I Love God's People!

I have been in Wichita for nearly three weeks now, and I am loving it! First of all, the prairie habitat is beautiful. But more than that, I have met some wonderful people who are making me feel right at home.

Photos of the Wichita Zoo and some of my bike rides (click on photo to link to album).

Wildlife and Scenery

I titled this post "I Love God's People" because I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of care and friendship I have received here. Last Sunday, I went back to Heartland Community Church, a church I had visited when I interviewed for the residency program back in December. One of my pastors (Darryl, if you're reading this, thank you!) called one of Heartland's pastors a while back to check it out for me and gave his approval. So I knew it would be a good place to start when looking for a new church home. I was not disappointed. Everything from the centrality of the Word and the gospel in the worship service, to the emphasis on prayer, Bible study, accountability, fellowship and the seriousness of the sacraments reminds me of Sovereign Grace. Even the songs are similar. My prayer as I visited was that I would be able to connect to some godly sisters quickly and in a meaningful way.

Again - I was not disappointed. Several women noticed I was new and introduced themselves to me. On Monday I got an email from a gal I hadn't even met at church but who happened to hear that I was from Houston. Since she and her family had lived in Houston for a while, she felt moved to invite me over for dinner. So I enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal, some good ole Texas hospitality, and the start of a warm friendship. I got to know Daphne, her two teenage daughters, and their pets. After dinner, I was entertained watching Bandit (the dog) chase a laser pointer around the yard while the cats (Abby and Tabby) meowed at the window to come out and play. We also spent some time in prayer, and that meant more to me than words can express. Daphne has emailed me every day, took me to the county farmers market on Saturday, and introduced me to lots of new folks on Sunday at church.

And that's not all. There is a group of college and young working singles from Heartland and other churches that meets weekly for bible study. I met several of them last week at church, and they organized a game night at the park so we (one of my fellow residents and I) could get to know a few people. That was lots of fun. I've also had coffee with another lady from church. And on Thursday, I attended a dinner and prayer meeting for the women family medicine residents. So despite being new in town and not knowing anyone three weeks ago, my social calendar this past week looked like this:

Sunday - church
Monday - received email from Daphne, got hair done
Tuesday - chat/walk with third-year resident and her new baby, games at park with singles from church
Wednesday - dinner with Daphne and family
Thursday - prayer/dinner with women residents
Friday - coffee with another lady from church, dinner with first-year residents
Saturday - farmers market, pool party at faculty's house to welcome incoming residents
Sunday - church, dinner with my second-year resident "big sister"

Not bad, huh?

As I prepare to start orientation and work this week, I am feeling both nervous and peaceful. God has once again demonstrated his faithful loving care by surrounding me with encouraging Christian brothers and sisters both in the local church body and in my residency program. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I am supposed to be and this is what I am supposed to be doing. Thank you Lord!

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. My first day as a "real" doctor is Thursday, July 1!

Off to See the Wizard!

Well, I am now officially a Kansas resident - got my driver's license and my Kansas "tags" (license plate). And I'm pretty much all settled in to my new apartment in Wichita (not Kansas City).

I left Houston June 7th driving a 17-foot U-Haul truck towing my car on a trailer behind me. I definitely have more respect for truck and bus drivers now, realizing how hard it is to pick up speed, slow down, make turns and change lanes with so much stuff behind you. Fortunately, my parents went with me. Mom sat with me in the truck cab, and Dad followed in his car so he could help me change lanes and make sure I didn't lose anything out the back. By God's grace, we arrived with no mishaps!

A crew of family medicine residents was there to help us unload everything and carry it up to my second floor apartment. They were so nice - they even brought cold drinks, watermelon and cookies! For the following five days, my parents helped me get settled in and organized. We made multiple trips to Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond and Target to get odds and ends. They were a huge help! In fact, I am so grateful and blessed by all the friends who helped me move on both ends. God has been very good to me!


Click on the photo below to see album of my new apartment.

My New Home

My parents left on Saturday, June 12th, and of course, I cried. It made everything seem so final. But thanks to good friends - old and new - I made it through that emotional crisis. That evening, I went for a long bike ride with a couple of the upper level residents. Wichita has miles and miles of bike paths. We rode along the Big Arkansas River for a good eight or nine miles up and then turned around and rode back. It's a beautiful path, and at 7 PM it was cool, breezy and very pleasant for riding. Anyway, it was a fun way to forge new friendships and forget my homesickness for a while. Since then, I've explored some of the bike trails near my apartment and had a great time. Wichita is actually quite pretty. The terrain is flat (just what I like for biking and running!), with grasslands and woodsy areas, lots of wind to keep things cool (not so great for biking against), and creeks, ponds and rivers all over.

This past week, I finally met most of my soon-to-be classmates. We all took a pediatric advanced life support training course for two days. It is a really nice group, and I am going to enjoy working with them and getting to know them. After we passed the class on Thursday (thank you Lord!), we went out for dinner and played cards (learned a new game Trump Ten that was quite fun). Most of the folks I met are Christians, so I know they will be a good source of support and encouragement.

Now I need to find a church. I visited a Baptist church last Sunday. The service was great - very Gospel centered with good teaching from the Word. But the welcome and hospitality I am used to was distinctly lacking. I guess I'm spoiled by my 12 years at Sovereign Grace Pearland where you can't walk in the door without being greeted warmly. Well, on to other options this week. Please pray for me to find a church where I can grow and belong.

So I have next week off to explore Wichita. Orientation starts June 28th and work starts July 1. My first rotation is emergency medicine. It's actually a pretty cushy rotation. I set my own schedule, just have to complete 200 hours during the month. And I don't have any call. In a way it's good, but that only means postponing the inevitable first call night. But hopefully I'll learn some good basic stuff that will help me in my other rotations, as well as getting a chance to run codes and other stressful scenarios.

I miss all my Houston friends and family. The Ferry hostel should be up and running soon. I'm still waiting on guest beds (it's a long story), but should have all in place next week. So make your reservations soon!