Top Five Questions Answered

First, a big Thank You to everyone who has emailed, subscribed, or called to share their support for this service trip to Kenya. Your notes have been rays of sunshine during what has proven to be some rather bumpy past few days.

I thought my very next post ought to address the three most common questions I've heard so far. It would not be fair for me to ask you to partner with me on a project you knew nothing about. I also hope that as you learn more about this, your excitement will grow as well. (Maybe you'd even like to come along??)

1. Is this a mission trip with your church?

No. Medics to Africa is not a religious organization. I just need to be honest about that; I can't make it something it isn't. However, I connected with them through a directory of Christian medical mission organizations, so obviously they welcome personnel who instill in these internships a faith-component. Now, the five hospitals to which they send students are mission hospitals. This particular one in Migori is a Catholic charity hospital. Some of the hospitals require a statement of faith but this isn't one of them. So you will notice that I'm careful in my choice of words, preferring to call this a service trip.

On this note, service trips meant to minister to the physical needs of others without a spiritual component are not without scriptural basis. I don't want to lose any readers in the specifics, but there are accounts of Jesus healing the sick without making it a come-to-faith moment. As the cliche goes, 'Spread the Gospel wherever you go. If necessary, use words'.

2. Is your husband supportive?

I would not be here if he wasn't! This year wouldn't have been all that it has been without his complete support. I am so blessed to have such a gracious husband. We have had many conversations about how to appropriately balance my obligations to my family and the work necessary for me to achieve my long-term goals. Family comes first. Additionally, we are fortunate to run our own business. We set our own schedule. There is actually a lot more family-time built into our lives than most families are afforded. This has remained true over this past year of school, and will continue to be the case. Roger knows he can ask me to lay these goals down if he believes they have become too much for our marriage or children. And, if it were to ever come to that, I trust him to make that decision selflessly and with wisdom and courage.

3. Why Medics to Africa?

Medics to Africa is a unique program in that it accepts students year-round for internships of any length up to a year. I'll only be gone two weeks, but it was crucial that my trip be timed for winter break so that my schooling is not interrupted. I don't know many churches that travel during the Christmas season, do you? In the end, it was the flexibility of scheduling as well as offering a program that is more hands-on for pre-med students than most medical mission trips would permit.

4. Are you well enough to travel?

I appreciate the concern of everyone who has asked after my health and whether or not I am in a place to safely travel such far distances and to a part of this world that does not enjoy the level of sanitation and health care that we have here. The short answer is: Yes. My health problems, though they were severe and so very frightening for my family to watch me go through, do not define me. They are a part of my past. They were the catalysts to the events which brought me to this point. Again, my responsibility is to my family, and I would not even consider such an endeavor if I believed I was not physically able to meet the demands.


5. Are you pre-med?

Yes.*

* But I'm keeping my options open. Let's talk about this more in another post.

 

Let's Jump In!

Welcome to my new blog! What you find here may be surprising, challenging, radical even. The story I'm about to tell you, and the opportunity I am going to ask you to join me on, will not fit into the typical storyline for the typical life of a wife, mother-of-Four, early-thirty-something. In fact, I'll have to ask you to check all preconceived notions of such people at the door.

In short, I am asking you to partner with me on an exciting journey.

Skipping over all the back-story (I'm saving it for later, so be sure to subscribe!), I have been accepted to a pre-med internship with Medics to Africa to serve at St. Joseph's Mission Hospital in Migori, Kenya. Medics To Africa is a medical outreach organization dedicated to providing much-needed healthcare to indigent and isolated people in remote villages. Lord willing, I plan to travel to Kenya in December for two weeks, where I will intern under the supervision of physicians and other clinicians on the various wards of St. Joseph's 300 bed facility. 

Coming to this place has been a year-long journey of discernment that is by no means complete. I do not know what exactly the Lord has been preparing me for over this past year of full-time schooling. (I still have one more year ahead of me.) But I pray that this service trip will offer further discernment of His will. 

I hope I can count on you for your prayers and financial support as I seek to raise $3600 for program and travel costs. Stay tuned for more posts and emails!

Gratefully Yours,
 

Jenn