Let the journey begin!

Its been a week since I've been out of Lancaster, trying to find my way around Maryland and attempt to 'settle in' and make this my home for a little while. Its been a good week, but a very long week! It feels like I've been away for a month. I've been blessed to have a great apartment to live in, with lots of fun perks like a gym and a pool and indoor parking. And its nice to not have to worry about taking care of such a big house. (Thank you God for great roommates and renters at home!). I'm finding my way around the Gaithersburg area, mostly thanks to "Jill", my GPS godsend! But I actually know quite a bit on my own. But its nice knowing she's there if I need her. I had 3 very busy days of work orientation last week. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were extremely busy nights on the floor so I was thrown into a hectic work flow from the beginning. Things are very different down here. I realized just how good we have it in Lancaster. Don't get me wrong, Shady Grove is a great place to work. Its just a lot of work! Multiple complicated patients at once, the need to become an OR and PACU nurse when your patient needs a C-Section, and practicing nursing with autonomy are all things I've not experienced in my five years of nursing. I was so thankful that the Lord gave me a good night on Saturday, my last night or orientation, as to give me a little confidence going into it on my own. Saturday, was a little time to relax and spend time celebrating my niece's 2nd bday party. Its one of the joys of being down here....I'm only 30 minutes away from my brother and his family! I was also able to worship with them on Sunday and the Lord was speaking to me so personally as I felt His overwhelming love for me. But after 2 nice days off, last night, I was back to work....on my own. And lets just say it was baptism by fire. Any and every situation I could have hoped to avoid, happened to me. I never have worked so hard in my life! The night was long.....with two very busy patients, one pretty intense.....they had me working past my shift as I was finishing charting and patient care. But I survived and so did my patients. Praise the Lord! What did I learn from last night? The Lord is my strength and my song. In Him I put my trust! Without Him, I am nothing. My strength comes from Him alone! I'm learning more than ever that His presence is with me, carrying me, upholding me, loving me and guiding me every step. As I reflect on this first week, I question a little bit the purpose of these 15 weeks. But already, I recognize my love for Lancaster....my love for my relationships there.....my need for community and fellowship......my appreciation for Women's and Babies......my need to be stretched and challenged.......and my continued desire to enter in to the fullness that Christ has for me. And so, I keep walking. I'm thankful for the opportunity to go home every so often, this weekend being one of them. So let the journey continue!