One Monthiversary!

One month down.  And it seems like I just arrived yesterday!  The past month has been filled with exciting adventures, so many laughs, hundreds of "firsts," and so much love.  Although I am still settling in, this place has quickly become my home.  I am excited for the adventures that lie ahead in the coming months.  

Sr. Merilyne and I at the conference

This past week has definitely been a test of my flexibility and patience.  For any of you who know me at all, you know that I love being on time and organized, having everything planned out and scheduled, and having list after list of things so I won't forget anything.  But this is South Sudan--the land where a meeting that is supposed to start at 8am doesn't actually start until 2 in the afternoon and the land where you are supposed to be somewhere on Sunday and don't actually reach there until Tuesday.  So last Saturday night, Sr. Merilyne called me and informed me that I would be leaving the next morning to go to Yambio (a town about 3 hours from Maridi).  She said we would be going for a medical conference on case management for 4 days.  I quickly became excited for so many reasons.  #1. I've never been on a business trip before--so I'm thinking this is the real deal and #2. Not only is it a business trip, but it is a business trip in South Sudan which makes it instantly so much cooler and #3. I get to explore a new part of this amazing country.  My mind quickly began to wonder what this "business conference" will consist of.  I'm thinking a fancy hotel conference room, business suits, Powerpoints, people taking notes on their laptops and smartphones, the whole nine yards.  Surprisingly, some of my predictions ended up coming true.  Anyway, I definitely was not prepared to leave in less than 10 hours, so I quickly packed my bag and got everything set and ready to go.  Sunday morning after Mass, Sr. Merilyne and I ate breakfast and waited for the vehicle to come pick us up to go to Yambio.  And we waited.  And waited.  Finally by evening I realized we weren't going to Yambio that day.  Okay, fine--we were told the car would get us on Monday morning instead.  The communication wasn't the best, and we weren't really sure who was actually supposed to come pick us up on Monday.  So the next day I repacked my bags and Sr. and I waited by the road for a car to come get us.  After many phone calls back and forth to various people and many questions without answers, we realized we weren't getting picked up that day.  I finally realized that we were not going to go to the conference at all.  It was supposed to be Monday-Thursday and we already missed the whole first day.  So I unpacked my bags and continued on with planning my classes for the week.  Monday night, Sr. informed me that our driver for our site here would be picking us up at 5:30am to make it to Yambio in time for the second day of the conference.  Although I doubted that we would go the next morning, I repacked my bags for a third time and sure enough we left the next morning.  

The conference-Powerpoints and all!

We got to Yambio and pulled into the parking lot of a fancy hotel, and then proceeded to the conference room (My predictions started to come true, minus people taking notes on laptops and smartphones).  The conference was put on by the World Health Organization and it covered management of different diseases (Viral Hemorraghic Fevers, Malaria, Measles, Meningitis, Neonatal Tetanus, Typhoid, Cholera, HIV, just to name a few).  It turned out to be an extremely helpful conference, and I learned much more about treatment and management of common diseases that I will be seeing throughout my time here.  Even though the travel plans were hazy and a bit frustrating, things worked out.  I am trying to let go of the structure and organization that I am used to, and really just go with the flow!  Because this is South Sudan--where time is not a concept, but everything always finds a way to work out.  I got back to Maridi late on Friday night, and it sure is good to be back.  Saturday morning I was greeted after Mass by my precious little kiddos whom I missed so much!  Overall-successful week.  

To top everything off, Victoria, a woman that I met one of the first days after I arrived, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Friday.  So Saturday, Cait, Grace, Ariel, and I took a little trip to visit the new baby.  I got to snuggle with a newborn baby--not even 24 hours old.  She is very healthy and mama is doing really well, too!  It is tradition here to wait 4 days before giving the baby a name, so on Tuesday we are going back to their house for a big party and naming ceremony.  

Looking back on the past month, I can't help but smile at all the incredible experiences and people who have become a part of my life.  Everyday I wake up and have a reality check--I live in South Sudan.  I can only hope and pray that the rest of my time here goes as well as this first month.  One month down--One month of memories.  One month of joy.  One month of love.  

Bless the Rains Down in Africa

The aftermath of the mud fight

So far, my schedule the past two weeks has been very fluid and there hasn't been much consistency in my daily routine.  However, there is one thing that has been consistent throughout my time here so far--daily rain showers.  I can always expect an afternoon or evening rain shower each and every day.  It ranges from a short sprinkle to a torrential downpour.  Most of the time I look at the rain as a hindrance because I don't want to have to walk outside and get wet and muddy.  A couple days ago; however, Grace, Ariel, and I decided to make the most out of the afternoon downpour.  We ran through the rain and loaded up with ammo (handfuls of mud), and we waited for Cait to come out from a meeting.  Minutes later war erupted, and it turned into a huge mud fight in the middle of a large soccer field.  All the kids and locals were taking cover from the rain and laughing at us crazy people!  It was such a great afternoon and such a great bonding experience.  We are already planning to have many more mud fights in the future!

