What has been the single most important thing that has happened to you this past year?
Oh Ben, this question...leave it to you. I think that as I go into "re-entry" in America (like that WRers?) and processes this past year, the answer might change. So it might be a blog that I rewrite later. But for now..
I came to India as a 25-year-old registered nurse with no paediatric experience and absolutely no interest in being a mother. I am leaving India as a "head" nurse who has been helping to oversee the medical care of 120 (?) children and young adults; a co-foster mother to (currently,) 15 children (it can change daily); and as a "foreign sister" (the responsibility of which cannot be explained or understood unless you are/have been one).
I think maybe the best way to sum it all up is to say that I have become a matron. For those of you unfamiliar with the British English term the dictionary definition is as follows, "a woman in charge of domestic and medical arrangements at a boarding school or other institution." (Thanks to my English "Uncle" Dave, for adding this word into my American vocabulary.)
It is a title that I would have never in a million years imagined for myself when I set out on this adventure. Matron means that I cannot simply be an "akka" (sister). The title carries with it a responsibility here that, at times, has nearly smashed me under it's weight. While some would boast about being in charge, there has been more then one day when I have tried to hand in my resignation (thankfully, unsuccessfully). Matron is a title that daily reminds me that I cannot do this unaided by The Master. It has forced me to endure, to overcome and to truly learn and live out the meaning of "it's not about you."
With all the negatives being a matron has brought an indescribable joy. It has given me the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of life here at SCH. Being a nurse matron has made me a better RN. I fight harder and research longer in order to get the very best for my patients. I don't ever get to hang up my nursing cap for the day. It has forced me to remain true to my commitment to being a "life long learner". Becoming a matron also made me a foster mother and that is an amazing and indescribable experience all unto its own. It was a role I had said "Absolutely, positively, no" to from day one. But being a mom has me laughing harder, crying more, saying the craziest things and giving and receiving more grace then I ever thought possible anyone would need. Foster mothering is a role I have fallen in love with and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I am sure this role shift from nurse to matron will change me in ways I don't fully comprehend yet. In my walk with the Lord in the future, as a daughter, sister, friend, and future wife/mother.
While my heart is breaking, even now, at the thought of leaving here, possibly permanently. I am excited to see the fruits of what God has being doing here in my life, apply to my life back in America.
Oh Ben, this question...leave it to you. I think that as I go into "re-entry" in America (like that WRers?) and processes this past year, the answer might change. So it might be a blog that I rewrite later. But for now..
I came to India as a 25-year-old registered nurse with no paediatric experience and absolutely no interest in being a mother. I am leaving India as a "head" nurse who has been helping to oversee the medical care of 120 (?) children and young adults; a co-foster mother to (currently,) 15 children (it can change daily); and as a "foreign sister" (the responsibility of which cannot be explained or understood unless you are/have been one).
I think maybe the best way to sum it all up is to say that I have become a matron. For those of you unfamiliar with the British English term the dictionary definition is as follows, "a woman in charge of domestic and medical arrangements at a boarding school or other institution." (Thanks to my English "Uncle" Dave, for adding this word into my American vocabulary.)
It is a title that I would have never in a million years imagined for myself when I set out on this adventure. Matron means that I cannot simply be an "akka" (sister). The title carries with it a responsibility here that, at times, has nearly smashed me under it's weight. While some would boast about being in charge, there has been more then one day when I have tried to hand in my resignation (thankfully, unsuccessfully). Matron is a title that daily reminds me that I cannot do this unaided by The Master. It has forced me to endure, to overcome and to truly learn and live out the meaning of "it's not about you."
With all the negatives being a matron has brought an indescribable joy. It has given me the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of life here at SCH. Being a nurse matron has made me a better RN. I fight harder and research longer in order to get the very best for my patients. I don't ever get to hang up my nursing cap for the day. It has forced me to remain true to my commitment to being a "life long learner". Becoming a matron also made me a foster mother and that is an amazing and indescribable experience all unto its own. It was a role I had said "Absolutely, positively, no" to from day one. But being a mom has me laughing harder, crying more, saying the craziest things and giving and receiving more grace then I ever thought possible anyone would need. Foster mothering is a role I have fallen in love with and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I am sure this role shift from nurse to matron will change me in ways I don't fully comprehend yet. In my walk with the Lord in the future, as a daughter, sister, friend, and future wife/mother.
While my heart is breaking, even now, at the thought of leaving here, possibly permanently. I am excited to see the fruits of what God has being doing here in my life, apply to my life back in America.
I have been sorting through photos and found this one of me and Levi at Christmas. :-)
