Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas with friends and family! Christmas was a little different for me this year. First of all, only the few farenji’s (foreigners) left here celebrated Christmas on December 25. Most of the Italian volunteers went home for the holidays. Ethiopian Christmas is on January 7th. The liturgical calendar, along with the date, time, and year are all different here. However, Abba Bugali was kind enough to have an “early” Christmas Mass for us. We did Midnight Mass at 8PM. All the foreigners came and many many locals too! The Sisters asked me to read the first reading, which I was so happy to do. Afterwards we had a feast at the Sisters’ house. There were about 20 of us, including the head doctors & their families. We all brought something, and (of course) I brought chocolate cake for dessert. Baking here has been very experimental due to the ingredients being very different from America and also with the metric system. After the meal, we picked names and everyone gave someone a gift that the Sisters had prepared. We all received a nice towel, a very essential gift.
Christmas was relaxing, as it should be. I took the day off from work, and I watched “Home Alone” and made sugar cookies for my co-workers. At 10AM is our bunna (coffee)/shai (tea) break, so I brought it to them then. However, I forgot that Eastern Orthodox Christians and some Catholics fast (eggs, butter, meat) on Wednesdays & Fridays. Opps! I need to learn what type of fasting desserts I can make.
Speaking of work, I switched to the Children Under 5 area a couple of weeks ago. It is an outpatient department where children are able to be diagnosed, get labs & medications, and be admitted to the hospital, if needed. Every child over 1.5 years & their parents are offered a free HIV test too. My main job is doing this test (which requires pricking a finger) and recording the results. Yay for finally doing something with HIV! I also help put in IV’s and give medications when a child is admitted. I really dislike putting IV’s in children as young as 1 week old, but this area will give me an opportunity to see the typical diseases in the area and to hopefully eventually be able to assess, diagnose, & treat children with these diseases. I have a lot to learn with just that, and then also the language and remembering pediatrics in general. However, the staff and the nursing students who are doing clinical are very nice and very willing to help me.
Outside of work, life is good & as always busy. I am still going to Mass and running every chance I get. Now I am also involved in a lay ministry. Dr. Gaetano, his wife Zama, Abba Bugali, and I meet every Thursday evening to discuss a spiritual book we read during the week. My favorite part is how diverse the group is. We are composed of an Italian, Tanzanian, Ethiopian, and American, and also a married couple, Religious, and single (lady).
Almost every day I eat lunch & dinner with my friend Francesca from Torino, who is working on her dissertation to be a Public Health MD. She is attempting to teach me Italian and to cook. Both are going slowly, but we have hope I will succeed. I am also staying busy with many trips to Addis lately and also accepting invitations from my local friends to visit their homes. Last weekend I went to one of my co-workers neice’s Baptism in Addis and I spent all day at her sister’s home to continue the celebration with a feast. Both were very lovely and her family is fantastic.
Life is very good, and I pray the Lord will continue to let me be His hands and that He will use me in ways I haven’t even dreamed of. Thank you for your letters and e-mails. I will do my best to write each one of you back. Sorry if there is a delay. I love you!
My favorite song over the last few weeks: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, dedicated to Mandie and the ladies of the Church Hall Penthouse Freshman year at UGA. ; )
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
A Wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hello everyone! Although Ethiopians do not celebrate (American) Thanksgiving, this was definitely one of the best Thanksgiving weekends I’ve ever had. After working on the orthopedic ward in the morning, I then spent the rest of the day traveling from Wolisso to one of the Missionary of Charities homes on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. The following day I went to Mass with the Sisters and spent the morning & afternoon helping a volunteer from Barcelona (Rosa) feed malnourished children. We helped feed 20 babies up to 1 ½ years old that live in the clinic. Sadly some are unable to eat without vomiting, so I helped feed those children via nasogastric tubes. The majority of the time was spent feeding the 3 infants Rosa is responsible for. I fed one of the 1 ½ month old premature twins who weighs just under 3.5 pounds. My first time feeding a baby and this little guy was mine!
