The beginning of this story will seem very cliched, but keep reading, the lesson is worth it.
The story is told of 12 friends. They were amazing friends, they did nearly everything together. One day a man came to each of them and asked them to leave everything they and come and learn from him. Each accepted the call and followed him. They followed him for many months and one night got into a boat. These men, most of them, were accomplished seamen, they knew how to sail a boat. The man who brought them all together was asleep, it had apparently been a long day. In the middle of the night a squall came up. These hardened men fought against the storm until they had nothing left to give. They awoke their friend, the one who called all of them. They said “Master we are going to drown.” He then gets up and rebukes the storm and it ceases.
Now lets fast forward nearly 2000 years. A few more friends, a long way further West and probably a bit South as well. A group of friends, all called by God to be where they are. Brought far from their homes for the reason of instruction. Different boat, different group of friends, same God.
The night was late, the “fun” had worn off. We were tired of doing our chores. We were sitting in the boat after dark. A sound started, we weren't sure what to make of it, but soon we would. It was the storm. Not a figurative storm, a literal storm, a Caribbean Sea storm, not a Sea of Galilee storm. Somewhere around midnight, I was sitting watch in my position at the bow of the boat. The rain had stopped, but the wind hadn't. All of a sudden, the clouds split and I could see stars and the moon. I think I was the only one that was up and looking at it. All of a sudden the bible story came to my mind. There was only one change to it. Jesus wasn't there to rebuke the storm for us, but he was doing the same job. Jesus was holding the same position as he was in that boat long ago. Jesus was at the helm. He was keeping watch while all of us slept. It was as if he was saying, “I got this watch you guys, don't worry, you'll be safe.”
Did the waves eventually calm down, yes, it took time, but they did. Did we weather the storm without to much pain, yes. Did we learn the lesson, I hope we did. Far be it for me to tell anyone what lesson that they should have learned. We spent 3 months in Nicaragua and had plenty of lessons that we could have learned. This is just one thing that God spoke to me about. It just happened to be on a boat in a storm tossed sea, very similarly to that of what the disciples dealt with. For me it was just a affirmation of the lesson Jesus was hoping that his disciples would learn. “Where is your faith?” was the question, I hope that after this experience if Jesus wouldn't have to ask the same question, but its a good question to ponder for each and every one of us.
More lessons from Nicaragua to come...
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Life...
This journey has taken some time. I'm going to go back 2 years. Nearly before this blog was started. I took a trip. Those of you who have kept up with my blog know all about my time in Majuro and in the Marshall Islands. Those that served with me know the struggles, heartaches, and fun times that we all had. A journey that most didn't know i was taking was deciding what I wanted from my life.
I came to Union College completely sure that I wanted to do the IRR program and had decided on the pre-PA track to go into. The first few weeks of school actually made me go back and look at IRR, I love music, you guys know that and I almost changed my major to music at that point, but with much prayer and talking to friends and family I decided to stick with IRR. That decision was not an easy decision to make, nor would the next 5 years be the easiest of my life.
I got to the Marshall Islands and finally had time to re-evaluate where I was in my college career, I was at a crossroads and in that year I would have to decide what I was going to do. Really I had originally made my decision not to do nursing because my dad was a nurse and I didn't want to follow him completely. I realized that that decision was based upon the wrong constructs. That wasn't a good reason for my decision. So I was left with the choice, did I really want to be a PA because I was being called there, or was it because I didn't want to be a nurse because of my dad. Don't get me wrong, my dad is an amazing role model and an amazing nurse, but in my juvenile mind I didn't want to copy him.
I don't know that I need to get into all the things that made me decide, but by the end of my time in the Marshall Islands, I had decided that nursing was where I was being called, not PA. I came back with a few questions however, how do I make this calling that God had just made me privy to into reality. With some talking to my parents we decided that changing my major with only one year left of IRR wasn't probably the best idea, so I went ahead and finished out my IRR degree. (On a side note, I should have my REAL diploma in less than a month)
After deciding that I was going to finish my IRR degree first, then came the large task of finding, looking at, and applying to different nursing schools. I started making lists and looking at programs, schools, classes and such. Then the complication came along. NICARAGUA!!! You that have kept up know all about that too, but that tended to throw kinks in the chain for getting apps in and talking to school. I got back and realized that probably I would be looking at Spring or Fall of 2011 before getting in. I was cool with that, not exactly where I was planning, but hey, its all good. I started filling out applications and it took quite some time. I'm cheap. Alumni from union get free transcripts, so I wanted to wait until I got my last class for grad done before sending out my transcripts. Well, I had everything in for Kettering College of Medical Arts except my Union transcripts.
