The trouble with essay writing for me is not the research or even a complete breakdown and outline of what I am going to talk about. It’s the sentence structure. Its like (Insert clever picture analogy here). No matter how many times I write and rewrite a sentence the next one never seems to fit. I always enjoy drinking coffee while I write my essays. So instead of continuing to work on my essay I thought I’d write a blog to tell you (the readers of this horrendously inconsistent and disorganized dribble) of a psalm that I was reading today in the midst of my stress.

Psalm 107 – http://www.esvonline.org/search/psalm+107/

It is a little long but read the whole thing if you are reading this

The psalmist tells of the Lord’s redemption in a number of different circumstances
Repeating “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” after each time the Lord has delivered those who have called upon Him

It is a reminder to look back and see all that the Lord has done, not only in my life but across the world and throughout history

God does not fail. Those who put their trust in the Lord will not fail.

I’m going to go back to my essay writing now, but I hope you are encouraged as I was today knowing that our trust is in the Lord who always provides our needs and always wins

So here’s whats been going on

Tuesday:

Note to readers: If you can drive in the Dominican, you can drive anywhere

Note to self:  Don’t wait to get scrubs because all of the good sizes will be taken

A little more relaxing than monday but still there was a lot of standing (like 3-4hours), but it is definitely worth it because of how many crazy cool eye surgeries I get to see: Faco Surgery (Note if you are squimish don’t click on the link)

Hopefully no one throws up with that picture

Anyways, this day was amazing because I had the full hospital and surgery experience (except for actually doing the surgery, unfortunately I’m told they frown college students doing it everywhere I’m told)

I stood beside Dwight for more than an hour as he worked to transplant the cornea of a young man who had been badly chemically burned. It was truly amazing to know that this guy, after a few days to months of recovery, could see fully again.

Wednesday

Note to readers: do not start handing out gifts to children because you will get mobbed

Note to self: listen to the administration when they tell you not to give out gifts to the children

Thankfully I did

BUT I have heard of people doing that and seen the results

Towards the end of the day there was only one little boy left at the clinic with his family so I gave him some candy (dulce) and a little stuffed monkey, his happiness and thankfulness from this one little gift was surely something that will stay with me forever.

After the clinic was done Dwight and I went into the city again for dinner with one of the attending doctors from the clinic who wanted to pick Dwight’s brain about medicine. We left at about 5:00 and got back at 11:30 and I probably said less than a hundred words for the whole trip. There was a lot to learn and listen to, and if you know me well you know it was obviously a very hard thing for me to just sit and listen. (But the food was very good so I wasn’t complaining)

Thursday

Note to readers: Don’t ever complain about traffic or bad driving in Canada

Note to self: move to dominican because driving here is super fun

You know those movies with the high speed chases going the wrong way on a highway…that really happens here. I’ll hopefully post the picture later but there was a huge traffic jam and three cars drove over the median and into on coming traffic. All I could say was WOW. I just couldn’t believe I was seeing that.

Dwight and I got to go to Willy Hunters house (the founder of MMI). It was so great to sit down with him and hear of his faith and desire to see the centre’s to be used to glorify God. I sat once again and listened (something I’m getting used to with the whole language barrier thing) as Willy talked with Dwight about life and God’s will. I was encouraged and challenged.

So that was way to long and if you’ve stayed with me this long I hope it was enjoyable to read how things are going here.

Hopefully I’ll stay more on top of it in the future

Thank you all again for your prayer

Buenas tardes

I’m tired

This will be short

Note to readers: if you are white and don’t speak spanish you stick out like a soar thumb

Note to self: you have learned that Shrimp in spanish is camarón …good enough

Up at 6:30 this morning and found out what it is like to be the least intelligent person in a room of 30+ people. A 1 hour lecture in spanish on Opthamology…oh boy!

The rest of the day I got to know some of the resident doctors and observe a couple of eye surgeries (more on that later this week)

After the clinic was done (around 4) we (Dwight and I) got ready to go into Santo Domingo with our new friends Sharon and Chinkup. 5 hours later we returned..Safe to say we had a great time (see previous reference to shrimp) but it was a very long night and I and ready for bed.

Hopefully more details tomorrow

buenas noches

Note to readers: It is really hot here

So here I am, sitting on a couch in the guest house at the Elias Satana Hospital in Los Americanos, Dominican Republic

I’m a little overwhelmed by the events of today but am excited nonetheless for what is coming this week. Here are just a few highlights of the day

2:50 Wake up to leave for the airport, first need to pick up Dwight Silvera and then off to the Dominican

9:15 Land in Miami – 3 hours till connecting flight, spend the time talking with Dwight about life and God’s plans…Almost missed the connecting flight (really!)

2:30 Arrive in Santo Domingo and pick up by Fellowship Doctor Chingkup and his wife (who is a resident) Sharon. As we drove to the hospital (note to readers: drivers in Dominican are crazy) Sharon and Chingkup told us about their life in Dominican and how they both came from India and have a great desire to go back and set up a clinic there.  Their love for what they are doing and desire to serve God was evident right away and I’m looking forward to seeing them again this week.