Later that afternoon I took 2 buses and a taxi to get to Marion’s house for a Thanksgiving dinner. One of the many great things that are great about Ethiopia is the large amount of organic vegetables. Marion, some of her coworkers, and I made a not so traditional (but amazing!) dinner of carrots, green beans, zucchini, okra, tomatoes, salad, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, and a delicious roast (no turkeys here) for dinner. Chef Marion did most of the cooking and I am amazed at her skills. She even brought canned pumpkin from America, so we got to have pumpkin pie and strawberries with cream (that we whipped for an hour) for dessert! Mmmm. Marion makes beautiful necklaces out of stones from Ethiopia that she sells at local bazaars, so the next day some of her friends and I helped complete necklaces she designed. This girl is severely talented! On Sunday at the main cathedral in Addis, they strangely had a 2 ½ hour long Thanksgiving Mass outside. What a glorious weekend!
Life at St. Luke’s has been very good. I am still working on the orthopedic ward. Slowly I am learning Amharic and the nurses now feel comfortable enough with me do dressing changes on my own (our main duty). Although I can’t say much to the patients, wound care has allowed me to be in close contact with them, which I love. My favorite is doing wound care on the children (ranging from age 4-15). They are so nice and I think they enjoy the attention I give them. One of my favorites is a so cute 5 year old boy who literally has his tibia sticking out of his lower leg. He still climbs around everywhere though! The only orthopedic surgeons we have are the ones that volunteer short term from Italy, and unfortunately we have not had one for the last week and a ½. I’m really looking forward to his poor little leg being fixed.
Sadly, a couple weeks ago when we were running, my dear running partner, Kiera fell and broke her wrist. She is in a cast for 40 days, so now I am running with Abba Bugali (St. Luke’s priest & chaplain) and a 27 year old Fantahun, whose name means “you may become a portion”. He is a friend of mine that works in the Ortho OR and he is a really good athlete. You will literally see him win Boston one day. I impressed him the first day we went running (for a foreigner, I’m sure), so eventually he wants to work me up to running up mountains…we’ll see.
Life here is certainly a learning experience, but one that I am learning to truly enjoy. Thank you for your support and love. It is essential and I’m grateful for it.
What I’m listening to now: Seven Stories Up
(Andy Rocker, my dear friend, thank you for helping me get pumped up in the morning while I’m getting ready to start my day. Oh, by the way, CONGRATULATIONS!)
Later that afternoon I took 2 buses and a taxi to get to Marion’s house for a Thanksgiving dinner. One of the many great things that are great about Ethiopia is the large amount of organic vegetables. Marion, some of her coworkers, and I made a not so traditional (but amazing!) dinner of carrots, green beans, zucchini, okra, tomatoes, salad, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, and a delicious roast (no turkeys here) for dinner. Chef Marion did most of the cooking and I am amazed at her skills. She even brought canned pumpkin from America, so we got to have pumpkin pie and strawberries with cream (that we whipped for an hour) for dessert! Mmmm. Marion makes beautiful necklaces out of stones from Ethiopia that she sells at local bazaars, so the next day some of her friends and I helped complete necklaces she designed. This girl is severely talented! On Sunday at the main cathedral in Addis, they strangely had a 2 ½ hour long Thanksgiving Mass outside. What a glorious weekend!
Life at St. Luke’s has been very good. I am still working on the orthopedic ward. Slowly I am learning Amharic and the nurses now feel comfortable enough with me do dressing changes on my own (our main duty). Although I can’t say much to the patients, wound care has allowed me to be in close contact with them, which I love. My favorite is doing wound care on the children (ranging from age 4-15). They are so nice and I think they enjoy the attention I give them. One of my favorites is a so cute 5 year old boy who literally has his tibia sticking out of his lower leg. He still climbs around everywhere though! The only orthopedic surgeons we have are the ones that volunteer short term from Italy, and unfortunately we have not had one for the last week and a ½. I’m really looking forward to his poor little leg being fixed.
Sadly, a couple weeks ago when we were running, my dear running partner, Kiera fell and broke her wrist. She is in a cast for 40 days, so now I am running with Abba Bugali (St. Luke’s priest & chaplain) and a 27 year old Fantahun, whose name means “you may become a portion”. He is a friend of mine that works in the Ortho OR and he is a really good athlete. You will literally see him win Boston one day. I impressed him the first day we went running (for a foreigner, I’m sure), so eventually he wants to work me up to running up mountains…we’ll see.
Life here is certainly a learning experience, but one that I am learning to truly enjoy. Thank you for your support and love. It is essential and I’m grateful for it.
