Fresh Air

It has been quite a week! I have been able to experience so much here this week! At the clinic specifically. This past Saturday, I was able to do most all the pap smears with the gynecologist. There was one where I could not locate the cervix to obtain the specimen we need for a pap smear. I am telling you people, this line of work is not what American nurses are allowed to do! I am not forced to do anything, I am asked and I for sure take the opportunity. I will never get another chance like this! Along with more opportunity there comes different ways of learning. Their clean technique is their only one. As nurses from America know, there is clean and there is sterile. The sterile technique rarely applies here. I don't even use gloves when giving shots, because it makes the people here feel "dirty". I have learned that is just the way it is. I am loving learning new and different ways to practice and different techniques that they use here with the health care they provide to patients. The clientele is still steadily high; having an average of 50 patients per day. I am exhausted by the time the day is over, but ready to come back the next day to do the same thing over again! This older lady came into the clinic on Friday of last week and was screaming about her body. She said she felt weak, her heart felt slow, her breathes felt harder to take, and her blood tingled. I had to help calm her down. I sat by her wheelchair and held her hand, but missed a great opportunity. I heard God telling me to pray for her, but I did not obey. I was upset with myself and missed a great opportunity. I know there will be more times like this, but I reassured her that there are doctors here to help her and that she will be fine. Hello Melissa, you should have reassured her that God is with her. I told her when she was leaving "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you) and all she said was "tu eres muy bonita y Dios está a tu alrededor" (you are very beautiful and God is around you). She touched my heart. I prayed for her that night and asked God to forgive me for not listening. I definitely learned my lesson! Yesterday, Tuesday, I was able to remove stitches out of a woman who has cancer and had to have a colostomy bag because her colon was removed. She was the sweetest old lady. She was scared because she thought it would hurt when removing the stitches. Little did she know, I have never done that before. I am so thankful for that opportunity. It was very fun, and I was also able to do a dressing change on a woman who came in this past Saturday with a cut all the way down to the bone and had to be taken to the hospital by the two doctors at the clinic because she needed stitches. She was much more calm and she said I was very good at going slow and causing no pain when I changed her dressing. I was jumping with joy after that compliment. I also had to clean a wound on a lady that said it hurt when I poured providone iodine over her wound. I learned that with every different person, comes a different level of pain tolerance. I have been blessed to do the things I have been able to do. I was also assisting the Doctor who does ultrasounds and helping him point out the parts of the body while looking at ultrasounds. Diaphragma (diaphragm), rinion (kidney), higado (liver), vesicula (gall-bladder), utero (uterus), ovario (ovaries), aorta (aorta). I am learning all these words, I love it! I also experienced seeing that one lady came in and only had one kidney! She was having pain on the side where she had her only kidney and the doctor realized she only had one! I was amazed. She was too! I have been learning much more about God and his faithfulness this week. I have been watching the series from Church of the Highlands called Fresh Air (hence the title of this weeks blog). Chris Hodges is an author of the book titled Fresh Air (the nest book on my "To Read" list, along with Greater by Steven Furtick). This week I have learned about falling in love with Jesus and everyday you have a choice. As a disciple of God, I have the choice of receiving what has already been done, receiving God's love for me(Romans 5:8),and obeying out of delight (john 14:15). I have a choice to chose life vs death every day (Deuteronomy 30:19)! I realized the condition of your eternal life has nothing to do with external things; but rather, it has to do with your relationship with God. It is such an amazing thought. I listened to another sermon titled Good Medicine. It was about attitude. And everyone could always improve this part of their life. This was about making the choice everyday(Heb 12:1). Chris Hodges shared that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% is our response to what happens; think about that, because it is so true. Making the choice everyday to get up and have a positive attitude no matter what is an awesome way to start my day! I feel so much happier when I chose to follow and love others as He loves me. Develop a high appreciation for life is another note that I wrote(2 Corinthians 6:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Another note is to find something positive in everything, which may be hard sometimes, but it is worth a try! God will bless you much more when you thank him for things, even when they seem hard and impossible at the time. And the last note I took was turn everything over to God (Philippians 4:6-7 and 1 Peter 5:7). In all these things, I decided I need to have a Christ like attitude. I must do these things to fully satisfy my time here and I am fully aware that these things need to be thought about and done each and everyday so that I can be fulfilled while I am here. I am so excited to do these things and watch the outcome. Please keep praying for me and allowing my life to be touched by the people here and that my love chines through me and pours out onto the hearts of the broken and needy. I love this place and this country. I love my family. They have been the perfect fit for me. It reminds me of home. Not everyone is home all the time, which is just like my house. My sister has school every week night and does not get home till later, my brother works every night and does not get home till later as well. My sister in law is home the most and so is my mom. My mom teaches class at our house everyday from 2:00 to 4:30 with 30 kids. My dad is traveling a lot because he is part of a music group. My youngest brother is either at school or soccer practice. He won an award today at school and I got to attend to see him receive it. It was because of his academic excellence. I didn't understand a lot of what was being said, but it was nice to be able to be a part of this celebration with my family. My nephew always wants to play and always welcomes me home with "HI MELISSA!" He is the cutest thing. I love every part of this adventure. Please keep me in your prayers! I love and miss you all!