A lady we visited during outreach

My daily routine over the past week, like mentioned, has been a bit scattered, but I am slowly finding my fit here and I am loving every minute of it!  My morning are dedicated to the clinic.  I have been doing a variety of things like taking vital signs before the patients see the doctor, giving injections, bandaging wounds, and handing out medications.  Gradually I have started to explain to patients in Arabic how to take their medications.  Sometimes they actually understand what I am saying, but most of the time they just look at me like I am speaking a foreign language!  I spent a couple days this week in Maridi town at the main hospital to look around and see how it is run.  The nurses and doctors invited Grace and me back to work there a few days, so hopefully we will get that opportunity in the coming months.  I also went with one of the sisters to inquire about the hospital's Maternal and Child health (MCH) program.  We are hoping to get a program and maternity ward started in the next month or two so it is up and running for the new year.  I am so excited for this new addition!  So far, the clinic has been a nice way to ease back into the nursing role.  Next week will being a different story, though, because Friday was our doctor's last day.  So for the next couple of weeks to months, Sr. Meryline (a nurse), Grace, and I will be running the show.  Things will definitely pick up, but I am ready for a little bit of a challenge.  Classes have also been going much better than expected.  Somehow I survived my first week of teaching---thank you, Lord!  The students in my science class were supposed to turn in their first homework assignment on Friday, and I only had 4 out of 37 kids turn it in.  Over 10%, so I am taking that as a success!  Yesterday I went for community outreach with some people from the clinic.  We did a short health education talk then had a "mobile clinic" with basic supplies and care.  We are planning on doing this outreach each Saturday.  It is the perfect way to serve those who need it the most--those in the most remote villages who don't have access to any form of healthcare.  

After a downpour!

Life here is busy, but yet so simple.  I am constantly amazed at the sense of community and joy shown by the sweet kids each and every day.  I already have seen how I take so many things for granted--things as simple as a rain shower.  Although somedays I see the dark clouds rolling in and feel cool breezes against my skin and think "not again", I know after the downpour there will always be a bright rainbow shining above.  Such a simple reminder that God always brings beauty and light after a difficult class or busy day at the clinic.  Beauty and light through the kids, through my site partners, and through the community here.

Source--The title of this blog is from a song by Toto called "Africa."

The Road Less Traveled

After almost three full days of traveling, I finally arrived at my new home in Maridi, South Sudan.  The journey to get here was not the easiest, but I am so thankful to be here and be able to make this place my home.  I traveled to South Sudan with my site partner, Ariel, and two other SLMs who are placed in Juba, S. Sudan- Mike and Pat.  Ariel and I stayed the night with the Salesian community in Juba, and started our long trip to Maridi the next morning.  The trip took just about 9 hours, but we only traveled 180 miles.  Yes, it was a slow and bumpy ride.  The "road" was filled with pot-holes and rain had washed out other parts of the path.  We truly were driving on the road less traveled.  We finally turned onto the road where our compound is contained, and I immediately felt at peace and at home.  I was warmly greeted by hundreds of small hands and wide eyes--and I immediately fell in love with those sweet smiles and voices shouting, "Hi Sister, How are you?"  At that moment, I knew this is exactly where I am meant to be.   

The clinic where I will be working

The past week has been an absolute whirl-wind of overwhelming excitement, little sleep, many laughs and smiles, lots of playing, and even more love.  I have hit the ground running here and jumped right into the daily routine.  There are two Salesian Lay Missioners here, Grace and Cait, who volunteered last year and are staying until December.  They have truly been such lifesavers-answering hundreds of questions each day, sharing their experiences, and showing Ariel and me the ropes.  They have helped make this transition so much easier.  This week has been mostly for getting to know the kids and spending time with them.  I have been going to the clinic each day with Grace who is showing me how things run there.  I am excited to be there and to be able to get back into a nursing role.  The clinic is fairly new, and I am excited for all the possibilities and growth that can happen there during my time here.  Patients usually are finished by early afternoon, and so after I am done at the clinic I will be teaching at the school.  Going into mission, I knew of the possibility that I would be teaching, although I was secretly praying that I wouldn't have to!  But sure enough, the first day here, I was assigned to teach science and handwriting to third graders.   It will be a very different experience, but I know the school needs more teachers and I am more than happy to help out as best as I can!  I just wish I would've paid a bit more attention to the "How to Teach" lesson during orientation!  Luckily, the entire student body knows varying degrees of English.  So far, language hasn't been as much of a barrier as I expected.  I'm sure that may change soon.  The tribal language spoken here is Zande.  The kids teach me Zande during lunch and after school.  I have mastered the basic greetings and a few other words.  For the clinic I am also learning Arabic.  Most of the population that we serve there speaks Arabic, so Grace kindly gave me a little Arabic medical dictionary that she made up for me.  Slowly by slowly I am studying and learning those words as well.     