What I’m listening to now: Seven Stories Up
(Andy Rocker, my dear friend, thank you for helping me get pumped up in the morning while I’m getting ready to start my day. Oh, by the way, CONGRATULATIONS!)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
My New Home
First of all, sorry for how late this update is. It’s been very busy here and the dial up internet is flakey. When I first arrived to the capital, Addis Ababa I spent a couple days with Marion McNabb. While in Addis I had my first tastes of the culture through going to a local restaurant for injera (a type of spongey flat bread that you use to pick up either meat or a some sort of vegetarian mixture) and the deliciously famous Ethiopian coffee, as well as a tour by a taxi driver around the city. After my 2 days I was picked up and driven two hours to my new home in Wolisso, Ethiopia at St. Luke’s.
A little background info: St. Luke Catholic Hospital and College of Nursing School is owned by the Ethiopian Catholic Church and started providing services on January 1, 2001. Currently it is the only hospital in the Southwest Shoa zone and the population served by the hospital is 1.23 million. The hospital has 169 beds total in 7 different one floor wards (maternity, pediatric, gynecological, medical, orthopedic, ophthalmology, & surgical), along with it’s own pharmacy and blood bank (both very rare here). The hospital is run by both Ethiopians and foreigners (Mostly Italians. They have a medical volunteer program that brings Italian doctors and medical students of many different fields for weeks or months at a time.) There are also Sisters here from many different orders and countries (currently 1 each from Ireland, the Philipines, & America, and 2 from Argentina).
The St. Luke compound consists of the hospital, nursing college, dorms for the students, the Sister’s living quarters, and the volunteers’/permanent staff homes. My living situation is quite nice. I live in a one bedroom flat with my own bathroom, living room, and kitchen. I live next door to Kiera, an Italian public health doctor. Two doors down is the Medical Director (Dr. Gaetano, Italian), his wife (Zama, Tanzanian), and their 2 year old daughter (Angela, cutest baby alive). The building next to me is the Guest House for the Italian volunteers. The compound is beautiful, especially at this time of the year right after the rainy season. Flowers are everywhere! The most popular being roses of various colors. We are at about 6,000 feet so it is cool at night and warm during the day.
Currently, I am working on the Orthopedic ward. It is helping me to see what “Ethiopian nursing” looks like, which is similar in many ways, but also very different from what they lack. For example we have to cut & fold all the gauze, clean the equipment before it is sterilized, there are only about 10 or less different medications we give, and (what kills me most) we don’t give pain medication before wound care. It’s partially cultural and also from the limited supply. We have children in our ward…I won’t go into any more detail than that.
Orthopedics has also been very beneficial in helping me to learn the 2 local languages, Oromifa & Amharic. Both are similar to Arabic so they are quite difficult to learn, even for foreigners who have been here for months or even years. My vocab consists of greetings and what to say when helping with wound care (thank you, good morning, how are you, yes, no, enough, more, small, scissors, forceps, do you have pain, I’m sorry). Not very much to make a conversation, but the common ground language for everyone is broken English. I am very thankful to have 2 Americans here with me, Sr. Elaine and Dr. Ken. Trying to learn 3 languages (Oromifa, Amharic, & Italian) has been quite tiring.
Here is my schedule Monday-Friday:
5:50AM: Wake up
6-6:30AM: Run with Kiera & Claudio (2 Italian MDs)
8AM-5PM: Work on the Orthopedic ward
1PM-2PM: Lunch with the Italians at the guest house
6PM: Mass (in English, except for Thursdays it’s in Ge’ez)
7PM: Dinner (either make food & eat in or go out to local restaurants with people)
8-10PM: Lizzy’s free time-> read, e-mail, talk/watch movies in English with Ken (we both need our non-language barrier time), visit with the Italians at the Guest House
10PM: Bedtime!
Weekends are random. Last week I went to a Medical Mission Sister community 1 hour away for their 40th year celebration. It consisted of a 2 hour Ethiopian Rite Mass in Amharic, 3 hours of many many speakers (in Amharic), and a community meal with traditional foods (one is raw ground beef…I have not tried it). This weekend I spent time setting up my apartment, doing chores, going to the market with some of the Italians to get local fruits & vegetables, and I went to the pool with a couple of the Sisters. The next couple of weekends I’ll be in Addis, so it is good to have a nice relaxing weekend.
This blog is much too long, but I will try to write more consistently so they will be shorter. Love and miss you all! Thank you so much for all the encouraging e-mails! To send a letter, it costs 98 cents and you need to write “Par Avion” on the envelope (you can also get stickers w/ this on it for free at the Post Office). Small, envelope packages only (for now).
