VanessaCNA's Xanga

Visit My New Blog At www.asweetfragrance.com

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:06:33 GMT

     I have moved my blog to www.asweetfragrance.com. I hope you all will follow me over there! I have enjoyed meeting people on Xanga over the past three years. I will still be reading and commenting on your blogs, as I've no desire to lose touch with the wonderful people I've met.

     My new blog will be a combination of personal blogging along with quotes, book excerpts, and poetry. I've decided to maintain just one blog instead of two, to simplify my life just a little bit.

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A "Day" in the Life of a Night Nurse

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:36:15 GMT

October 26, 2009

7:30 pm - I wake up to find a stack of mail outside my bedroom door. I quickly look through it for anything interesting, then I shower and dress. The rest of the household is already preparing for bed. After eating some leftovers from supper, I spend some time reading my Bible and praying. One of the chapters I read is Psalm 133 about brethren dwelling together in unity. My mind trailed back to memories of breaking up fights at my last job. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that anymore! Unity is a rare thing, but entirely possible with God. I especially pray for work tonight because I'm not sure what I'll be facing once I get there.

9:30 pm - A couple of my brothers are still awake, so I go downstairs and talk with them a little. I pack up some leftovers for a midnight meal, check e-mail, and put away laundry. Then I sort through my mail again, discard most of it, and wonder why next month's work schedule hasn't arrived yet.

10:30 pm - I grab my backpack and a coat and step outside into the cold night air. The temperature is in the 30's, very typical for fall. It's a clear night with an amazing view of the stars. I'm thankful for every night I don't have to drive through rain, snow, ice, or fog.
     I work for a nursing agency that provides private duty nursing care for children with major medical needs. Right now, I am the main night nurse for a child who lives an hour from my home. I work 10 hours per shift, 4 days per week. That means 8 hours of driving time every week, so I'm thankful that the CD player in the car was recently fixed so I can listen to CD's on my commute. Right now I'm listening to a biography of Oswald Chambers.
     Very few cars are on the road as I drive across town to the 2-lane highway that will take me almost directly to my place of work. I do meet a line of cars on my way out of town, probably shift workers from the local factories.
     Nothing unusual greets me on my long, quiet drive. The small towns I drive through seem deserted at this time of night. At one point, I pull over to let a police car with flashing lights pass me. There is a lot more crime in rural Nebraska than most people think, so law enforcement is always out in full force at night. I think I normally see about half a dozen police cars on my way to work at night.
     I pass some of the same road kills I saw this morning - at least there weren't any skunks!

11:30 pm - When I arrive at the home, I pause a brief moment to admire the scene of the windmill and red barn against a background of stars. The air is fresh and crisp. Inside, I chat with the mom briefly and get a report about how the day went. Things are better than I expected, which makes me thankful. The mom heads off to bed, leaving me with my little patient for the night.
Some people think home care nursing is easy, but there is much more work involved than you would think. First, I perform and chart a thorough, detailed physical assessment. I perform the initial cares my patient needs, check the chart for any changes, wipe down equipment, and take note of anything new or different that needs to be done on this shift. The first hour passes quickly. After the initial tasks are done, I have some down time to read and even do a little handwork. Sometimes there is so much work to do that even my patient's sleeping hours give me little time to rest, but this night promises to be a quiet one.

3:00 am - I take a break to eat my night-time meal, squash and soybean soup. It's good. I am interrupted every couple of minutes, however, by my patient's needs. It's an intensive care situation, so I have to be on my toes at all times. I'm glad all the equipment is working tonight. Last night the pulse oximeter broke down for an hour because a connector got wet. I was able to get it working again by using a hair dryer on it, but it did have me worried for a while!

3:45 am - I open one of my Russian textbooks and study a page. It's been years since I have had time to do this on a regular basis. I also read a little bit of Gold by Moonlight by Amy Carmichael. It's the kind of book you should read very slowly.

4:15 am - More charting. Besides the full sheet I fill out for the physical assessment, I also fill at least one 8 x 11 sheet of paper with nurses' notes. Every little detail has to be written down, otherwise legally it wasn't done! Morning is coming fast, so I spend time cleaning equipment and putting my own things away.

5:30 am - I get my patient up and start the morning routime. I chat with the mom when she gets up and give her a report on how the night went. My morning is usually filled with exercises, therapy, administering tube feedings and medications, and more charting.

