Sioux Center Summer

First, I thought I would share some of the verses that have been with me for most of the summer, verses I keep going back to and try to keep in mind.

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." --taken from 1 Thessalonians 4

"Seek things above...not earthly things." "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..."

--Colossians 3v 2&15

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." "Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you know how to answer everyone."

--Colossians 4v 2,5&6

Summer has flown by, as most summers tend to do. Short, but so sweet.

Riding three-wide, between two of my favorite boys, on the front bench of a worn pickup truck. Humidity heavy in the air, dusk, watching the corn run over endless hills. I thought about all of the little moments--just driving to no where in particular on a hot July night.

• Learning how to ride a dirt bike! (Even if I stalled the thing a couple of times, I never thought I would actually work one by myself. Now I have.)
• A day on the water, exhausted and burnt from the sun and bruised from a stubborn knee board, but a wonderful afternoon with best friends, none-the-less.
• Holding a crying, 24-hour old, baby girl to my chest trying to coax her back to sleep; dark, wispy curls covering her beautiful newborn head.
• Applying lotion to the cool hands of a dying school teacher, as she tries to hold back tears of desperation and fear. A stubborn, brave spirit.
• Sunday lunch at home. No words can describe the intensity, the love, and the food, experienced at our dining room table.
• Long walks with Bailey in the worst blankets of heat imaginable, with strawberry popsicles to reward our attempts at thoroughly dehydrating ourselves.

On a more serious note, I had a near-death experience at the hands of an elderly gentlemen in a Lincoln town-car. Not a highlight of my summer, but something I will always remember! If he hadn't been deterred by first hitting my vehicle, he would have directly run me over as I sold vegetables at the farmer's market stand. Instead he pealed backwards and forwards, ramming my booth with his Lincoln, twice. The third time he drove forward, I gathered my wits and ran towards his vehicle and turned the ignition off for him.

Poor Mr. Elsworth.

Poor me!

Post-adrenaline rush migraines are the worst.

Work has been going well. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for anything more. I love my job. Sounds so simple, but it is so true. In the future I've decided that I'll share short stories from experiences I've had as a nurse. Maybe someday I'll even write a book.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Tuesday June 7, 2011

"For you did not choose ME, I chose you..." John 15v16

"We are taken into God's purpose with no awareness of it at all..."

Oswald Chambers

"Say your last name again."

"Now that there's a Horstman..."

"You're a Wesselius girl aren't you?"

Whether questions or statements I've heard it all countless times, and today was no exception. Today was special. Today was my first day in my navy blue scrubs, as a nurse at the Sioux Center Community Hospital.

Yes. I accepted a job in my home town. Funny. I move to San Diego only to move back home for a job in Iowa. So backwards. But I am happy. Happy to be here with my family. Happy to be surrounded by some of my best friends. Thankful and content. Grateful that I have been provided a job to pay my bills. Content with what I have discovered and learned and done these past months.

Days are slower here. There is silence. Still moments. The fields are turning green. You can see the corn grow. Seriously. My favorite time of year. Last night Sarah and I watched Micah and Travis play church softball. Biting bugs, oppressive humidity, flickering fireflies, and the crack of pop-fly balls. Summer is definitely here.

I've thought a lot about my decision to move home. A lot. The decision was in no way, shape, or form, easy to make. These last three months have held so many thoughts! I prayed oh so hard for a job. Any job. And the only job to show its face is the one I have now. God brought me back to Sioux County for a purpose. My life is in His hands.

But that doesn't mean I'm not left wondering as to what comes next. As Pastor Carl said on my first Sunday back, "I love you. TRUST ME." says our Father. That's no small feat.

We do not always understand where God leads us in life --or like it! The ONE who calls is faithful and HE will do it.

This spring has been a struggle. Loneliness creeps in and my thoughts would often get the best of me. Feeling utterly alone can catch you off guard or stay lying in the pit of your stomach for hours on end, a constant, nagging, ache. I found God in those alone moments, which brought me to a realization. Giving yourself time and space from other people and distracting relationships can actually strengthen you as an individual and in the one relationship that really counts.

So here I am, excited to be closer to the people I hold dearest in my heart, eager to learn the ropes of a new job, and trying my best to listen patiently without doubt to God's plan.