5:00 Had a wonderful dinner and now just relaxing for the night with Dwight (he just showed me a video of cataracts surgery REALLY COOL

hopefully I’ll post again tomorrow

thanks for all your prayers

This is my dad

He spoke at my sisters graduation on wednesday giving the gr. 12 students 1 solid piece of advice as they became official graduates. Quoting from Matthew 25:23 where Jesus says  “well done good and faithful servant”. My dad told the graduates that at the end of their life these are the words they should be hoping to hear. With only two steps for that to be possible:

1) Make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life

2) Repeat step one tomorrow

Simple,  but not easy

My dad has always taught me the importance of hard work and complete devotion to God.

He has said to me on more than one occasion “Son I don’t want you to look back years from now and be able to say ‘Dad why didn’t you encourage me or push me more”

Dad you never fail to encourage me on to everything that God has set before me.

But much more than your words could ever do, your actions of pursing Christ provide that great example by which I hope to follow.

As I study in the month of July to take my MCATs I am continually reminded of two things by my dad

1) The need to be in God’s word before any studying starts

2) To study hard!

Both of these things show my dad’s love for me as he genuinely encourages me and still pulls me away from the studying to play a round of golf

Dad thanks so much for your prayer and love for me

As God has called you to be faithful over much you have shown me a great example of trusting in God with everything I have

Love you

While I did choose Brazil as my team before the start of the world cup in 2002 I must admit I chose them simply because there was green in their flag. Not really knowing anything about soccer I had to start somewhere. So everyone knows the ending to that world cup. Brazil won and I got to hold it over all of my gr. 8 classmates that I chose the winning team.

Fortunately I have more to my story then how I was able to correctly pick the world champions based on colour preference. By the time the next world cup came around I had mature (if only slightly) to understand I couldn’t just pick Brazil or else I would be labeled ‘bandwagon’. So I did what every fake fan does to prove he is legit – I bought a Brazil flag to fly from my car.

Now is where my allegiance to Brazil began. Driving in the car one day listening to the world cup highlights on the radio (ps. soccer on the radio….um…doesn’t make sense) my good friend decided to role the window down as my car lacked in the proper air conditioning area. Flag flies off of car. Brakes. I get out and start to walk back to pick up the flag which was about 50 meters back. No word of a lie…as I walk to get the flag an oncoming car swerves into the lane that the flag was in, drove over it and broke that wonderful plastic device that allows you to fly the flag so proudly from your car.

Naturally I was outraged. Who would do that…I mean common I live in Oakville for crying out loud

I collected what was left of my Brazil flag and purposed from then on to be a fan of the famous canary yellow jersey’s.

In truth, I know nothing about soccer

And I don’t claim to.

But I will not be labeled as a bandwagon. I am a Brazil fan

It’s hard to imagine because I’m only 21, but is amazing to see even after 30 years how much my parents love each other and continue to grow in their love for each other. It gives me such joy when I see them together and witness the love of Christ in their lives. My mom and dad are the best examples of Christ as they take God’s word as authority and desire together to lead us (their children) in the ways of God.

One thing I love about my parents is that they love to do things together. This weekend they went away to Niagara to celebrate and I had a short phone call with them after they had been on the maid of the mist. (Sweet picture by the way – A bit of a side note…my dad used to be terrible at taking pictures, but he’s gotten better .) Anyways, they told me it was ‘ok’ but kind of cold. But I know them and I could hear it in their voices that they had such a great time together regardless of how cold it might have been. That’s what I love, that no matter what they do or say or wherever they are they are filled with joy because of their love for each other. And I am so thankful for this example and also for this love that they have poured out on me .

I love you mom and dad and hope and pray to follow your example in my life right now and someday in marriage as well

Luke 16: 10 One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much

And just for some fun. If you haven’t watched this video is over a year. Watch it again. Brilliance

I have a REALLY hard time writing.

It is not easy for me and when the words don’t come I think and I think and I look up cool word in the thesaurus and I try to copy other  cool things people have done or my personal favorite…I forget what the whole point of my blog was supposed to be about and I just don’t blog anymore.

For some people writing is easy…well… not easy but at least they can get the words in there head down on paper into coherent sentences and structured paragraphs. When I write I am all over the map, weaving back and forth adding a few words to one paragraph and then continuing on to another one with no real plan of action.

So right now, as I am desperately trying to figure out how this essay/research paper is going to figure itself out, I am realizing that as much as I wish I was a great writer I know that I have a long road ahead of me in figuring out how writing works even before I can figure out what makes ‘good writing’.

So ya this essay course probably wasn’t the best choice…I know I will get it down with some help from my dad and brother…but someday I hope that this whole “writers block” thing that people talk about happening will start to become shorter for me so that I can actually measure the amount of time I’m in it….see that last sentence didn’t make a whole lot of sense…I thought I was on a role and then …um…

you get the picture