CD I’ve been listening to most here: Chris Tomlin, Hello Love
A little background info: St. Luke Catholic Hospital and College of Nursing School is owned by the Ethiopian Catholic Church and started providing services on January 1, 2001. Currently it is the only hospital in the Southwest Shoa zone and the population served by the hospital is 1.23 million. The hospital has 169 beds total in 7 different one floor wards (maternity, pediatric, gynecological, medical, orthopedic, ophthalmology, & surgical), along with it’s own pharmacy and blood bank (both very rare here). The hospital is run by both Ethiopians and foreigners (Mostly Italians. They have a medical volunteer program that brings Italian doctors and medical students of many different fields for weeks or months at a time.) There are also Sisters here from many different orders and countries (currently 1 each from Ireland, the Philipines, & America, and 2 from Argentina).
The St. Luke compound consists of the hospital, nursing college, dorms for the students, the Sister’s living quarters, and the volunteers’/permanent staff homes. My living situation is quite nice. I live in a one bedroom flat with my own bathroom, living room, and kitchen. I live next door to Kiera, an Italian public health doctor. Two doors down is the Medical Director (Dr. Gaetano, Italian), his wife (Zama, Tanzanian), and their 2 year old daughter (Angela, cutest baby alive). The building next to me is the Guest House for the Italian volunteers. The compound is beautiful, especially at this time of the year right after the rainy season. Flowers are everywhere! The most popular being roses of various colors. We are at about 6,000 feet so it is cool at night and warm during the day.
Currently, I am working on the Orthopedic ward. It is helping me to see what “Ethiopian nursing” looks like, which is similar in many ways, but also very different from what they lack. For example we have to cut & fold all the gauze, clean the equipment before it is sterilized, there are only about 10 or less different medications we give, and (what kills me most) we don’t give pain medication before wound care. It’s partially cultural and also from the limited supply. We have children in our ward…I won’t go into any more detail than that.
Orthopedics has also been very beneficial in helping me to learn the 2 local languages, Oromifa & Amharic. Both are similar to Arabic so they are quite difficult to learn, even for foreigners who have been here for months or even years. My vocab consists of greetings and what to say when helping with wound care (thank you, good morning, how are you, yes, no, enough, more, small, scissors, forceps, do you have pain, I’m sorry). Not very much to make a conversation, but the common ground language for everyone is broken English. I am very thankful to have 2 Americans here with me, Sr. Elaine and Dr. Ken. Trying to learn 3 languages (Oromifa, Amharic, & Italian) has been quite tiring.
Here is my schedule Monday-Friday:
5:50AM: Wake up
6-6:30AM: Run with Kiera & Claudio (2 Italian MDs)
8AM-5PM: Work on the Orthopedic ward
1PM-2PM: Lunch with the Italians at the guest house
6PM: Mass (in English, except for Thursdays it’s in Ge’ez)
7PM: Dinner (either make food & eat in or go out to local restaurants with people)
8-10PM: Lizzy’s free time-> read, e-mail, talk/watch movies in English with Ken (we both need our non-language barrier time), visit with the Italians at the Guest House
10PM: Bedtime!
Weekends are random. Last week I went to a Medical Mission Sister community 1 hour away for their 40th year celebration. It consisted of a 2 hour Ethiopian Rite Mass in Amharic, 3 hours of many many speakers (in Amharic), and a community meal with traditional foods (one is raw ground beef…I have not tried it). This weekend I spent time setting up my apartment, doing chores, going to the market with some of the Italians to get local fruits & vegetables, and I went to the pool with a couple of the Sisters. The next couple of weekends I’ll be in Addis, so it is good to have a nice relaxing weekend.
This blog is much too long, but I will try to write more consistently so they will be shorter. Love and miss you all! Thank you so much for all the encouraging e-mails! To send a letter, it costs 98 cents and you need to write “Par Avion” on the envelope (you can also get stickers w/ this on it for free at the Post Office). Small, envelope packages only (for now).
CD I’ve been listening to most here: Chris Tomlin, Hello Love
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Last Day in the US
So, I have been horrible about keeping up with my blog (Ellen Enger reminds me of that every time I see her). However, with me leaving tomorrow for Ethiopia, I will be better about keeping you all updated.
