Up on the hill top [July 30-1, 2015]

View from the train.

I made it to the north again! It was a long journey, but definitely the most scenic one I’ve had so far! You’re literally up in the clouds on these mountains, looking at teeny tiny villages below. Again, I was amazed by the expertise driving that it took to get me here!

Up on the hill top.

I have been oriented at the hospital and look forward to starting observing! Luckily there are some other medical students here as well so it will be really nice to get to know them over the coming weeks!

One thing that I’ve already noticed- There are lots of monkeys. Not the kind that you want to get close to get a picture with, but rather mean, scary looking ones that will apparently come into your room and take your stuff if you leave it unlocked. I’ll try and snap a shot of one of them sooner or later but I’m in no rush. From what I hear people try and stay as far away from them as possible so I’ll probably follow their lead!

It’s already been over two weeks since I got off the plane in India. I can’t believe it. To be honest, it feels like I’ve been here much longer than that. I guess travelling around and going in and out of really hot weather and high altitudes can really do a number on you. Over the past few days I’ve felt overwhelmed, and as silly as it sounds, it something I never expected to feel. I’m working through the fact that I am not dealing with being here as well as I had thought I would. Not to say I’m not enjoying myself, I am, I am just being confronted with the loss of comfort, normal routines, family and ‘instant-ability’ that I am so used to. It’s exhausting, humbling and puts me very far out of my comfort zone, past the point I expected to feel. There have been tears, but God has been gracious and I know the next weeks will be an experience of a lifetime.

First day.

This morning was my first day volunteering in the hospital. It started off with devotions and prayers with all the nurses and medical staff. I can only understand part of it, because most is in Hindi, but what I got from it was awesome. It was the perfect word to start off my day: Do everything as unto the Lord. What a great reminder of what this life is all about, serving my Lord, even in the small stuff, even when I’m bored or when no one is watching.

It was a quiet day with not too many patients so I finished early and was able to go out exploring with some other people that I met here. A group of American students and I trekked down into the town and managed to walk around for a good two hours before meeting up with some other students, from south Africa, to go for dinner. It was such a nice day. I feel like I got to know a bit more about each of them and even got to have some neat conversations with them. It was such a blessing today to get to share my part of my story with one girl, I’ll call her Angela, who does not claim any religious or spiritual affiliation. It was raining and since I had just bought an umbrella, as we walked back after dinner, we walked under it and got the chance to chat. First about life, school, family, travel, but then about how each of us has grown up and what ‘religion’ each of us might subscribe to. It was the cherry on the top of a day where I feel like God was just giving me precious gifts of encouragement. Nothing that would seem to be super huge or obvious to anyone looking on, but for me, after struggling with being here, it was as if God was telling me, I am your good Father, here are those good gifts that I promise in my Word. Ask and you will receive, be encouraged, I am faithful, keep going.

Matthew 7:7-11

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?