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Sunday, July 13, 2003
Protein-Packed Blueberry Mornings & Outer Space Exploration
Dear Loved Ones:
"Hafa Adai" (Chamorro greetings) to all of you from Guam! I hope this letter finds your lives full of joy & meaning. Both sad & happy news from some of you have reached me since I've come to Guam; may each of you know God's joy & comfort.
At first when I thought about what I'd write in this letter, I thought I'd tell you in detail about how my luggage got lost, how I live in a small hut behind our small brick clinic, how monkeys from the surrounding jungle constantly get into our food supply, how I'm eating weird insects and fruits, how we're enduring multiple tropical storms, and how I've treated spear wounds in attempted cannibalism cases. But I finally decided against it for 2 reasons. 1st, I thought telling you about all that would be too discouraging. 2nd, I'd be totally LYING through my teeth!
Actually, especially from the perspective of a medical resident, I'm living "the good life" out here, quite unlike what I'd expected from going to India as previously planned. I'm working as a relief physician at the quite well-equipped Guam Seventh-Day Adventist Clinic, where the staff is friendly & supportive (some of the nurses have tried to introduce me to some single women!). The other physicians are service-minded missionaries who have made me feel welcome among them. Work hours are quite light for me (40 hours a week! -- partly because of the month's holidays), so I'm looking into getting in some additional surgical or obstetric experience. Guam(the largest island in Micronesia about 3 hours by air west of the Philippines) has unbelievable sunsets & beautiful beaches with coral formations I'd never seen before. The clinic is also providing me use of a car & a small comfortable apartment.
"Inconveniences" are minimal. Upon arrival & meeting my attending physician (a Yoruba gentleman, a brother of a pharmacist I knew in Nigeria -- what a small world!), I drove past one of the many Baskins-Robbins & McDonald's over to the island's K-mart to buy some groceries & stuff for the apartment. The next morning I had my Blueberry Morning cereal, walked off to work, & then came back for lunch to find that little tropical ants had invaded my cereal box! After trying to get them out, I decided that I'd have to store all foods in the refrigerator, so that's what I did. The next morning I had my Blueberry Morning cereal again,this time fortified with MORE than the 4 grams of protein per serving as labeled! (I did try to fish out the dead ants that I could see...) Yum, yum!!!
In my extra time I've been snorkeling, meeting people, reading some good books ("Unveiling Islam" by Ergun & Emir Caner, and "Let the Nations Be Glad!" by John Piper), visiting different churches, catching up on medical studying, and visiting historical sites. And...(would you believe it?) I just got certified for basic scuba diving!!! Diving is quite popular & relatively inexpensive here, so I thought I'd go ahead & do it. I couldn't help grinning & thinking of myself as an astronaut exploring that totally different world as I followed my instructor underwater. God is totally awesome in His creativity! Fish of every imaginable shape, size, and color abound, & sea floor life is amazing too. It's incredible the variation & beauty -- I'm so glad God didn't leave creation up to me... I couldn't even THINK UP half the stuff I've seen!
Yes, God is very, very good.
I know I've just been writing a lot about "the good life" I have here, but believe me, I still need your prayers. Would you please pray for me in the following areas?
- That I would learn to find daily my complete satisfaction in our good God
- That I'd be supportive & encouraging to the medical staff here
- That I'd grow in spiritual sensitivity to make an impact for God's kingdom here
- For great grace & wisdom as I visit relatives in New Zealand and Australia early August
- For wisdom as I speak in some churches in Australia. Unlike what my funny sister Ruthie suggested (that I preach on what I'm looking for in a wife, then give an "altar call"), I'll be sharing about missions. I'd be glad to hear how I may pray for you too.
By His Grace Alone,
Sid Steve
PS: If you're wondering how the June 26-29 Mexico missions trip went, while short, it was an awesome demonstration of God's goodness. God used each ministry team (clowns, puppets, crafts, Bible teaching, and medical) in a tremendous way, & very importantly, I felt that the local church (Iglesia Jesus Pan de Vida -- Jesus the Bread of Life Church) & its young pastor (Pastor Jesse) were encouraged greatly. Please join us in prayer for their sustained growth in depth & breadth.