8:30 am - During a lull in the morning's activities, I grab a little breakfast for myself. Outside the window I see horses grazing. It's a bright, cool fall morning. I get some toys out and fill the rest of my time with playing, cleaning equipment, and finishing paperwork.

9:30 am - The day nurse arrives. I give her a report on how the night went. We talk about paperwork a little bit, then I gather my things and leave.
Often, I see interesting wildlife alongside the highway. Sometimes there is a flock of turkeys on the side of the road, and a pheasant races across the highway every now and then. Today all I see is a hawk in the sky and the same roadkills I saw last night. (I'll spare you the gory details. )

10:30 am - Upon arriving home, I quickly eat some breakfast leftovers and get to bed as fast as possible. Tonight I will get up and do this all over again. It's a different life, but a very good one. Parents with severely disabled children usually have a difficult time finding help, and I'm glad I can be of service in this way. I'm helping to keep one more child out of an institution, and that makes me happy. It's an opportunity to show real compassion - a rare thing even in a prosperous society. My nights at home are very different - I can take care of my own business and do housework during the quiet night hours, then spend time with my family and go places in the morning until I go to bed sometime around noon. I don't know how long this will last, but for now, this is where God has me.

Pray For Russia # 5

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:29:29 GMT

Persecution of Christians is currently more severe in some of the countries that were formerly part of the USSR than in Russia itself. In Uzbekistan, some pastors and church workers are on trial for operating an "illegal" Christian children's camp and for purported tax evasion. You can read more details here. However, I recently received an email from the Slavic Gospel Association stating that the trial is being delayed because witnesses are now refusing to testify against these Christians, stating that earlier testimony accusing the Christians of illegal activity was made under coercion. Praise God that these witnesses are now choosing to tell the truth! Pray that these Uzbek Christians would be cleared of all charges and would be able to continue the ministries they have started.

On another note, for the precious few readers I have who might be interested in learning Russian, this blog is a great resource! Each post teaches you a few new Russian words along with some grammar in a way that is interesting and easy to understand.

The Vins family's testimony is a powerful story of multi-generational faithfulness in the midst of intense persecution. Read my review of one of Georgi Vins' books here. It is a powerful glimpse into the lives of believers who poured out their lives for Christ and His church.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:58:43 GMT

Gradually, it has dawned on me.

After four of the most discouraging years of my life, I am finally free.

In the past four years I have been immersed in grown-up American life. Before that, I was immersed in grown-up Russian life, and therefore grown-up American life was somewhat of a shock to me. And before that, I wasn't grown up yet.

In the past four years, I have met some good people, people that I will remember. I have learned some good things. I have developed skills that I will use for the rest of my life, and for that I am thankful. It is a tremendous blessing to be able to serve others in a concrete way.

In the past four years, however, I have not found one single true friend. I have to confess that almost 100% of the conversation among my classmates was saying not-so-nice things about classmates and instructors who were not in the room. Back stabbing. Complaining. There were a few classmates I had nice, positive conversations with once in a while, but it almost had to be a hush-hush kind of thing. If anybody else heard you say something nice or positive, they would immediately interject a complaint. It seemed like a crime to be happy and content.

Virtually all of the woman-to-woman relationships I have seen are centered around gossip and complaining. Whatever happened to friendship?

In the past four years, I have personally dealt with these issues among my classmates, instructors, and coworkers: adultery, homosexuality, chronic lying, adults buying alcohol for minors, imprisonment, DUI's, workplace violence, underage drinking and smoking, verbal and physical abuse, corruption, tons of anti-Christian rhetoric, tons of alcoholism, and immorality of all kinds. Up close and personal.

Welcome to Small Town, USA.

It's all over now, though. I can make choices now. Not that I want to neglect the needs that I have seen over the past few years. I am profoundly concerned that there is little to no Christian outreach in my town. It's just that now I no longer have to be identified with facilities and institutions that tolerate corruption.

Now I am serving a small family as a private duty nurse for a child with major medical needs. As I perform my daily duties with this child, I am very thankful for the opportunity to become a nurse. Becoming a nurse has opened new doors for me. I have invitations to help and serve others around the world.

