Update from Tabby

Hey! So we've been home for almost a month now. Weird! So what have I been up to....

It was so great to see Mike again! And it's fun to hang out with my family a lot. I actually haven't had many of problems adjusting to being home. I miss Africa, and of course all of you! I have felt a little disconnected. I haven't been staying in touch with people very well, which is typical for me. My roommate that I am closest to is in St. Louis for the summer and working nights, so we haven't been able to talk much. Both of my other roommates are working two jobs each and aren't around much. But I've been able to get together with several friends from school, and it was great getting caught up with them.

I started my new job 3 weeks ago. The first two weeks were classroom orientation...just a whole bunch of lectures on all sorts of random things, mostly not all that interesting. Then I had a few days off and took boards, so now I'm officially an RN. Then this Friday - Sunday were my first 3 days actually working with patients. I work 12 hour shifts, so it was kind of rough working my first 3-in-a-row, especially over a weekend. I also felt a little overwhelmed, like I'm not ready to do this on my own. I won't be on my own for at least 3 months, but the patient I had this weekend was really sick, and I was constantly busy and didn't have time to develop a routine or look up a lot of stuff, and just generally felt stressed and like I was forgetting something all the time. Not a good feeling when a child's life is in my hands. I know it will get better, but I'm feeling a little drained right now.

I think one thing I'd like prayer for is figuring out where God wants me to invest my time and energy in ministry. I know that He's put me a Children's Mercy for a reason, and I'm excited to see how He's going to use me there. But I also still want to be involved in CRU. It seems this summer got me more excited about campus ministry than I've ever been before. I'm still living less than a block from campus, and most of my friends are still students. I don't know how much of my wanting to stay involved is being afraid of moving on and how much is really because that's what I'm supposed to be doing. There are also a lot of opportunities for ministry at my church. A few of the other people my age at church are wanting to try to get something started for our age group. I think it would be good to start seeking more community in my church now that I'm not going to be as involved in CRU. Anyway, I'm kind of waiting for my work schedule to get established before I make any big decisions about what to with my time.

That's about it for now. I got to share some stories and pictures at church last week, which was fun. I miss you all! I really hope I'll be able to get off work to come to the reunion. That's right about the time I'll be finishing orientation, so I'm not sure if I'll be allowed to request days off or not. As of right now I can't, but maybe....

Love you all!