Throwback to January

So I've been feeling bad about not posting anything on here, so I'm gonna try to get back to doing that! Now, picture yourself back in January. It's a few weeks after Christmas, and you're getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. You may be a little tired from all the festivities, you may have had to loosen your belt a couple notches after all those yummy Christmas goodies, but now it's time to return to some sort of normalcy. That's about how I was feeling when I wrote this update for our church newsletter. Thought I'd share it with you in case some of you haven't read it... here it goes:

It's the beginning of a new year, the time for reflecting on a year past and a new one about to start! These last four months since I've moved to Philippi and started service have flown by. As I look back on them, I realize that I have grown in so many ways and experienced so many new things already in such a short time. 

My work at the Myers Clinic and Kid Reach continues to be very rewarding and constant learning experiences. I enjoy getting to talk to so many people each day as I answer phone calls and take people’s vitals. Even though I only see them for a short time, I've had fun making small talk and getting to know some of the more regular patients at the clinic. Work there continues to go well as I have gotten more

comfortable with medical lingo, procedures, and other doctors and facilities in the area. Answering the phone has probably been my biggest challenge at the clinic, as many patients call asking about radiology results or advice on medications they are taking. Obviously I'm not a trained nurse, but with help from the doctors and actual nurses and more experience reading charts, I can now answer some of the more basic questions on my own. Needless to say, I've gotten really good at transferring phone calls to more qualified personnel! I've also learned to do more new things like give EKG tests and fill  syringes for shots. 

Kid Reach, the after school program that I work at two days a week, is also challenging at times, but I've grown to love the children I work with. They're often rowdy after just getting out of school and then expected to jump right into doing their homework, but it's great to see how much they've improved just since August. There are two boys in the group in particular who were often almost uncontrollable at the beginning, but are definitely making some progress. One of them has become one of my favorite kids to work with because he needs so much help. At the beginning of the year, he had trouble even sitting down and reading several pages of a book along with one of the tutors. Recently, though, I was leading a game and he followed almost all the directions without trouble and paid attention the whole time. 

I see God everyday through the people I encounter, whether it be the patients, nurses or doctors I work with at the clinic, the kids and teachers at Kid Reach, or the awesome people I live with. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to

build relationships with new people and serve God through those relationships. As I start a new year and the second half of my term here in Philippi, I look forward to continuing to meet new people and strengthen the relationships I have with ones I have already met!