Ariel, Cait, Me, and Grace

Overall, I am so incredibly excited for the next year and all that is in store.  The community here is overflowing with joy and love.  There is so much energy and positivity that the kids emit daily.  It will still take a while to get all settled in, but the transition has been much easier than expected.  As things start to progress with my daily duties, I will report back to you all and keep you updated as best as possible!     

 

The road to Maridi

Although the road to get here seemed like it is less traveled, I know there have been thousands and thousands of footprints that have made lasting impressions on the ground.  Not just any footprints, but Christ's footprints.  It is so easy to see Christ's presence at work in the people here--in their smiles and words, in their love for each other, in their selflessness.  It is my hope and prayer that I will be able to leave only a small footprint, a small impression on the kids' paths throughout my time in this amazing place. 

Love Does

During much of orientation we were invited to reflect on our purpose for pursuing mission.  What led me to this point in my life?  What is my personal mission? Why this program? Why now?  All very good questions, and all questions that I had trouble answering.  I knew in my heart what my purpose was for mission, but for some reason I was having a hard time writing it out in words.  

My view as I sat working on my mission statement

So there I was sitting outside staring at a blank piece of paper with the words "create a statement of purpose."  At that point I was thinking about everything else BUT my personal mission.  Instead of sitting there in silence, I decided it was necessary to put on a little bit of background music.  I have always felt God's presence through music, and I knew I needed God's guidance more than ever to finish the task at hand.  And plus, if I couldn't come up with the words myself, why not just steal someone else's!  The first song that came on was a Brandon Heath song called "Love Does".  It was the first time I had heard the song, but it was written based on a book called "Love Does" by Bob Goff.  I read this book a couple months ago after a friend recommended it to me, and then I read it a second and third time.  In this book, Bob Goff talks about discovering an incredible life in an ordinary world by doing one simple thing: loving one another.  He talks about really living your life by saying "yes" to opportunities and putting love into action.  My favorite line from the book states, "Love is never stationary.  LOVE DOES."  And there I had it.  My personal mission-Love Does.  God chooses ordinary people like you and me to make a difference by getting to the "do" part of faith.  Love doesn't just keep thinking about it or planning for it.  Love does.  This is exactly what I have been called to do--to live a life in South Sudan where I am a vessel of Christ's love to people around me.  

What seemed like a daunting task turned out to be the easy part.  The hard part will be living out this personal mission.  After hearing the song "Love Does," I jotted down those words on my paper and even had some time to spare.  So I flipped through my Bible and stumbled across a verse that I had previously highlighted.  It was Colossians 3:12-14 "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another.  And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection."  I knew I highlighted this verse for a reason!  Put on love. I have the decision each day to put on love, just like its an article of clothing.  To drape myself in Christ's love and share that same love with those I encounter.  It is as simple as that.  Every morning when I wake up, I get the invitation to live a life of complete engagement, a life where love does. This is my mission.

Bags are packed and ready to go!

What I had thought would be a page long personal mission statement turned out to be two words: Love does.  It is a call to action, a call to say "yes," a call to serve, a call to be present, a call to love.

Tomorrow is the big day.  Only three flights and a 22 hour layover stand between me and this new, exciting adventure.  South Sudan, here I come--all for the greater glory of God!

And So It Begins...

        Welcome to my blog!  This is my attempt to capture a glimpse of my life as a Salesian Lay Missioner (SLM) in Maridi, South Sudan.  My intent is to update this periodically over the next year to share with everyone with my experiences and various adventures.  I must start with a disclaimer that I did not major in English or Writing for a reason--so please bear with me through grammatical errors, misspelled words, run-on sentences, and scattered thoughts!  Thank you all so much for your support throughout my discernment process to become a missioner and for your continued thoughts and prayers.  This dream and passion of mine would not be possible without your example and encouragement.     