"Hafa Adai" (Chamorro greetings) to all of you from Guam! I hope this letter finds your lives full of joy & meaning. Both sad & happy news from some of you have reached me since I've come to Guam; may each of you know God's joy & comfort.
At first when I thought about what I'd write in this letter, I thought I'd tell you in detail about how my luggage got lost, how I live in a small hut behind our small brick clinic, how monkeys from the surrounding jungle constantly get into our food supply, how I'm eating weird insects and fruits, how we're enduring multiple tropical storms, and how I've treated spear wounds in attempted cannibalism cases. But I finally decided against it for 2 reasons. 1st, I thought telling you about all that would be too discouraging. 2nd, I'd be totally LYING through my teeth!
Actually, especially from the perspective of a medical resident, I'm living "the good life" out here, quite unlike what I'd expected from going to India as previously planned. I'm working as a relief physician at the quite well-equipped Guam Seventh-Day Adventist Clinic, where the staff is friendly & supportive (some of the nurses have tried to introduce me to some single women!). The other physicians are service-minded missionaries who have made me feel welcome among them. Work hours are quite light for me (40 hours a week! -- partly because of the month's holidays), so I'm looking into getting in some additional surgical or obstetric experience. Guam(the largest island in Micronesia about 3 hours by air west of the Philippines) has unbelievable sunsets & beautiful beaches with coral formations I'd never seen before. The clinic is also providing me use of a car & a small comfortable apartment.
"Inconveniences" are minimal. Upon arrival & meeting my attending physician (a Yoruba gentleman, a brother of a pharmacist I knew in Nigeria -- what a small world!), I drove past one of the many Baskins-Robbins & McDonald's over to the island's K-mart to buy some groceries & stuff for the apartment. The next morning I had my Blueberry Morning cereal, walked off to work, & then came back for lunch to find that little tropical ants had invaded my cereal box! After trying to get them out, I decided that I'd have to store all foods in the refrigerator, so that's what I did. The next morning I had my Blueberry Morning cereal again,this time fortified with MORE than the 4 grams of protein per serving as labeled! (I did try to fish out the dead ants that I could see...) Yum, yum!!!
In my extra time I've been snorkeling, meeting people, reading some good books ("Unveiling Islam" by Ergun & Emir Caner, and "Let the Nations Be Glad!" by John Piper), visiting different churches, catching up on medical studying, and visiting historical sites. And...(would you believe it?) I just got certified for basic scuba diving!!! Diving is quite popular & relatively inexpensive here, so I thought I'd go ahead & do it. I couldn't help grinning & thinking of myself as an astronaut exploring that totally different world as I followed my instructor underwater. God is totally awesome in His creativity! Fish of every imaginable shape, size, and color abound, & sea floor life is amazing too. It's incredible the variation & beauty -- I'm so glad God didn't leave creation up to me... I couldn't even THINK UP half the stuff I've seen!
Yes, God is very, very good.
I know I've just been writing a lot about "the good life" I have here, but believe me, I still need your prayers. Would you please pray for me in the following areas?
- That I would learn to find daily my complete satisfaction in our good God
- That I'd be supportive & encouraging to the medical staff here
- That I'd grow in spiritual sensitivity to make an impact for God's kingdom here
- For great grace & wisdom as I visit relatives in New Zealand and Australia early August
- For wisdom as I speak in some churches in Australia. Unlike what my funny sister Ruthie suggested (that I preach on what I'm looking for in a wife, then give an "altar call"), I'll be sharing about missions. I'd be glad to hear how I may pray for you too.
By His Grace Alone,
Sid Steve
PS: If you're wondering how the June 26-29 Mexico missions trip went, while short, it was an awesome demonstration of God's goodness. God used each ministry team (clowns, puppets, crafts, Bible teaching, and medical) in a tremendous way, & very importantly, I felt that the local church (Iglesia Jesus Pan de Vida -- Jesus the Bread of Life Church) & its young pastor (Pastor Jesse) were encouraged greatly. Please join us in prayer for their sustained growth in depth & breadth.
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