Yes, You Can Get Frost Bite In A Shower

Ah yes, nothing beats a warm shower after a long days work, huh? As I pushed through another long but very productive day out in one of my villages I viewed a warm shower, my snug sleeping bag, and my book as a well deserved reward. At least I was able to get 2 our of 3.

As I stripped down to my knickers and turned on the faucet I noticed my goose bumps were coming on faster than the warm water. So, being the patient person that I am (HA!) I shook there and waited and waited, and waited...hmm..I guess running water IS the luxury here.


So being thankful for water I did what any woman with greasy hair would do and dunked just my head under the chilling stream and quickly washed omitting all other body parts (they are just not as essential as my hair). Still, I think that this water may have been pumped straight from the Yukon River because my scalp may have gotten frost bite, or at the least I got a non-beverage induced brain freeze.

Not quite what I expected, but hey, my daily primping routine has changed since moving to Alaska. When once I counted the weeks for hair high-lights and facials, I have now resorted to an "Ian" hair cut (yes, my husband regularly cuts my hair) and consider lip gloss a pretty big deal.

But as I write this I laugh because the rest of my body (going on 4 days now) has yet to see any soap....just couldn't bare the thought of it, really, just couldn't do it....WAY TOO COLD.  I may add to my resume "can shower in less than 15 seconds if needed or just doesn't have to shower at all."

My adventures with bush travel end tomorrow as I head back to Aniak. This trip to Russion Mission has actually been really good. I was able to see over 50 patients and complete my "pap due list". I even got a few compliments from some patients on how thankful they were that I came out again and how much they appreciated the care. This made the cold semi-shower very worth it :)

Russion Mission

On a more personal level, I am leaving here with more growth. Let me preface this next story with what I have been learning..........I have been reading this fabulous book about God's love. It talks a lot about the soul and the spirit and how this all plays out in our faith. Without going into much detail, I have really been moved by how the author describes divine love and the purpose of our earthly existence.

In medicine you see the good, the bad, and the ugly, it just happens. Sometimes, your senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch (I purposely omitted taste) are often challenged. I had one such patient encounter here where all four were heightened. I could feel my pulse quicken, my mind start to race, and the feeling of "why me?" begin to creep up. But, having just come off reading my book I was able to divert these unwanted unconscious responses to a present state of mind that soon began to see this person in a different light.

It was like their physical body just melted away and all that remained was a soul.  Soon the smell, the sight, the voice meant virtually nothing and I wanted to approach this soul with love. For the next 30 minutes I can say that I was actually PULLED into helping this individual, not repulsed away or discouraged as I might have been prior. Something very dynamic had filled me and actually came out of me like a powerful current. It was a COMPLETELY spiritual experience. I count this as a huge gift and possibly the best part of this last village trip. You know, there really is something about love. We speak of it so frankly, yet in its purest form it really is the most powerful thing.

My Caravan (aka the bus) Plane

Anyway, I am encouraged in a new way and want to feel this kind of energy with each patient that I see. In a strange way I think this patient may have felt my love energy as well....even though I didn't do anything physically for them, I know that they walked away better.  I am left to believe that it was the divine love that healed them and actually not me at all.

So good night, be blessed, and ask for the filling from above, you just might be surprised what kind of things you will be able to do and see :)

After I finished typing this I checked out our friends blog http://frontierfamilyfarms.blogspot.com/ and read a very touching story.  It is definately worth reading as a little girl named Lacey is struggling with stage 4 leukemia and needs prayer. I encourage you to check this out and to keep her and her family in your prayers.

Oh, and next time you take a warm shower be thankful, not everyone can be.

Sarah