I am both encouraged and saddened. Encouraged by the openness I have seen in the people I serve. Encouraged by the wonderful, fulfilling future that awaits me. Yet, I am saddened by what I saw in school. I am saddened that American womanhood is long dead. Women don't have friends anymore, they have drinking buddies. I am saddened that about 1/3 of all American nurses have a substance abuse problem. I am saddened that most hospitals and nursing homes are rough and tough places to work (and it has nothing to do with the patients!) I am saddened at the loss of community and caring in America's small towns. I am saddened that churches are too focused on themselves to reach out to their communities.

I look forward to a day when America's women will pour the alcohol down the drain and wake up to the joys of true friendship, hope, and love. Happiness is such a rare thing here. Maybe it's time to bring it back into style.

A 6 lb. Potato

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Who knew you could feed a big family with just one sweet potato?

Pray For Russia # 4

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

This week I would like to bring you a little information about issues affecting Russian youth. Drugs, alcohol, gangs, hate organizations, and prostitution are just a few things that are destroying Russia's young people. Very few Russian children grow up in a stable family. Go here to read an article about the tragic end that meets many of these young lives. Fortunately, many Russian churches are standing in the gap by operating successful drug rehab programs, various youth programs, orphanage ministries, and children's camps. Pray for the numerous churches and organizations that have these ministries.

The neo-Nazi movement in Russia has swallowed up too many young people with its message of revenge and hate. I have known kids who got involved with this hate organization. I cannot imagine the darkness of lives so filled with hate and violence. I have posted a video here about the neo-Nazi movement within Russia. Please note this is a VERY disturbing video, portrays real-life violence, and should not be watched by young children. However, it will shock you out of any complacency you might have and it will open your eyes to the desperate need of people to hear the Gospel. And how shall they hear without a preacher . . . .? (Romans 10:14-15)

Pray that someone would go to these people with a message of God's love and forgiveness.

Video From Summer Trip

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:55:59 GMT

Finally! I uploaded a video from my trip to Russia this summer. It's a combination of photos and video clips I and others took. Enjoy!

Pray For Russia # 3

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:13:39 GMT

Witnessing to some Bashkir ladies

I would like to talk a little this week about the Bashkir, a Tatar people group located in central Russia. The southern Ural mountains have a high population of Bashkir. A portion of this region is called Bashkiria. A large proportion of the people we served on my trip this summer were Bashkir. Although I had Bashkir friends in my Moscow days, I had never had much contact with their culture before this summer.

The Bashkir are an unreached people group. Most of them are Muslim, and proud of the fact. I don't believe one of them professed to accept Christ during our medical clinics, although some were open to hearing a presentation of the Gospel. The number of Bashkir Christians is extremely small. To my knowledge, little evangelistic work has been directed towards the Bashkir apart from the work of the few Protestant churches in the region. The Bashkir have their own language and alphabet, although most speak Russian. I did, however, meet some this summer who did not seem to speak much Russian. Only portions of the Bible have been translated into Bashkir. The entire Bible has not yet been translated.

It is one thing to hear from afar about an unreached people. It is quite another to interact and speak with these people about God and yet be completely unable to give them a copy of the Scriptures in their own language, not because I do not have one, but because there isn't one. This summer, I learned more than ever that there is no room in the Christian life for idleness. There is much work to be done. Remember to keep this people group in your prayers this week.

Here is another missionary blog for you to check out: Hunsucker's Home

If you are looking for more encouragement to follow in Christ's footsteps, regardless of the cost, go here and watch the video at the bottom of the page.

Pray for Russia # 2

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:53:49 GMT

This morning I called one of my little girls in Moscow. It was so special to hear her voice again, even though the connection was bad! She is doing well in school and says her homework is easy, in spite of expressing some apprehension earlier this summer about going into 5th grade. A happy child is such a blessing!

Pray this week for Russian Christian children who are going back to school this month. Pray that they will stand strong in the midst of tremendous temptations.

Here is a blog of a missionary family in Russia for you to check out: Walking in the Way

Let's not forget the tremendous sacrifices Russian Christians made in the past: A poem to my daughter by Georgi Vins.

9/15/09 Platte River Photos

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:58:57 GMT

Yesterday, early in the morning, I went with my brother Michael out to the Platte River to take pictures and enjoy the sunrise. We didn't see much wildlife, but it was a beautiful, quiet sunrise. Of course, my brother's pictures are much better quality than mine, but I thought I would share a few of them here. We were on the north channel of the Platte. The old railroad bridge that used to be there burned down in a wildfire last year, hence the charred beams.