Somewhere around the same time as getting things sent into Kettering, I sent an email to Union College's nursing program. A month or more went by and I figured that might be a sign that that wasn't where I was supposed to go. I, however, decided I'd try sending the email once again. I'm pretty sure God guided my email to the very able hands of Stacie in the nursing dept. We emailed back and forth a few times and she said that I could apply and probably get in for the Spring 2011 class. I was pretty stoked about that. I sent in my application and kept in contact with Stacie. A week after my initial emails with her, she said that if I was in human anatomy (my last pre-req) and it finished durring SCC's summer session that I could be looked at for the Fall 2010 class. This news nearly made me bounce off the walls. I submitted the rest of my application and waited....the longest days of my life. Stacie said they would have to convene a special group to look at my application.
In the same time I got a call on July 2 from Kettering saying that I hadn't submitted everything for the application deadline so my application wasn't even going to be looked at. This was pretty frustrating, it had seemed so much like this is where God was calling me, but all I had to do was sit back and relax and I'd see the thrust of his will.
About 2 weeks after I finished submitting my application this thick envelope from Union College Nursing program came. I was kind of nervous. I opened it and it said "Dear Stephen Baker, we are proud to inform you that you have been provisionally accepted into the nursing program at Union College, congratulations..."
So, after having spent 5 years at Union, I'm preparing to spend another 3 years finishing out my BSN degree.
I came to Union College completely sure that I wanted to do the IRR program and had decided on the pre-PA track to go into. The first few weeks of school actually made me go back and look at IRR, I love music, you guys know that and I almost changed my major to music at that point, but with much prayer and talking to friends and family I decided to stick with IRR. That decision was not an easy decision to make, nor would the next 5 years be the easiest of my life.
I got to the Marshall Islands and finally had time to re-evaluate where I was in my college career, I was at a crossroads and in that year I would have to decide what I was going to do. Really I had originally made my decision not to do nursing because my dad was a nurse and I didn't want to follow him completely. I realized that that decision was based upon the wrong constructs. That wasn't a good reason for my decision. So I was left with the choice, did I really want to be a PA because I was being called there, or was it because I didn't want to be a nurse because of my dad. Don't get me wrong, my dad is an amazing role model and an amazing nurse, but in my juvenile mind I didn't want to copy him.
I don't know that I need to get into all the things that made me decide, but by the end of my time in the Marshall Islands, I had decided that nursing was where I was being called, not PA. I came back with a few questions however, how do I make this calling that God had just made me privy to into reality. With some talking to my parents we decided that changing my major with only one year left of IRR wasn't probably the best idea, so I went ahead and finished out my IRR degree. (On a side note, I should have my REAL diploma in less than a month)
After deciding that I was going to finish my IRR degree first, then came the large task of finding, looking at, and applying to different nursing schools. I started making lists and looking at programs, schools, classes and such. Then the complication came along. NICARAGUA!!! You that have kept up know all about that too, but that tended to throw kinks in the chain for getting apps in and talking to school. I got back and realized that probably I would be looking at Spring or Fall of 2011 before getting in. I was cool with that, not exactly where I was planning, but hey, its all good. I started filling out applications and it took quite some time. I'm cheap. Alumni from union get free transcripts, so I wanted to wait until I got my last class for grad done before sending out my transcripts. Well, I had everything in for Kettering College of Medical Arts except my Union transcripts.
Somewhere around the same time as getting things sent into Kettering, I sent an email to Union College's nursing program. A month or more went by and I figured that might be a sign that that wasn't where I was supposed to go. I, however, decided I'd try sending the email once again. I'm pretty sure God guided my email to the very able hands of Stacie in the nursing dept. We emailed back and forth a few times and she said that I could apply and probably get in for the Spring 2011 class. I was pretty stoked about that. I sent in my application and kept in contact with Stacie. A week after my initial emails with her, she said that if I was in human anatomy (my last pre-req) and it finished durring SCC's summer session that I could be looked at for the Fall 2010 class. This news nearly made me bounce off the walls. I submitted the rest of my application and waited....the longest days of my life. Stacie said they would have to convene a special group to look at my application.
In the same time I got a call on July 2 from Kettering saying that I hadn't submitted everything for the application deadline so my application wasn't even going to be looked at. This was pretty frustrating, it had seemed so much like this is where God was calling me, but all I had to do was sit back and relax and I'd see the thrust of his will.
About 2 weeks after I finished submitting my application this thick envelope from Union College Nursing program came. I was kind of nervous. I opened it and it said "Dear Stephen Baker, we are proud to inform you that you have been provisionally accepted into the nursing program at Union College, congratulations..."
So, after having spent 5 years at Union, I'm preparing to spend another 3 years finishing out my BSN degree.
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