Dios Te Bendiga!

I have been here for about 2 weeks and it has been an experience I will never be able to replicate! I am so thankful for the people I have met and the people I will meet later! God places certain people in my life for reasons and the reasons are becoming clearer the longer I am here. I know it has only been 2 weeks, but it feels like I have known my family a lot longer. I mean I have been sick this last week with an upset stomach. I was drinking water from the sink being told that it was fresh water. Clearly it was a mistake, but it left me on the painful side of suffering the consequences of not buying fresh water from across the street at the clinic I work at that is bottled and NO DOUBT fresh and clean! I got to play soccer for the first time in a long time and it was such a great experience. I scored the first goal for our team, but was not able to score anymore because I was then targeted. I really enjoy that two of my brothers love soccer! We sometimes are able to play a little in the house; in the front or back patios depending on who is home ;) I have also really enjoyed going to the church I attend. Amor Viviente. I have connected really well and who ever preaches knows to talk slower because I am in the listening audience and it is easier me to understand when I am spoken to slowly. I also have attended a young persons service. It is held every Wednesday, so I went last night and had a great time. It is a small group of people but I connect well because more than half of them are my family. My clinic experience is becoming more exciting. I am able to do a little more now. I have been able to give away some baby hats to expecting mothers. I have been giving more injections (into the buttocks, which is still weird to me). I have been explained how to interpret an ultrasound. I have been practicing my medical Spanish with my friend Jerry who helps write down the names of people and where they live because they talk way to fast for me now. I take blood pressures and check pulses before they go to have the doctor examine the patients. I am looking forward to understanding the natural, fast pace of the spoken language here. I know God is with me and is helping me to become more knowledgeable everyday. I got to sit in and help the gynecologist last Saturday! It was such a good experience! I actually know how to do a pap smear! She helped guide my hand at times, but seriously, who ever gets that experience in America?! I have really enjoyed my clinic experience. The thing I want to challenge you this week is to just observe and be thankful. Without cherishing EVERY moment, you miss the things meant to teach you. For example, God answered my prayers that were so small but he has answered big ones too. I prayed for my stomach pains to be gone at certain times and I noticed whenever I was working for his kingdom (at the clinic) the pains were decreased and it was bearable to work comfortably. I consider this a small answer but it has been a huge one in disguise because if I think about it and was in pain at the clinic, it would have been the most miserable thing. I pray for my friend Jerry everyday because he helps to keep me informed on what people are saying and understanding that speaking slowly helps me to better understand. He used to play his music on his phone and played songs that were not necessarily good ones while we worked. I shared that I deleted all my “bad” songs I had on my iPod and computer before I came to Nicaragua and it has helped me to be happy and feel much closer to God because all I listen to now is Christian music. He told me the next day that he prayed to God and felt inclined to delete his bad music! I made an impact! I know that is small and only one person, but now he knows I don’t appreciate the bad music being played around me and respects that and plays only Christian music. I am very thankful! I am able to read my bible while at the clinic sometimes and it has helped me to realize God’s promises he has for us! He gives us joy (1 Thes 5:16-17), guides our paths (Jer 29:11), and makes us whole (Psalms 103: 1-5)! What an awesome God we serve! I want to share with you what promises God has given me: I am fully resourced to do everything God has called me to do and this is found in Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” He also allows me to have nor fear or anxiety. This is found in 2 places for me. The first is Joshua 1:5 “…I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Also found in Philippians 4:6. You can read that for yourselves, but it allows me to know not to have any fear or anxiety and to trust in God with all my heart. I feel not fear when I ride the bus to and from work and that is one of the first questions people have asked me while adapting to this new culture! They said I am a natural if I am never scared! Why be scared when we have God protecting us?!? I have never been so happy and able to smile at all the things I have experienced. I am so excited to follow God in all I do! It has been a blessing to do this and I thank all of you for keeping me in your prayers and thoughts as I travel. I also ask you to keep considering the church as they are still trying to raise money. It is hard, and I am hoping to make a contribution, but please pray about this and if you feel lead, please contact me: mismiller08@yahoo.com! Hope you all have a great week! Miss my friends and family at home! Some pictures: Me at the Clinic

Me and the doctor at the Clinic!

Name of the clinic and hours!

Empty clinic! Not what it looks like at all! People are crammed on the benches!

The church I go to!

Amanda, Me, and my mentor Claudia.

Old city building that cannot be used anymore because the earthquake of 1972.

Una Semana has passed!

