Invader!!

You know that post, way back in my first months here in El Paso, the one about the mosquito in my room? Well, tonight I saw a cockroach skittering into the corner of my room. A cockroach!

If it were only a mouse, I've trapped those before, I'd know what to do. But what do I do with a cockroach? At the moment it is hiding under the mattress, so for tonight I'll just have to pretend it doesn't exist and try to sleep.

So what do I do to get rid of a roach? How can I trap it? Any ideas?

Extremes

Another week has passed since I've returned from the snowy north. It was a drastic change from blowing snow to sand storms, from minus 30 to plus 30, from snowshoeing and tobogganing to frizbee and hiking. Even on my trip south, trying to get to El Paso, I left a country of snow to be caught in a snow/sleet storm. I escaped that to be caught in a rain storm. And finally I flew into a dust storm.

For vacation I was so relieved to have two weeks off where I could rest easy and not be constantly on the alert for the ever-pending call of "birth team", but now that I'm back in the clinic (currently up in the middle of the night because of one of those calls) I realize again how much I love this work. Yeah, it gets in the way of a normal life. No, it's not really all that fun. But I love it. And I'm glad I'm here for now.

CANADA!!!

It's been a full two weeks since my last post. And during these two weeks I've been in CANADA!!! Yes. I've been blessed once again! I was able to go home for my two week break, and though it was too short to fit in all the people I may have wanted to visit, God worked my schedule together so I was able to see many of my friends and family.

Being April, I was half expecting to come home to a land of slush and floods, but, lo and behold, the place I landed in was a winter wonderland!

To give you just a glimpse into my time here, one afternoon I headed to my friends' place, and this is a summary of how we spent our afternoon:

We made.

We destroyed.

We conquered.

April Fools

It is April. The first day of April in fact. And seeing as we sometimes celebrate this day by playing pranks, I had been thinking of what I could do here, on my blog, in honour of this day. The first idea was to tell you about my pregnancy, but for those who know me, that would be an extreme almost-impossibility. The next idea was to announce my engagement, but that also is kind of far-fetched without first having had a boyfriend. So then I thought I could let you know that I have a boyfriend. But that is too much of a possibility  at my age for me to be joking about it and I didn't want to have to back track and give explanations.
So I've settled on just letting everyone know that I'll be heading back to Canada later this week.

My Morning

As you have noticed, if you've been following this blog for any amount of time, there is a mountain in the middle of my city. And, as you can tell, the novelty of the mountain hasn't worn off yet for this prairie girl. 

After my encounter with the police last time I ventured onto the mountain side, I was eager to go back, but until this week I didn't take the time to do so. Finally, having a whole day off earlier this week, I walked to the mountain and realized just how close it is to my house, and I made a mental note to go back there soon.

So this morning, when I woke up as my roommate was getting up for work, I decided that I needed an adventure in my morning. Throwing on shorts and a T-shirt before my brain could convince me to stay in bed and miss the morning, I stuffed some food, homework, and sunscreen into my backpack and took off running. Less than half an hour later I was on the side of the mountain enjoying the beauty of the sunrise and the freshness of the morning. How glorious!

Thankfulness

I don't have much time today, but I do have time to be thankful. So here it goes:

I am thankful for
-leftovers!
-new students that are willing to learn and do and who bring new energy to the clinic atmosphere
-the spoonful of cookie dough ice cream that a friend just shared with me
-a phone call from my sister
-hanging out with the mission team from Portage that's here for the week
-having a mountain down the street where I can practice my climbing skills (or what skills I pretend to have)
-having vacation time coming up
-eating outside under the full moon
-and being able to (hopefully) sleep a bit tonight. I'm working today, and the day has been wonderful. I have so enjoyed it. I hope you're enjoying your life too, whether busy with plans and commitments or open to spontaneity.

Praise the Lord

This morning, as I was making my way home through the streets of El Paso watching the sky change from deep darkness and fade into the oranges and yellows of a new day I couldn't help but feel at peace with such a desire to praise the Lord for His goodness to me. The only words that could describe what was welling up within me were the words of the psalmist:

Praise the Lord, oh my soul!
All my inmost being, praise His holy name!
Praise the Lord, oh my soul!
And forget not all His benefits!
Who forgives all my sins
And heals all my diseases.
Who redeems my life from the pit
and crowns me with love and compassion.
who satisfies my desires with good things
so that my youth is renewed like the eagles.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
His deeds to the people of Israel
The Lord is gracious and compassionate
slow to anger and abounding in love
He will not always accuse
nor will He harbour His anger forever.
As far as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed my transgressions from me.

As a father has compassion on His children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
He knows how I am formed and remembers that I am but dust
As for me, I am like grass, flourishing like the flowers of the field.
The wind blows over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him
and His righteousness with their children's children,
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

Praise the Lord, you His angels,
you mighty ones who do His bidding.
Praise the Lord, all His hosts,
you His servants who do His will.
Praise the Lord, all His works
everywhere in His creation.

Praise the Lord, oh my soul!