Most of you all know basically what I am doing, but I will put it in writing so it is more official. While in Lafayette, Louisiana things fell into place with Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB). My spiritual director in Atlanta, Deacon Scott, put me in touch with Sr. Elaine who runs St. Luke Catholic Hospital in Wolisso, Ethiopia. After many e-mails with her, I decided to volunteer at this hospital and to have CMMB sponsor me. It has been quite a long process, but I could not have planned it better myself. The Lord has been so good to me despite my impatience at times.
As far as I know now, I will be working on one of the floors at the hospital. I will also be teaching at the nursing school connected to the hospital.
Although this is a bit intimidating for me, I know that the Lord will use me in ways I haven't even imagined. As Sarah at Family Missions Company says, "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called". I pray unceasingly for that, especially as I step out into a lot of unknowns.
Leaving Louisiana was heartbreaking and now my heart breaks each time I have to say goodbye to a family member or friend here. Yes, I am only leaving for a year, but I feel this is going to be a catalyst for a lot of other changes too. All of life's major choices (getting married, having a child, becoming a religious, moving, quitting a job, leaving to pursue a dream, etc.) come with sacrifices, but they are good, especially when you are trusting the Lord with it all.
FINALLY I won't just be talking about wanting to be a missionary in Africa, I'm actually doing it! Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive through this. You all have been so encouraging and that really means a lot. I wouldn't be able to do this without your love and support.
Please keep in touch! All my information is on this website. Homesickness in inevitable, so please keep me updated on your lives. I love and will miss you all!
Don't just talk about your dreams, live them.
Most of you all know basically what I am doing, but I will put it in writing so it is more official. While in Lafayette, Louisiana things fell into place with Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB). My spiritual director in Atlanta, Deacon Scott, put me in touch with Sr. Elaine who runs St. Luke Catholic Hospital in Wolisso, Ethiopia. After many e-mails with her, I decided to volunteer at this hospital and to have CMMB sponsor me. It has been quite a long process, but I could not have planned it better myself. The Lord has been so good to me despite my impatience at times.
As far as I know now, I will be working on one of the floors at the hospital. I will also be teaching at the nursing school connected to the hospital.
Although this is a bit intimidating for me, I know that the Lord will use me in ways I haven't even imagined. As Sarah at Family Missions Company says, "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called". I pray unceasingly for that, especially as I step out into a lot of unknowns.
Leaving Louisiana was heartbreaking and now my heart breaks each time I have to say goodbye to a family member or friend here. Yes, I am only leaving for a year, but I feel this is going to be a catalyst for a lot of other changes too. All of life's major choices (getting married, having a child, becoming a religious, moving, quitting a job, leaving to pursue a dream, etc.) come with sacrifices, but they are good, especially when you are trusting the Lord with it all.
FINALLY I won't just be talking about wanting to be a missionary in Africa, I'm actually doing it! Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive through this. You all have been so encouraging and that really means a lot. I wouldn't be able to do this without your love and support.
Please keep in touch! All my information is on this website. Homesickness in inevitable, so please keep me updated on your lives. I love and will miss you all!
Don't just talk about your dreams, live them.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
He is Leading Me Somewhere, I'm Just Trying to Follow
Thank you for everyone that has called or e-mailed me over the last few weeks. It has shown me even more how much I need to update everyone. So much has happened. Here is a "brief" summary:
Three weeks ago I returned from an amazing trip to Ecuador with Family Missions Company. I have to say that it was the best mission trip I have ever been on. I felt truly like a missionary and the nurse I have always wanted to be. I went with 14 other people, which included 2 doctors, 4 nurses, a nursing student, and Alajandro, our dear Ecuadorian friend who is also in med school. God really hand picked this team. The gifts that everyone shared made it such an amazing and powerful trip. In just 10 days we served in 17 villages around Masajilli, a village at the Amazon basin.
One of the things I realized in Ecuador is that I need a strong Catholic community to prepare myself for missions. So, in the week and a half after I returned from Ecuador, I applied for my Louisiana nursing license and to several hospitals, packed up my car, and headed to Lafayette, LA where Family Missions Company is based. It seems very drastic, but it came after many prayers, and I have a sense of peace about this decision. Family Missions Company has a 3 month long missionary formation (called Intake) starting this September. Moving to Lafayette will give me the chance to discern if this is what the Lord wants me to do.
