Being without a home is not for the faint of heart. 3 weeks ago today, my lease ended, and I moved everything out of my one bedroom apartment in Greenville, SC. I leave for the race at the end of August, so you may be asking, “Ressie Mae, what are you doing until you leave for training camp?” ….couch surfing. That’s what I’m doing. I have had the most INCREDIBLE people take me in each night as I have been (essentially) homeless. I truly can’t believe how blessed I am.
Not to take away from any of that at all, but being without a home has been quite challenging. Physically and mentally. There have been a few days that all I’ve wanted to do was go home, not talk to anyone, and scroll in bed for a few hours… but that hasn’t been an option really. It has pushed me to be more social than ever, but more importantly, it has forced me to rely on my community more than I ever have. I’m not the greatest at asking for help, but this season has changed that. I’ve learned that the more you rely on others, the deeper your relationship will grow. And what a picture of Christ! Learning to let go of control is something I’m learning daily, but the more I lean on the Lord, the more I grow in intimacy with him, and the deeper my faith becomes.
This lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but honestly, like many circumstances these days, couch surfing has shown me how right the World Race is for me. I was talking with my friend the other day, and I think talking about my lifestyle choices really stressed her out. We laughed a lot about it, but I’ve come to realize that I am someone who is able to move around, stay at a different house each night, live out of a suitcase, and not be totally stressed out about it. It may seem silly, but it’s such a wonderful gift the Lord has given to me! He designs us all so intentionally and creatively. I am so thankful he designed me the way he did, and I’m so thankful he has revealed this to me.
Training camp is 17 days away. I might regret saying this, but I am sooo looking forward to setting up my little tent and having a consistent place to lay my head each night… for 2 weeks that is!
The last month or so has been one of the hardest I have had in a really long time. Spiritual warfare has been unending. I have had temptations come from every angle, doubts constantly raid my mind, and overall been an emotional mess. I have had to say some very hard goodbyes, and whisper “no” in many situations that have consumed me. So many people have told me that spiritual warfare before you do something big for the Lord is so powerful, and they are right. It has been a very hard time.
If I am being honest, part of this warfare has been writer’s block. I was not expecting this, and I am not enjoying it. I am usually someone who writes everyday, so this has been challenging for me. So I must apologize for the state of this blog. It might not be my best work, but I feel it’s important to push through and get this blog out there!
Nevertheless, the Lord sustains me. This has been my mantra the last few weeks, and I would appreciate your prayers as I face the final 2 weeks before training camp.
On a lighter and happier note, I had the awesome opportunity of going on a medical mission trip to Honduras back in June! I am currently employed as a Registered Nurse, so getting to serve in a medical way was really incredible. I got to serve at a medical clinic alongside local doctors that provided free medical care to the community. This was such an eye-opening experience for me, as I got to see first hand what medical care looked like in another country. I had the opportunity of giving out medications to the locals after they had seen the doctors for whatever aliment that they had come in for. I don’t speak much Spanish, and so the church the clinic partnered with contacted a few bilingual teenage girls to be translators. I went into this experience thinking that I would see the patients come to Christ, but the Lord allowed us to have some down time one day, and I really connected with one of the translators. I told her my story, and she openly shared several things that were going on in her life. I was able to give her big-sister Christian advice, and the next day, she gave her life to the Lord! I went into this mission thinking I would see one thing, but being open to the opportunities that the Lord placed in front of me instead, lead to another daughter being adopted into the family of Christ!
(Photos of the clinic we partnered with the locals to run!)
On this trip, I was the only woman, and I was the youngest participant. This was intimidating at first, but the Lord showed me 2 specific reasons he placed me on that very trip. The first being the teen girl that was lead to the Lord! I think that if I had another female to bond with on the trip instead, I would have spent time with that person during my free time. Being the only girl kind of forced me to bond really well with the translators. One night they even took me to the local mall to watch a movie in the theater there! God is the God of adventure. He keeps showing me this, and this was my exact thought as I was stuffed into the a car with 6 Hondurans, everyone speaking Spanish around me (including the musician on the radio), and we were speeding through the insane roads of Choluteca to the local mall. Never in my entire life would I have thought that I would be in that situation… and I can’t help but think how COOL it was. Thank you Jesus for the awesome adventures you take me on!
(Me and a couple of the translators at church!)
God also showed me that my specific talents were needed on that specific trip in that specific week because part of the work we did that week was to organize and donate medical supplies. Several years ago, Samartian’s Purse donated a lot of medical supplies to the clinic. These supplies were set in a storage unit on the property and not touched for years. The group of missionaries a few weeks before us had pulled everything out from the storage unit, and it was our job to organize it and donate it accordingly. Now here’s the cool part of the story… I am an operating room nurse, which means I assist with surgery as my day job. The medical supplies donated were SURGICAL SUPPLIES. Meaning, I had the knowledge and education to know what most everything donated was, and where it would be most useful. This is incredible because if I would have went on the trip a few weeks prior, I would not have had the opportunity to actually go through the supplies. And I was the ONLY member on the team with any surgical experience at all. I’ve worked for 4 years in the operating room, and I can’t believe how perfectly the Lord allowed me to use my talents on this trip.
(Some of the supplies we organized and donated!)
We organzied 3 truck loads of medical supplies, and took them 4 different locations. We went to one medical clinic, one retirement community, and 2 hospitals. The medical clinic we went to was much like the ones here in the US, except there are no windows, no AC, and the buildings aesthetically look quite different. The function is the same though.
The hospital we took the supplies to really had the greatest impact on me. We split into 2 groups to take supplies to different cities, and I had the opportunity to go with one of the local doctors we had served with at the clinic we ran. She had just graduated her residency program, and we bonded because we are the same age! We talked a lot about the differences in healthcare in Honduras vs the US, and once she learned that I was an OR nurse, she immediately got on the phone with the charge Nurse at the local hospital. They wanted me to come in and say hello! So after we dropped the supplies off, I was given a tour of the entire hospital, and so many people came up to meet me. It felt quite strange. Nurses don’t usually get much attention in the US, but here I felt like a celebrity. They even let me into their OR, and I was invited to come back and scrub in on surgeries by the head surgeon of the Hospital! Once again… I cannot believe how COOL my life is… all because I have chosen to follow Jesus. Thank you Lord!
(A local doctor and I before going into the operating room in Choluteca!)
(Donating supplies inside the hospital!)
Looking forward to and in preparation for the World Race, I have gotten all my vaccines, and medical appointments taken care of. What a doozy that was! 9 injections later, I am now immune to everything from Yellow Fever to Japanese Encephalitis. Talk about a body upgrade! I have a few last minute orders to make on Amazon this week, and I continue changing my mind on what clothes and shoes to bring to training camp, but I have the essentials for the Race such as a tent, sleeping bag, pilliow, and ibuprofen.
I have also been doing online training for the Race. This includes everything from cultural training to how to file an insurance claim internationally. It has been helpful, and has gotten me really excited for what is to come!
Thank you all for reading this blog. I pray the Lord blesses you these last few weeks of summer.
Talk soon,
-Ressie Mae
Leave a Reply