Traveling. It’s something I’ve always loved. Jesus. He’s someone I’ve always loved. Nursing. It’s something I’ve come to love. Now let’s throw those three things into a pot and mix them all together.
During the fall semester of my sophomore year, before I even applied for entry into the nursing program, I heard about the medical mission trips that the Capstone College of Nursing takes each year. I knew right then that it was something I wanted the chance to experience. Now here I am, less than four days from boarding a plane that will take me across the world to East Asia to offer medical care and the love of Jesus to people who may have never received either of those things.
My heart races when I think about the eleven days that I will get to spend overseas with a couple of my instructors, fellow nursing students, and fellow missionaries. To have this opportunity through my school is all the more exciting. I have been trained on how to share the Christian gospel through what is called an EvangeCube. I have received my visa. I have taken typhoid pills and made sure all my shots are up to date. I’ve gotten a prophylactic antibiotic to take while I’m there to keep from getting sick. I’ve been given a heads-up about the “squatty potty” that we will have to use on a daily basis (which is basically a hole in the ground). I’ve prepared my mom and grandparents, and apologized to my sister a million times for the fact that I’ll be missing her high school graduation. I’ve raised lots of money, and I’ve spent many hours in prayer. I think I’m ready. My checklists are almost complete. But I don’t think I’ll be fully ready until I step off that plane into the unknown.
I know that God has gone before me and prepared the way. He has given me a gift for nursing, and he has commanded me to go and tell the good news that Jesus has died for my sins and the sins of every man. I can’t wait to experience the true meaning of holistic care, tending to the mind, body, and spirit of every patient. I’m looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime.
