On the humdrum

It has recently come to my attention that I usually try to make my blog entries kinda interesting.   I think that is completely normal- HOWEVER- I need to be honest that my life in the DR isn't always wide open and fascinating and so emotional and full of spiritual mountains.   Sometimes I do laundry too.

So here it is.....an affirmation that not all of my life here is thrilling and "missionary-ish".

Almost every weekend before the teams arrive,  Laura or I pick up dog poop here at the Guesthouse.  And that stinks, literally.   We also "open the rooms" meaning we unlock the doors of the rooms that have been prepared for the teams, open the windows and turn on the fans.    Yippeee for excitement, eh?

As noted above, of course I do laundry.  Yup.  Surprise.  And our washer or dryer occasionally leaves weird marks on my clothes and they seem to be destroyed much easier than in the States.    Right now I have about 6 dresser drawers that need to be organized.  And then I have a bunch of medical stuff in my room that I have to go through and determine if it needs to STAY in my room or I can punt it somewhere else.   Booooorrrrrriiiiinnnnnnggggggg.

I have to sweep out my room almost every day because it's so DUSTY here and there is dog hair all over the floor.    Same for dusting.    Bathroom is the same-  dust EVERYWHERE.   Sometimes I think the cleaning is oh-so-futile.  

Bill paying by computer.  Ugh.  Mom and Dad help me with lots of paperwork stateside but I still have to stay on top of that stuff.    Also- continuing education credits for the nursing licenses and staying on top of my CPR, NRC, BLS, etc.     Really fun when the WIFI goes in and out and I lose credits that I PAID FOR.   Grrrrrr!

Plants.  I have some basil and palm and other "plant friends" that I am trying to keep alive.  I'd like to add tomatoes to the mix but that hasn't happened yet.    I fail miserably at watering my plants but fortunately it's the rainy season here.

Email.  I spent lots of time emailing incoming teams/my boss, etc.   Also very fun when the WIFI isn't exactly dependable.

Med room/pharmacy.  Every week after/before a barrio team I have to clean up after the week (even if we don't have a team in there are many folks who use our pharmacy) and organize it  for the next folks.   That includes ensuring that we have enough intake forms/paperwork, etc.   And Scrubs.  I fold scrubs and put them away in the pharmacy too.  Ugh.  This week I bet there are 100 scrubs waiting for me in the laundry room.    Glamorous, isn't it?

Scary room/clinic.  There are about 6 suitcases and one random stack of PVC pipe that need to be organized this week in the scary room.  I also noted at least 5 suitcases in one of the closets in the clinic that need to be unpacked and put away.

Relationships.  Just like at home- folks need quality TIME and conversation.   One of my dearest dominican friends lives within walking distance of this clinic and I bet I don't see her more than once a month.   Boo.   And I'd love to get out to the orphanage more than every 8-9 weeks.  

Church.  I go to church on Saturday nights at Central Mennonite here and I love it.   But hey, english is still my first language and sometimes it takes intense concentration to understand the majority of the message.   I'm usually pretty tired after church because it takes a lot out of me.

Food.   I'm the first to admit that I kinda loathe the kitchen work (for the most part).   But when we don't have teams here, we still eat.  Keeping the kitchen clean with food in the frig is something we have to be intentional about.    I WILL say that my little basil plant has created my favorite meal- tomatoes/basil/cheese/olive oil salad and I can eat the same thing everyday very happily.  Our local Dominican friends find it disgusting.   :)

Jesus time.   I'd love to be that disciplined person who says they have devotions and prayer time with Jesus every morning at 5:30.   But I'm not.   I wrestle with it.

Nicole time.   This is not a country where being alone is encouraged.  Alone time is an anomaly.   Laying in my bed on a Sunday morning sleeping past 6:30 is a crazy gift.   Being able to think and process and dream- wow.  

Meetings.  We don't have a lot but we DO meet as house staff.   I am actually one of those peeps who LOVES meetings.   We have a meeting with our translators this week that I am really looking forward to.   Meetings, yay!  Is everyone jealous yet?

Support/counseling.  I meet with one of the pastors at our church (and sometimes with the pastor in El Cercado as well) occasionally for counsel and support.  It's been very positive and I'm so grateful to have had these opportunities.  

These are just some examples of the basic or "humdrum" aspect of life here.   I do want to be open about the fact that it's GREAT and I love it but I still make my bed in the morning and don't always feel like "Miss Sally Spiritual".   It's still LIFE after all.    I wonder if because I work overseas at a ministry folks suppose my life is straight street evangelism or watching miracles in the clinic every day.  Not quite.  But sometimes I see Jesus in the humdrum laundry days too..... or picking up dog poop.  It's not glamorous- but He's with me nonetheless.   And I'm grateful.