Sitting on the airplane, flying over the ocean right now. Love the view from up here. Islands scattered below surrounded by a sea of blue that stretches as far as I can see, and clouds like pillows floating above. We were thrown into the exit row so we could all sit together, and the extra foot of leg room is just about perfect (first class would have been nice....). It was really a great trip and I'm kind of sad to return, especially not knowing when I can return. There is a urology trip coming up in June, and potentially if I can work it out with my schedule I will try to come with on that trip. I have a radiology rotation in January and a maternal fetal medicine rotation in February. March is a lot of prep with the school for graduation and match week (find out where I'm going for residency), and then I leave end of March through April for the Congo in Africa to work in a hospital there with Jason Zimmermann (board member with Make a Change International). Come back from there and graduate from medical school in May. Residency starts in July. It's hard to know that in general, my global health trips will need to be limited for a while yet, but the most important thing right now is for me to continue to gain medical experience and become a better doctor. As mentioned in my last post, every doctor from Rush I've worked with in the DR has been an really top notch doctor, and it's been wonderful to provide the highest quality care to these people. I want to know that when I provide care in the future, that it's the same high quality. The best way to do that is to focus on my studies and throughout residency to really learn to practice medicine and increase my clinical skills. Not to say that I cannot use my vacation times to continue to go on trips and all, but as I'm flying in this airplane, I wish I could just turn around and stay in another country forever. A lot of what we talked about last night was what the future holds for me in global health....and I have no clue. Many of you know the vision I have, and through Make a Change International, my vision is starting to become a reality......but it's an exciting unknown really. Residency is going to prove a difficult time but also amazing in the preparation for the great unknown ahead. We are getting close to the point that the org will have some scholarship/grants set up for global health trips, and I am working with some others on developing a database of opportunities. This will allow the org to keep running and being effective in supporting global health in a variety of ways. We also have a great fundraiser coming up in February that I hope and pray will be successful and raise a lot of money to support all that is happening. As unknown as the future all is, I have faith that things will work out in a way that is better than I could have planned. Every step of my journey thus far has been different than I thought it would be, and I know that he continues to guide my steps. Thank you to each of you for the support that you provide to the work we are doing, and all the different ways you support us and me especially. As always, we really continue to need great financial support, as that is often a limiting factor. But I cannot place a value on how necessary your prayers are, as well as just knowing that you support what we are doing.....it means a lot to me. I know that great things are going to happen around the world because of all the small things I am taking part in now. In the words of Mother Teresa, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." It's my hope that everything I am doing now will start a domino effect and inspire others to do similar things. I know that my vision is too big for just me, and I hope that I can just be a small pebble that ripples along. Each of you, with all your support, adds to that ripple. May he richly bless you. Until next time.....
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