We have some work to do...

Here's a map I came across. Check out the Joshua Project if you're inspired. Matthew 10:16-23

Happy Birthday, Evan Ainsley!

On January 3rd, Evan had her first birthday. It's so amazing to me how a little squirt can bring so much joy to so many people in so little time. What did we do without you?? I love you, Evan! Click here for a video my brother made of the littlest Myers.

I got the job!

I'm having kind of a rough time adjusting to life back in the US, but the transition will be a little easier with some purpose in my near future! I will be joining the dawg pound as I start out my nursing career at UW Med Center on their maternal/newborn/labor & delivery unit. It is really my dream job, even though it's going to be a huge learning curve at first. But I believe this is where God wants me right now. Oh, and if anyone needs a roommate, hollaatchagirl!

Back in the U-S-A

After 2 weeks backpacking in Peru with my dad, I am back in Seattle. I was greeted by my hard drive crashing, losing all of my photos, documents, music, etc. Luckily I had the pictures from our trek on my camera, here are a few! Thanks for all your prayers and support :-) Merry Christmas!

Mi ultima semana...

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's my last week in Bolivia. It has been a little nuts with political unrest...we were confined to our house in Santa Cruz today because there is a 6-province wide strike. On Sunday, we went to a soccer game and it was crazy...we played the team from La Paz, and there's a lot of racial and social tension between the 2 provinces. Let's just say we booked it home afterwards! I got some good pictures but my computer is taking forever to upload right now. We celebrated thanksgiving right this weekened prepared by mom and dad (charlotte and derek) and me. I have to say, it was quite scrumptious, turkey, stuffing, & all. I did miss Aunt Mary's cranberry sauce, though! Tomorrow is volunteer training day for my public health project and I'm a little nervous...there have been quite a few road blocks...figuratively & literally...but I'm trusting that God's gonna work it out. I can't believe it's almost December...we had temp.'s in the 90s this week...ugh. I'm actually looking forward to real winter!

Happy Thanksgiving

Really missing my family, especially this time of year...I wish I could be there with you! I'm back in Bolivia safely and I have to say, I'm especially glad to be from the land of the free after a week in a communist country, but it was a very eye opening experience! I'll be at the clinic on Thanksgiving day so I won't be able to call :-( Love you guys! Here I am in country gooding jr, a little bit nervous to be holding the flag!

Bichos

Last week, we did a test run for the deworming/nutrition/hygiene project that will hopefully be in full force starting in February. International public health is no joke: lack of reliable transportation, communication, resources, differences in cultural practices, etc. But having the opportunity to interact with these kids & knowing how much better their lives could be without these parasites makes it more than worth it. "Worms" affect over 2 billion people worldwide. They contribute to vitamin and nutrient deficiency, decreased cognitive function, and increased risk for getting other diseases. They affect people in poverty stricken areas and haven't gotten enough attention to make needed changes. I feel BLESSED to be in a position to bring education on prevention and treatment to these people in hard to reach places.