The feelings I have felt while I have been in Nicaragua have been scared, all the way to excited! I bet if you have ever traveled out of the country, it is a bit of a shock at first. I still am in that state. I cannot get my head wrapped around the fact that many people live the way they do. I feel pity for some people and I know I should not, but all I want to do is give a hug to every child I see and talk with all the older people I see. The average person in Nicaragua is a teenager and the average salary a day is $2.00. I am currently working at a clinic and have been able to interact with almost ALL people who walk in because I take blood pressures and check the pulse rate. I have been able to step in when the ultrasound tech was at the clinic and see many different things; a baby, the bottom of a heart that was later diagnosed with cor pulmonale (right sided heart failure), and the kidneys and the diaphragm. Today I was able to sit in with the cardiologist and got to help with EKG's and listen to him explain the foods people are no longer allowed to eat at home and what they need to change about their current lifestyle. The spanish I speak is minimal, but I am trying to get by with what I know for now. I have a friend at the clinic who has helped me so much, he explains things slowly to me and is very nice. He helps take down names and addresses because people think I speak fluent spanish for some reason and ask me questions that I have no idea what they said and I look at him for an answer. This saturday I will be able to sit in with the gynecologist! I am so excited! My first day of the clinic is off on Friday because we have the celebration of independence here. I have been able to see many things but in this next section I am going to explain the different senses and things I have experienced. Please allow yourself to be consumed by these descriptions. I have felt; sweat pouring down my face and body all day, the rain, cold water (in the shower only), and the skin of many Nicaraguans as I take their pulse. I have tasted; gallo pinto (a mixture of rice and beans), sopa, pupusas, tip top (a restaurant described to me as the chick fil a of Nicaragua), and many fruits and fruit juices that are hand squeezed. I have seen; little boys unzipping their pants to do their business steps outside the clinic, graffiti on the walls of every street, three people on one motorcycle, people of all ages when I travel on the bus to and from the clinic. I have heard; dogs barking in the middle of the night, horns every 2 seconds, and spanish all day long! I have smelled; horse manure on the streets as people ride their horse drawn carriage by the clinic, marijuana walking down the dirt roads near the clinic, and the wonderful food that my mother has cooked for me. There are many more experiences I have that will have to be kept to myself because there are too many to explain! The first day at the clinic, we had 72 patients, since then the number has gone down everyday. I heard that number is normal especially for Mondays because the clinic is closed over the weekend. I love what I am doing and who I am doing it for. I pray everyday that God gives me the strength and endurance to pursue another day as strong as I did the day before. I have appreciated all He has given me and I am hoping to express His love in every situation I am in. I was able to pray with a girl and her father at the clinic. She spoke very little broken english, but she tried. I felt so touched by her willingness to talk to me and I asked to pray for her and held hands and with her and her father. During the prayer I thought, wow, what do I say?!? After I was in tears and I felt so touched by God's presence I could not express it any better myself. God will never leave, nor forsake you! I have hope that He is with me wherever I go and I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Next if anyone feels lead, I have a suggestion. The church my family attends needs money for the property that their church is currently on. Land here is very expensive. They need about $50,000 more and have until December to pay the landowner. Right now the church is held up by 6 posts and has tin walls and a tin roof. It is somewhat outside and sunday school for the children is held in the house of a person who has their house on the land. If you feel lead to reach out in any amount or any way, please send money to my house @ 7906 213th St. East Bradenton, FL 34202. Make the check out to me and my mom will put it in our shared checking account and I will retrieve it from here. Please keep praying and e thankful for all you have!!! Me and my "sobrino" at our house!

My new pets! Lucas and Spikey

Morning time on the weekends:time with God

Bienvenido Nicaragua!

It has been a little over 24 hours since I have been in the beautiful country of Nicaragua. I flew in last night and the scene was amazingly beautiful! The lights of the city were blinking down below the airplane and there was heat lightning that lit up the whole sky and you could see the reflection of the sky on the little rivers that were on the outskirts of Managua. It was a scene I cannot fully describe. As I flew in the song on my iPod that played was For the Honor by Elevation Worship and the two things (the scene and the words of that song) almost put me in tears. It was beautiful! I have met many people already and I am currently at my host family's house. They are so kind and considerate. They said that anything in the house is mine, like it is at my real house in Florida. The thought that they open their house so willingly is so touching and amazing. It reminds me of God's grace. He opens up his arms to us when we are hurting and any time of the day we may need him, and these people have taken me under their wing to call me "their daughter". I feel at home, but also saddened at the thought of not being able to see my family whenever I want. I hope that the time difference allows for talking to be possible. I know it may be hard, but we have a 2 hour time difference for now (until savings time in the US comes around). I hope to make great relationships and make many new friends. I have so many clothes and things to sort through and put in proper drawers and organize. I have a place to work out and I can play soccer at least once a week. Every Thursday we have devotions in the morning at the CFCI base house and it is the only time I am sure to have air conditioning once a week. Everything else is either outside or fans may cool you off. Not being able to flush the toilet will be something I will have to get used to again. I have loved every meal since I have been here! The first restaurant I went to when I arrived last night was called Tip Top (the comparison of Chick-fil-A in the US). They greeted me with the best meal! I was so excited! Thank you all for keeping me in your prayers! Please pray for calmness and courage to do things I am scared and nervous about. The whole culture is new and sometimes a little overwhelming, but with God, I will be comfortable and feel more at ease. I thank you all for your continued support! The CFCI directors are all so helpful and willing to help me with anything I need. I got a phone! If you want to call, it has an international cost and you have to dial 001-505-825-88499! Hasta luego!