So, last week I had the pleasure of being able to meet up with one of my fellow Mercy Shippers. She will be boarding the ship this week and then I will meet up with her in August. Yay! God has been so good to me throughout this whole process. It was weird, at first when I was trying to decide if God really wanted me to do this I was SOOO nervous and I thought of all the reasons why it was

phew...

2009-02-04T11:50:00.001-08:00

Alright so I know God has a purpose and plan for everything so I have to tell you this amazing but kind of freaky story. Well at least it was for me. So last week I had a random Tuesday off, so I decided to go home and see my parents in the morning and then during the day drive around and visit some people I haven’t seen in a long time. I visited the Sullivan’s (Julie's family whom I’ve known

Jump start. Battery fully charged!

2009-01-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

So as of today I have about 5 months before I leave for Benin Africa. If you are looking at Africa, Benin is located right in the crook of Africa on the western side. This is the side that currently has no risks of any pirates joining the ship. But they are still looking for more volunteers so who knows. Pray about it! Hehe! Anyway today I flew back from my first week of training in Garden

Preparing to leave...

2008-12-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

So as i prepare to leave there are so many people that i want to thank.First of all God and his constant love and hope that he has given me. My life has been filled with a lot of ups and downs but God has shown me that through all of those situations it was all for his glory. Secondly is my church. Immanuel church and its members have been my family and my support since i was born. The pastors