The Second Church

For the first year and half that I lived in Natal, I was told on many occasions by American visitors that I "lived like a college student." You can infer what that does and does not mean, but I can tell you that it was accurate. I had a cute little apartment, but it had the bare minimum of mixed and matched furniture, a tiny kitchen, one bathroom with a hot shower and one whose door did not close all the way when you sat down to, um, take care of business. And it was HOT. Finding that apartment was so exciting for me because it was just the right size, right in front of my favorite bakery, on the 8th floor, and half a block from the church building. I documented my excitement in one of my favorite blog posts to date, a classic from the "I-LIVE-IN-BRAZIL-AND-WANT-TO-BLOG-ABOUT-EVERY-SECOND-OF-MY-LIFE!!!" phase. That apartment served me well for a while, but when I returned to Natal as a full-time missionary in early 2009 (and with more "resources") it was apparent that finding a new place to live would be necessary if I wanted to serve the church here in the ways I had dreamed.

So I made a deal with God. I told him that I wanted an apartment with a big living room (not easy to find in my price range) and easy bus access. Although I planned on having a car, I wanted it to be easy and safe for church members to get to and from my apartment. I told him that, if he provided such a place, the apartment would be his. His for ministry, his for hospitality, his for honing my cooking skills, and his for anything else he might dream up. I found some pretty great apartments (with ocean views) that I really tried to fit into that deal, but thankfully none of them worked out. Because he had something bigger in store.

I've referenced many times on this blog how much I love where I live. I love the size, I love the location, I love the view, I LOVE THE BREEZE, I love the kitchen and how it has inspired me to start cooking, I love how pretty it is, I love that it's on the 6th floor. I love that, even though I was dumb and naive enough to try and strike a deal with God rather than trust that he had something great in store without my having to orient him to the fact, he still provided me with exactly what I had asked for: a GIGANTIC living room and a location right on one of Natal's main thoroughfares.

One of the things I also wanted in this new apartment was a second bedroom for guests. I never used it much, but I knew it was there. Then, in November of last year, God put another opportunity in front of me that tested just how committed I was to making sure this apartment was his. A good friend of mine from the church was in a tough family situation with little stability. She had asked to stay here with me one night, and in explaining to me what was going on I kind of just blurted out, "if you need to, you can come live here with me." In that moment I realized that I was actually serious, but she told me later that she didn't even think twice about it at the time, sure that her situation would blow over. After a couple more rough weeks and giving the idea some thought, she called and asked if my offer still stood. She moved in a few days later. She is grateful to have a stable place to live and I am grateful to have a companion. It was getting lonely around here!

So, even though my deal was stupid, I held up my end of the bargain. I have lost count of how many sleepovers, wedding showers, Bible studies, movie nights, lunches and dinners I've hosted here. The young people from church have gotten so used to coming here that, yesterday, when it was announced that our weekly young adults Bible study would be held at my apartment for the second week in a row, someone made the comment that Cris's house is "the second church." I got a little emotional when I heard that, because that's exactly what I had always hoped for.

This apartment is much more than just a beautiful, well ventilated place to live.

It's a second church.

My PRK Surgery & Recovery Experience

The week before my PRK (laser eye surgery) procedure I felt very unprepared. I didn't know what the recovery was going to look like, all I had been told was I would feel a grainy feeling in my eyes and I needed to stay out of the sun as much as possible for 3 months. I had no idea what my vision would be like during those three months, how soon after surgery I would be able to drive/take a shower/return to the gym, etc. So I got online and started trying to find some answers. What I found were lots of people who had chronicled their PRK recovery on their blog, some in one big post and others with daily/weekly/monthly posts. These blogs helped put me at ease and feel better prepared for what I would undergo. My intention in writing this is to provide just one more account to hang out on the interwebs and maybe help a nervous and unprepared PRK candidate to feel a little less nervous. If you don't care about my surgery, feel free to stop reading and wait for the next post about Brazil. I promise this will be the only one of this nature.

I had my PRK surgery done in Natal, Brazil, so my experience might be very different than the experience of someone having the surgery in the US. I chose to have it in Brazil because my health insurance covered the cost. My doctor recommended PRK over Lasik because of the thickness (or thinness, actually) of my corneas. My doctor in the US confirmed that Lasik would not even be possible because my corneas are so thin.

