Three months. Today. Whoa that went fast! My days can be incredibly long but the months fly by. People, both here and at home, wonder what I do on a daily bases. My stand by answer is that I really have no idea. Whatever it takes to keep 107 kids healthy. Which translates into non stop on the go activity from 7am till evening. My Indian co-workers absolutely hate my schedule. In a place where tea times are still observed and all meals are sit down family affairs in which people connect over food. I discovered that my 15 min. check in to drop medications off is actually hurting my Indian relationships. Community is a deep value here and trust is built when time is spent. So the overarching theme for me in month three has been to sit and just be.
We have been short staffed in the nursing department here (note: this is not an Indian thing. I have never worked a job that has not been short staffed at one point or another) so in addition to doing the things required for 107 kids to get their medication, or see a doctor I have been covering for some of our nurses by feeding and giving daily medication at some of our homes. Needless to say rest, as in extra sleep or a day off, has not been really an option. So God has been forced to teach me about rest in some new and different ways.
I have sat down on the floor to asses a kid and have had one of his brothers straighten my kurta (shirt) climb into my lap and fall asleep. Which forced me to stay for afternoon tea with the Indian staff while watching the rest of the boys being, well, boys :-) Once I was playing worship music on the porch when one of our young ladies, who can be hard to interact with, started laughing and taping her hand along with the music. I sat and found so much enjoyment in worshipping God with her. I ended my day a little early the other day so I could celebrate with our school girls in their new apartment. Watching them scream and laugh and dance around together brought me so much joy, they have been waiting for so long.
I got sick for the first time this month and ended up spending the day in bed. While there was absolutely no way I could have done anything useful I still felt extreamly lazy. I had so much to do and even my attempts to work on the computer failed. I was frustrated (can you say workaholic?) But I felt God speaking to my heart saying,
Daughter, I did not bring you to India to burn out in your own strength. Rest in me. Let me be the power that drives you. I have been caring for these precious children long before you came on the scene. Simply rest in my prensence and take the time to enjoy my most wonderful creation. That is how you love me, and them, best.
There is always going to be something for me to do. After all, there are 107 kids that all have medical needs. But slowly I am learning that, while some things in my job are emergant, taking a 20 minuet nap once in awhile or sitting with a school kid while they read me their English homework is also time well spent. I came here to love well and loving well sometimes means taking the time to just be.
*Tele is the Telugu word for hush*
We have been short staffed in the nursing department here (note: this is not an Indian thing. I have never worked a job that has not been short staffed at one point or another) so in addition to doing the things required for 107 kids to get their medication, or see a doctor I have been covering for some of our nurses by feeding and giving daily medication at some of our homes. Needless to say rest, as in extra sleep or a day off, has not been really an option. So God has been forced to teach me about rest in some new and different ways.
I have sat down on the floor to asses a kid and have had one of his brothers straighten my kurta (shirt) climb into my lap and fall asleep. Which forced me to stay for afternoon tea with the Indian staff while watching the rest of the boys being, well, boys :-) Once I was playing worship music on the porch when one of our young ladies, who can be hard to interact with, started laughing and taping her hand along with the music. I sat and found so much enjoyment in worshipping God with her. I ended my day a little early the other day so I could celebrate with our school girls in their new apartment. Watching them scream and laugh and dance around together brought me so much joy, they have been waiting for so long.
I got sick for the first time this month and ended up spending the day in bed. While there was absolutely no way I could have done anything useful I still felt extreamly lazy. I had so much to do and even my attempts to work on the computer failed. I was frustrated (can you say workaholic?) But I felt God speaking to my heart saying,
Daughter, I did not bring you to India to burn out in your own strength. Rest in me. Let me be the power that drives you. I have been caring for these precious children long before you came on the scene. Simply rest in my prensence and take the time to enjoy my most wonderful creation. That is how you love me, and them, best.
There is always going to be something for me to do. After all, there are 107 kids that all have medical needs. But slowly I am learning that, while some things in my job are emergant, taking a 20 minuet nap once in awhile or sitting with a school kid while they read me their English homework is also time well spent. I came here to love well and loving well sometimes means taking the time to just be.
Sunset from my roof (unedited)
*Tele is the Telugu word for hush*
No comments:
Post a Comment