Following the Father

We'll that last post is pretty old news now.

Let's see if I can bring everyone up to date.

*Grandma's Alzheimers is obviously progressing into a later stage.  It's getting much harder for her to be up.  She's always wanted to stay in her bed in the mornings, but now it's all the time that she seems to rather be in bed.  She still has great motivation to get up on Sunday though, she loves going to church.  She gets flustered pretty easily, but she still knows where she is.  She never calls me the name of a childhood friend, and she knows she's in our house and where we live.  Her short term memory is getting worse and worse though.  We're thankful that God lets her Alzheimers progress relatively slowly, it gives you time to prepare for each stage.

*I'm still doing school work and working on my junior year in high school.

*I'm doing child care mostly just for one family on a regular basis now.  I'm enjoying that.  I like having a regular schedule, and taking care of one family's kids regularly so that the kids get to know me well and I know them.  Hayden and Emily are a great pair to take care of.  I'm at their place right now.

*I finally have a vision for schooling.  I've never been interested in any college before.  I've always thought that if they don't help me pursue my vision of having my own family that loves and serves the Lord and taking care of orphans and mission work, then why waste the money to go to college just because everyone else is.  My parents didn't mind this attitude at all, as long as I was careful and open minded to God's leading.  I am not being rebelious, I just don't have that strong desire to pursue a degree that would take 2 years to get if it did not help God's work.  If I want to be involved with medical missions than I need schooling in the medical realm, but I've never wanted to become a doctor or nurse.  Just have enough knowledge to take care of children and  babies.  Well, I discovered something that would be quite useful and I am interested in.  I've met several online friends, almost all I've gotten to know because of their similar interest in overseas missions, children, and specifically Liberia.  Some of their families have adopted from Liberia, or are in the process of.  Well I've also gotten to know a couple of people who have applied or are going to Newlife International Midwifery school.  I looked at the website and was absolutely blown away by it!  It's awesome!  It is now my dream school and here's why.

-Frist, their school is IN the mission field.  You serve in the Philippines while you train and get your schooling.

-Second, I've always loved babies and have always thought the way a woman brings new life into the world was fascinating.  When we were in Ghana we had a Where There Is No Doctor book.  I would look through that book quite a bit not minding the explanation of how medical things worked but mostly looked through the birthing section and was absalutely facsinated by it.  I would love to be a certified midwife.  It is extremely useful in the mission field, and the knowledge is valuable throughout life.

-Third, I know that there is a reason that God has made me desire this and stumble upon this school through other people.  I look forward to seeing if God might have something more in store for me in this area in the future.

*Ben had shoulder surgery and is now on the mend.  He wears a "sling shot" almost all the time.  He's healing fine but will be a a sling for several weeks more.

*I'm recruiting people and organizing a project/contest that I'm entering in.  It's run by Christians and is for high school students.  It's in honor of the 200th anniversary of the abolishment of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and William Wilberforce's help with many other issues of that time.  Click here www.thebetterhour.com/contest to read about what the contest is all about and what the contestants are trying to do.  My theme that I'm entering with is to raise awareness of needy and orphaned children especially in Liberia.  Also I will be raising money for different projects to have to do with this and providing info on adoption and sponsoring a child.

Ok now I have 2 kids crammed on my lap here and I'm typing around them.  I need to go and play hide and seek and then get the rest of my math page done.  Monday is math and child care day for me.  I take my math books along to the family's house whose kids I care for and work through the pages inbetween other things.  If I just devote the afternoon to those two things it can work pretty well... but not always!

Write later!

~Elizabeth