"No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath... We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?"
- Donald Miller, "Through Painted Deserts"
Hello there from Tampa , Florida
The weather is a balmy 89˚ with sunshine… my kind of weather! I've got a brief minute here before checking into my room at the Air Force base, so I don't have time for a very insightful post. But it’s been a crazy past couple of weeks, so I wanted to fill you in!
God has been coming through left and right for me and my friends! It has been freakin’ amazing! Two weeks ago tomorrow I took the NCLEX (my nursing licensing exam). It was pretty tough (as expected), and I walked out of the exam feeling extremely discouraged. The next two days were full of prayer and asking God for the courage to continue trusting Him, no matter what the outcome. Two days later, I found out I PASSED! PRAISE GOD! I was so elated! I cannot begin to describe the feeling of relief and gratitude that filled my heart. Once I received my license information, it was off to the state capitol in
The rest of the past week has been full of packing all of my earthly belongings (not much at this point, haha) into boxes and bags ready to move. It’s kind of surreal to see your life packed into boxes… from first birthday cards, to elementary school paintings, from high school pictures, to a college diploma, seeing all of your things packed up into a 7’x9’ area makes you consider how brief a dot we are on the line of eternity. I also had the blessed chance to spend time with my precious family and dear friends, enjoying each other’s company, laughing over old and new memories, and thanking God for the time He has given us.
Early Sunday morning, my mom and I packed up the CR-V and took off for our two-day trip to Tampa! We stopped the first night in Marietta, GA and welcomed the rest after 14 hours on the road. We got at it again Monday morning (Happy 4th!) at 4am and arrived in Tampa around 11am. The base I'm staying at (MacDill AFB) is GORGEOUS! It's surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on all three sides and feels as though I'm staying in a resort rather than on an Air Force base! There is a beach on base (what what!) and a walking/running trail along the coast/edge of the base that I plan on taking full advantage of. Mom and I got to enjoy the beach, fireworks (minus a few pesky mosquitoes), and good company :) I know I may be a bit biased, but I have the BEST MOM IN THE WORLD! God definitely blessed me with a mom who is so caring and so in tune with God's heart... it's my hope I will be at least half the mom and woman she is! I love you Mom!
Our program (the "Nurse Transition Program" or "NTP") officially starts tomorrow and I can't wait to be a real nurse and carry out the mission that God has for me here in Tampa and then in San Antonio! The first two weeks here are all classroom work and then full time shifts at Tampa General Hospital (a civilian hospital only a short ways from the Air Force base) for six weeks. I'm excited to meet all of the new 2LT's (second lieutenants) that will be in the program with me. If it's anything like my AF internship experience last summer, I pray to walk away with some great memories and life-time friendships.
I have to get going, but I have some prayer requests:
- My family: my Aunt Laurel and Uncle Steve will be moving with their kids David and Amy down to Bradenton, FL (30 minutes away from Tampa! Such a God thing!) on Friday. Pray for their hearts (as it's hard to move away from our family who all live in Grand Rapids) and for safety for all involved in the move.
- God-centered relationships: I've been fervently praying that God would bring at least one or two people into my life here in Tampa that love Jesus and desire to seek Him with me while we are here. In addition, God has laid it on my heart to start a small group with whomever is interested. I've learned that godly community is vital to spiritual health and want to put everything out there in order for God to use me to build it. Pray for the hearts of the girls in my program who love Jesus to be open to being in a small group. Also, pray that we are able to reach out to those who don't know Jesus and that God would ignite a spark in them that draws them to Himself and to community.
- My heart: my heart is pretty raw right now for a number of reasons which I won't get into right now. But if you could please be praying that God would totally wrap me up in His love and give me courage to allow Him even further into the depths of my messy heart to continue bringing healing and peace. Pray that I would chase hard after Him in this time of new unknowns and experiences!
I miss you all back in MI so much! If you get a free minute, feel free to give me a call/text :)
In God's amazing grace,
Kaitlyn
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