Its official- I am an excellent singer!!

Well, Josh and I are addicted to Rockband on the Wii- and we have a characters (he is Doc of Roc and I am Cur Vee) hahaha and we play it all the time.  I was always told growing up and I knew myself that I was a horrible singer and that I should never sing in public and all that kind of jazz, but I was wrong.  I CAN SING- Rockband told me so.  When I am belting out AC/DC or Bon Jovi or Blondie, I get a score that it in the high 90%'s.  So, I am just thinking, should I be in the praise band at church, try out for American Idol, sing some solos.  My whole world just opened up!!! Hooray for Rockband and building up optimism!!! 

Crazy?

I have finished 3 out of the 4 weeks of my first clinical rotation which happens to be Psychiatry.  Going into this rotation I did not know what to expect and actually felt like it would be a waste of time.  After all, what did I care about these "crazy" people!  Through these 3 weeks I have seen people who suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, schizophrenia in all its forms, and every type of substance abuse you can think of.  I have seen people who want to kill themselves or maybe have tried multiple times, people who are homeless and are tired of sleeping on the ground, people whose children have been taken from them, people who hear voices telling them to hurt others, people who are so strung out on drugs that nothing short of a miracle will save them, people who have been physically and sexually abused by their own fathers and uncles, people who hate the way they look so much that they hate themselves and everyone else, and others that do not come to mind right now.  

Up until 3 weeks ago, I thought that people who were a little different or had trouble functioning in society or had mood swings just needed to SUCK IT UP and take control of their life.  I stereotyped them and grouped them all together and assumed that they needed Jesus and if they had problems like this they surely did not have Him in their life.  Of course they need Jesus just as all of us need Jesus but one thing I have learned is that some of these people are Christians and love God but still have struggles that I and a lot of people blow off because they are "crazy."  

In the past three weeks I have learned about diseases, medicines, and the complexity of the human mind.  That is what I am supposed to do as I progress through my clinical rotations.  I believe that the most important thing I have learned is to have compassion and empathy towards those with mental illnesses, substance abuse issues, and those with no place to go home.  Most days, I leave with a sinking feeling in my gut and I feel so sorry for the patients I have seen that day.  Part of this feeling is from reflecting on the suffering of these people but part of it is reflecting on the fact that 3 weeks ago, I would not have even given these people a chance before labeling them "crazy."  Not only do they have to suffer from their illness but they also must suffer from being considered outcasts or unclean by society and unfortunately even by us Christians.  I know in my heart that if Jesus in the flesh had met my patients that he would have tremendous compassion for them.  Thankfully, He does know all of them and He does love all of them just as much as he loves me.  How will some of these people know that?  I think by seeing and experiencing God's love and compassion through people like you and me.

Everyday I realize that I am so blessed and have been given so much in my life.  My life is a cake walk compared to many others.  I could not have asked for a better life.  These past 3 weeks continue to remind me of that and remind me that I should thank God for all He has done and entrusted to me.  If my life should ever change and I have to deal with the problems that some of my patients suffer with, I hope that others could have compassion for me as I have now have for the wonderful, God-loved people I have met over the past 3 weeks.  There is a lot of evil, illness, and suffering in this world but thankfully, my God is bigger and greater than all! 

Slideshow from New Orleans Trip 6/14/08-6/21/08

Here are some pics from our trip to New Orleans with our church, Faith Christian Church.  We worked with a mission organization called Forward Edge International.  This trip involved a lot of hard work but it was easy to see how God is working in New Orleans as well as in each team member's life.  Most if not all of our team members are already so excited about our next chance to go on a mission trip.  Sadly, there is so much more work to do in New Orleans but I try to think of it as more opportunities for Christ followers to reach out and serve the needy in New Orleans so that God will be glorified.

Sorry, for some reason the song did not upload to youtube like it was supposed to!  You can just listen to the playlist while the pics scroll through!

Welcome, welcome!

Hey everybody. Well, I have never really blogged before so who knows where this is going to go! Josh and I just thought it would be fun to have a central place to share about what is going on in our lives and what we are up to.  We are just getting back into our routine after a fun Fourth of July weekend.  This will be the first place I announce this, we are now officially campers! We went camping Friday night with our friends Crystal and Fernando, and their cute 2 year old Rebecca.  We had a few run-ins with raccoons and issues with the casket-like quality of our tiny two person tent, but an overall great time biking, sitting by the fire, talking, and eating s'mores! Josh is currently doing his first rotation ever, and it is at the local psych hospital.  He always has great stories about the patients, one lady serenaded them with a "thank you" song. . .  Work is fine for me, my boss is leaving on maternity next week and I will be doing her job, so this week is not a lot of patient care (my favorite) but lots of report running, computer work(boring).  Well, that is what we are up to!