After interviewing at 3 hospitals in Lafayette, I decided to work at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, a NPO Catholic hospital. I will be working days on a Medical-Surgical floor. Pray that I can wake up that early! I just started Orientation this week and I am already looking forward to working there. It is very faith-based and they even have an Adoration chapel!
Since I arrived (and most likely until the middle of May), I have been living with David and Vicki Fruge in their beautiful home just north of Lafayette. David went to Ecuador with me, and him and his wife so graciously opened up their home to me in this transition period. The Fruge's home is complete with a barn, several acres of land, a bayou, a dog, cats, ducks, and cows! Blue Steel (my bike) and I are very happy here. We have plenty of open roads to discover.
I have been so blessed here. It was quite difficult leaving Georgia where most of my friends and family are. However, I feel like I have gained multiple families here, and I love my new friends. Everyone is so welcoming and generous, and I love the Cajun culture here! So far I have tasted REAL gumbo and etoufee (by Chefs David & Vicki Fruge), broiled craw fish, and...a frog leg! Eww, but delicious, and I will NEVER eat it again. Also, these last 2 Sundays after Mass I have gone Cajun dancing. It's basically partner dancing with slow dances that are similar to a waltz and fast dances that have a bit of swing and a bit of something else mixed in. All I know is that it's a lot of fun.
Overall, I have to say that I am very happy here. Of course I miss everyone severely, SO that just means you all will have to come visit me. : ) If you are ever in the area (even in Houston or New Orleans), let me know. I would love to see you!
I didn't put many details in everything above, but just give me a call. I would love to talk to you about it. Please continue to pray that the Lord will make His plan for me clear, and I will do the same for you. Thank you everyone!
Liz
"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more..."
~ Matthew 19:29
Three weeks ago I returned from an amazing trip to Ecuador with Family Missions Company. I have to say that it was the best mission trip I have ever been on. I felt truly like a missionary and the nurse I have always wanted to be. I went with 14 other people, which included 2 doctors, 4 nurses, a nursing student, and Alajandro, our dear Ecuadorian friend who is also in med school. God really hand picked this team. The gifts that everyone shared made it such an amazing and powerful trip. In just 10 days we served in 17 villages around Masajilli, a village at the Amazon basin.
One of the things I realized in Ecuador is that I need a strong Catholic community to prepare myself for missions. So, in the week and a half after I returned from Ecuador, I applied for my Louisiana nursing license and to several hospitals, packed up my car, and headed to Lafayette, LA where Family Missions Company is based. It seems very drastic, but it came after many prayers, and I have a sense of peace about this decision. Family Missions Company has a 3 month long missionary formation (called Intake) starting this September. Moving to Lafayette will give me the chance to discern if this is what the Lord wants me to do.
After interviewing at 3 hospitals in Lafayette, I decided to work at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, a NPO Catholic hospital. I will be working days on a Medical-Surgical floor. Pray that I can wake up that early! I just started Orientation this week and I am already looking forward to working there. It is very faith-based and they even have an Adoration chapel!
Since I arrived (and most likely until the middle of May), I have been living with David and Vicki Fruge in their beautiful home just north of Lafayette. David went to Ecuador with me, and him and his wife so graciously opened up their home to me in this transition period. The Fruge's home is complete with a barn, several acres of land, a bayou, a dog, cats, ducks, and cows! Blue Steel (my bike) and I are very happy here. We have plenty of open roads to discover.
I have been so blessed here. It was quite difficult leaving Georgia where most of my friends and family are. However, I feel like I have gained multiple families here, and I love my new friends. Everyone is so welcoming and generous, and I love the Cajun culture here! So far I have tasted REAL gumbo and etoufee (by Chefs David & Vicki Fruge), broiled craw fish, and...a frog leg! Eww, but delicious, and I will NEVER eat it again. Also, these last 2 Sundays after Mass I have gone Cajun dancing. It's basically partner dancing with slow dances that are similar to a waltz and fast dances that have a bit of swing and a bit of something else mixed in. All I know is that it's a lot of fun.
Overall, I have to say that I am very happy here. Of course I miss everyone severely, SO that just means you all will have to come visit me. : ) If you are ever in the area (even in Houston or New Orleans), let me know. I would love to see you!
I didn't put many details in everything above, but just give me a call. I would love to talk to you about it. Please continue to pray that the Lord will make His plan for me clear, and I will do the same for you. Thank you everyone!
Liz
"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more..."
~ Matthew 19:29
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