It's the little things we take for granted. Yes, we all know this...but do we do anything about it? What can we do about it? At home its the simple things. You're sick...you call the doctor. You're hungry...you eat. A friend of mine (she's from the UK) is an admission nurse here on the ship. She was telling me a story about a 19yr old boy who just traveled 5 days to get to the ship. Completely alone. He ran out of money and food along the way and when he arrived at the ship....he hadn't eaten for 2 days. He said he had to beg for water and thankfully found some hitchhiking rides for the last 2 days, since he had no money for a taxi. All for a simple surgery. Simple for us...but life-changing for him. It's hard. We can't change the world...we can't force the boy's family to accept him...but we can fix his jaw. He had a large tumor removed last year in Benin (where was ship was in 2009) and now its time for a bone graft. By placing the bone graft, we can ensure that the tumor won't return. You know even as I write this, I don't know if I completely allow myself to understand the way people live here. Lome isn't the only place in the world like this...there are situations like this all over the world. Even in the US. It's easy for us to hear the presentations, listen to the stories, see the pictures, go on mission trips, etc...but then we return back to our everday life. We forget about it all. I myself am more guilty of this than anyone...but I'm praying that maybe this trip will change that for me. Maybe I'll start praying more for people around the entire world. Maybe I won't completely forget about these people in 2 months. Maybe I'll start paying more attention to the people around me at home...and offering a little love...

I don't know. We can't change the world...but we can pray. And prayer works people...indeed it does. And we can love those around us. You don't have to come to Africa to love people, goodness gracious...there are plenty of people all around us that need a little love. I guess it just hit me today how thankful I need to be for all that God has given me. It could have been me hitchhiking 5 days for a simple surgery...

Today's love: working 4 night shifts in a row! YES...I'm saying this is a love because I need to stop complaining about it and get over it. Nights are fun, right? That's why I'm going to embrace this weekend...and LOVE working! :)