Ireland

You may have heard it through the grapevine. Perhaps I've filled you in on the news... It's true!
I'm going to Ireland for a year!

It has been an adventure how God has led (Hindsight is always more clear!). Since I was very young I've wanted to serve God and my fellow mankind in another country. I never would have guessed that I would first move to Florida... and then go to Ireland.

While in the sunshine state, I have been working with a church doing health programs and outreach and also working at a hospital, trying to pay off my nursing school loans and also to gain some good, solid nursing experience.

I will be interning with a counseling organization in southern Ireland and will be assisting with cooking classes, supper clubs, depression recovery classes, health expos, and more! I think I will stay plenty busy.... and I'm pretty thrilled that I get to work in an area that most interests me.

Ireland is much different than any place that I've ever lived before (that's what I said about Florida too!) The weather has been described to be like Seattle- rainy and cool. My weather app tells me that Thursday's high will be 37 and the low will be 36 degrees. You can see that the weather is not very dramatic. Rarely freezes, yet rarely gets too warm. (My mom finally found my box of warm winter clothes in Oklahoma.... haven't seen them for about a year and a half!)

The organization that I'm going through is AFM and will be working with two wonderful families.

This journey will be incredible and am humbled that God can use someone like me. Please pray for me and this project. There are moments when life becomes overwhelming and I don't know how I can do it all. Then I remember that it is not all up to me. With God, all things are possible. I need to raise 12,500 to launch in August. This is impossible with me, but thankfully, not for my heavenly Father.

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

Your prayers are appreciated. So are your pennies and dollars and love and kindness.

You can see my piggy-bank site here if you'd like to donate to the cause.

You can email me here for more specific information and to schedule a speaking appointment.

Here's to a new adventure in life with Him!

The Invitation

Change of shift. A new day at the hospital. A new level of crazy. A phone call is transferred to me.

"Good morning, Emily. How are you doing? This is David Ottati..." (The CEO!)

For a split second I'm searching the crannies of my brain. (Did I do something wrong?!) Then I happily remembered that a month or so ago, he mentioned that him and his wife wanted to have some employees over to his house for lunch.

I was pretty excited that morning. I work at a hospital where the CEO knows my name, got to work before I did, cared about how I was doing, and personally invited me over to his family's house for Sabbath lunch.

One of my favorite coworkers, Angie, said "Emily, just imagine how exciting it will be when Jesus personally invites us to eat with Him in heaven. Can you imagine?!"

It was hard to imagine. But we tried, and it made us smile.

Lunch with the head hauncho at work is NOTHING compared to the ultimate honor to eat with our Savior. And the great thing about it? Jesus has already invited me... And you too.