Mama Mary statue at the Marian Shrine

So the time has come.  After applying to the SLM program in January, over eight months ago, the final countdown can officially begin.  For the past three and a half weeks I have been in New York for orientation to the program.  After arriving the first night, I was greeted by 27 other SLMs who were beaming with God's love and joy.  It was such a refreshing experience to be surrounded by people who have the same passions and desires to serve God's children around the world.  The first few days of orientation were a general overview into the SLM program, and it gave missioners a chance to explain their faith journey, talk about people who have helped shape their lives, and simply tell each other why they are felt called to mission.  We all then headed to a retreat house for an introduction into cross-cultural ministry.  We were joined by two other mission groups who are also entering into a year or two of service around the world.  I am so thankful that we had this time to examine different aspects of volunteering abroad--both the good things and looking into possible challenges we may face.  We then headed back to Port Chester, NY where we had been previously staying.  The next week was dedicated to service within the Salesian community and community as a whole.  I spent three days working at Holy Rosary Parish and the connecting soup kitchen.  In addition to serving at the kitchen, much of my time was spent at the clothes closet, sorting and folding donated clothes.  I worked mainly with the Spanish-speaking community who makes up the majority of Port Chester.  It opened my eyes into one of the challenges that comes along with mission--the language barrier.  My seven years of French definitely did not come in handy, and it really was frustrating at times not being able to communicate verbally with the community.  Although I did get really good at charades!  Nonetheless, I realized more than ever that words definitely aren't a necessity to communicate to one another.  Hearts have a way of speaking to hearts through one common language- love (hence the title of my blog).  The other two days of the service week were spent working at a Salesian day camp in a surrounding community.  My assignment was with second graders, about 15-20 in total.  My time at the day camp quickly reaffirmed my love and desire to work with the youth.  There is just something about the pure joy, humor, and love that bursts from each child.  It truly is contagious.  I was able to put into practice Don Bosco's (the founder of the Salesians) way of being present with the youth and showing them that they are loved.  Overall, the service week was extremely beneficial.  It was much different than the type of service that I will be doing in South Sudan, but the same core aspect was present: showing Christ's love to one another.  

My brother and I after he professed his vows

         A week of retreat completed orientation.  The 28 of us joined about 40 Salesian Priests and Brothers on retreat at a Marian Shrine in Stony Point, NY.  Much of the retreat was loosely structured which allowed for personal reflection and really getting to know the religious community members.  The Salesians are truly such an incredible group of people.  Their dedication to Don Bosco's mission was clearly evident, and so I am thankful I had time to get to know them on a deeper level and hear more about their vocation journeys.  A commissioning Mass ended the retreat and orientation.  The SLMs were commissioned out to serve at their various sites.  Unfortunately I had to say my goodbyes to the others early and did not get to attend the service.  Instead, I was in Louisiana witnessing my brother, David, dedicate His life to the Lord and the Jesuit community through his first vows (a pretty good excuse in my book).  His courageous "yes" to the Lord's call greatly influenced my own decision to say "yes" to this year of mission, and so it was a special experience to be able to witness his first profession before I leave to dedicate the next year of my life to the Lord in a different way.  

         This is my shortened version of orientation.  I am incredibly blessed to have gotten to know my fellow SLMs.  Each one has made an impact on my life, and their happiness and desire to serve God is truly inspiring.  I know they will continue to be a part of my mission experience and we will continue to nurture the friendships we created as we part ways for now.  Side note about orientation-- I quickly became the go-to nurse.  After cleaning out and bandaging several wounds from some intense soccer games, assessing people for strep throat, giving a travel vaccination, and handing out plenty of bandaids, it made me realize how much I have missed nursing over the past three months.  I am so excited to get back into the nursing world in South Sudan, to be with the patients and be free to share Christ and His love with them.  I just hope I haven't forgotten too much!

The South Sudan Crew

Now that orientation is over, the countdown to South Sudan can finally begin….eight days.  In about one week I will be on a plane to South Sudan.  The next week will be filled with packing, doctor's appointments, spending time with family and friends, and continuing to prepare my mind and heart for mission.  Orientation left me in the "mission-mode," and I hope that continues until I step on the plane and then enter mission.  The Lord is so good and has blessed me incredibly throughout my discernment process.  I know 100% that this is what I am called to do at this point in my life.  Although the details of where I will be staying and what I will be doing are still a bit hazy, I know God be with me every step of the way.  What a comfort it is to know wherever I go that my best friend, along with the help of Mama Mary, is looking out for me, guiding my words and actions, and  preparing the way!  

Thank you for all again for joining me on this journey.  Like mentioned, I will keep you all updated as much and as best as possible.  Your support, prayers, and kind words are invaluable!  Please keep me and the other Salesain Lay Missioners in your prayers as we start this new, exciting chapter of our lives.  You, my dear family and friends, will also be in my thoughts and prayers throughout this journey!  And so it begins…

The whole SLM family ready to go out and set the world on fire!