Jamaica!

My trip to Jamaica was a quick one, but I am so glad I was able to go. It got off to a rocky start with my flight out of Minneapolis being delayed due to communication failures throughout central Florida. I began to worry about the connection from Miami to Kingston and my bag not making it on the plane. I had all my personal items in my carry-on but all the equipment I was bringing had to be checked. Turns out, there was a torrential rainstorm in Miami so my connection was also delayed and I had nothing to worry about. On the flight from Minneapolis to Miami, I sat next to a kid making his way down to Columbia to visit his sister who is doing mission work there. He was planning to stay there for 2 months of the summer to learn about what she is doing and help with her ministry. We were able to spend a little time talking about our faith and heart for international missions.  It was a cool divine encounter to start the trip.

           

Once I arrived safely in Kingston, I learned that the team was unable to complete the surgery as planned. Instead, the first two days of the trip were spent running a clinic where candidates for future surgeries were determined and treatment was administered for more conservative tone management. Primarily, the population we are working with have had injuries to their brain that cause abnormal tone responses in their muscles, making them tighter or difficult to move the way a child wants them to. This can sometimes be controlled or lessened through medication or muscle injections, both only temporary fixes. The surgery is permanent but is not always the best option due to the different types of muscle tone responses to brain injury. Long story short, clinic is used to determine the candidates who would be most successful with surgery and who would benefit from more conservative care. My role is to teach them how to use their muscles once tone is controlled, how to complete stretches to lengthen tight muscles, or teach them how to move with the tone they have to improve their function. I also help give out adaptive equipment such as walkers or braces so they can safely be more independent.

            

My next divine encounter I discovered at the hotel. My roommate was the nurse of the team and turned out to be a strong, Christian woman. She went to the same Bible college as my mom and worked as a camp director before feeling called to nursing. We had long conversations at the end of each day about faith, family, love, and life. It was so encouraging to hear her God stories and bond as sisters in Christ.

The view from our balcony at the hotel, perfect spot for quiet time with God 

and great conversations with my roommate.

            

The second day of the trip, we went to a Children’s home where kids with special needs who had been abused or neglected by their families came for care and protection. I got spend time with many of the kids, assessing their individual needs, teaching staff how to complete exercises with them, and showing them different ways to position the kids for comfort and stretching. And because I am me, I brought a soccer ball. I have found that a soccer ball is one of the most useful, easily transportable therapy tools for international outreach. It’s helpful for balance training, strengthening, and best of all the kids have no idea they are doing therapy. I worked with one gentleman in particular who surprised me with his soccer prowess. The injury to his brain causes him to walk with significant bend in his knees, hips and ankles in what’s referred to as crouch gait pattern. To walk this way takes a significant amount of energy and looks extremely unstable. But this kid sure could kick a soccer ball! He would likely never play an organized game of soccer in his life, but his face lit up each time he showed off his skills.

The team enjoying ice cream cones at Devonhouse, so delicious!

            

Day three was spent meeting more patients, making customized braces, and then handing those braces out to their new owners. There may have also been a little kicking the soccer ball around in the hospital’s grassy waiting area with some of the more mobile kids. My last day was an opportunity to relax by the hotel pool and explore the park across the street for a little exercise before our flight departed in the afternoon. All in all, it was a fantastic experience.

            

I’ve had a lot of passions and dreams in my life and ideas about what I wanted to be when I grew up: a singer, author and illustrator, teacher, soccer coach, and doctor/missionary just to name a few. I had an opportunity this weekend to read over a prayer journal I kept over the last year. It was fascinating to me how God has orchestrated the events of my life to utilize my dreams and passions in ways that I never would have imagined. I may not sing on a stage, but I help kids learn about worship through music at church and help my patients through difficult tasks by singing with them. I may not be a published author or picked up a set of markers to draw pictures for my stories, but God has given me an outlet for my desire to write and share my thoughts on paper (or the internet I guess.) I am a teacher and a coach in my role as a physical therapist, teaching kids about pain so it’s not so scary and coaching them through each exercise. He has also given me an outlet for coaching soccer with the club where I grew up playing. And I may not be a medical doctor, but He has opened up a world of opportunity for international missions through my job as a physical therapist that I never would have dreamed about when I first thought about physical therapy as a career. I can provide people hope and healing through the tools and skills He has given me as a physical therapist to reach those who are desperate for both right where I am and wherever else He calls me to go. I am so excited to see what He has in store next!