My Brazilian doctor does all of his surgeries one eye at a time with a week in between. He did my left eye first, the one with 6.5 near-sightedness. My only preparation for surgery was to take my contacts out and use Vigamox eye drops 3x per day 3 days ahead of surgery. The morning of the surgery they wrapped a hospital gown over my clothes, had me pull my hair back in a cap and put booties over my feet. The nurse put several antiseptic eye drops in both eyes and had me wait about 10 minutes. Once in the "operating room" the doctor checked something in my vision (the machine where the little farmhouse or car comes in an out of focus...does anyone know what that one does?) then had me lay down on the chair.

In most of the accounts I've read online, the doctor talked the patient through every step of the procedure. Although my doctor talked to me the whole time, he didn't tell me much of what he was doing, just what I should expect to feel. I think I actually preferred that because had he talked me through every step I probably would have passed out. :) He told me at the beginning that I would feel no pain and he was right...except for one part. They covered my right eye and taped my eyelids open on my left eye. Then they clamped open my eye and that was the most discomfort I felt the entire time...but I'm sure I prefer that over feeling the laser penetrating my cornea! Some people think it must be weird to not be able to blink, but by that point the eye drops have already numbed the eyeball enough that you can't tell if you need to blink or not! He then spread all kinds of goo all over my eyeball and would tell me that my vision was going to start to blur. They turned the lights out and he pulled the machine over my face and I saw two colored spots. One was small and green, the other was red and looked like a fingerprint. He told me to focus on the "red dot" and I guess that's when the surgery started.

The ONLY thing that I REALLY wish I had been prepared for was the smell. No one told me that I would smell the laser burning my eyeball, and given that I already have a weak stomach when it comes to medical procedures being done on me, that really caught me off guard. Apparently I lost focus several times of the red dot, and looking back I think it's because every time I smelled the laser I got a little woozy. He had to stop the procedure several times because I stopped focusing on the dot...woops! He stopped and started about four times, and I'd say the procedure in itself lasted about 4 minutes. At the end he said "Ok, now we'll correct the astigmatism," and *zap* it was over. As soon as he turned the light on I saw everything perfectly. He put a protective contact in and sent me on my way with instructions to begin the 3 eye drops and antibiotic he had prescribed and apply a cold compress 3x a day. I've had bad vision since I was a child, so walking out of the operating room seeing clearly out of my left eye was a trip!

The surgery on my right eye was a week later and went much more smoothly. I did much better and only lost focus of the light once, making the surgery last about 30 seconds. :) The only real difference I noticed was that after the first surgery I felt NO pain. I actually thought it was weird how comfortable I was. I felt the grainy feeling several times, but I did not feel pain. After the second surgery I felt much more pain and my eye was red for the rest of the afternoon. After both surgeries I made a point to take it easy, stay in bed as much as possible the first few days and keep the windows closed and lights dimmed at night. My doctor told me that it is imperative after PRK to not let your eyes come in contact with the sun, because sunlight will impair the scarring of your corneas, which lasts 3 months. He said any time I go outside I need to wear sunglasses, which has not been a problem. I was able to drive during the day about a week after the first surgery, and I drove at night a week after the second surgery, although I was probably being extra cautious and could have driven sooner. I have been diligent about using the eye drops every day and I guess it paid off...when I went to get the contact removed 6 days after the second surgery he marveled at how "beautifully" my eyes are scarring. He said I can go back to the gym 2 weeks after the first surgery.

In terms of my vision, it is not perfect by any means, but my doctor had prepared me for that. He said as long as I am healing it can fluctuate, and will definitely fluctuate as long as I am using the Florate drops (30 days after surgery.) I am 2 weeks and a day out from my first surgery and 1 week and day out from my second, and I'd say my vision is about 80%. I can see well up close and decently far away, but by the end of the day most things are a little blurry. I am sitting about 7 feet from my TV right now and I can read most of what is coming across the CNN screen. Given that pre-surgery (without contacts/glasses) I wouldn't have been able to determine that there were even words on the screen, I'd say it's great progress! Typing this post I can read what I am writing but the edges of the letters are a little fuzzy. That fluctuates throughout the day, though, and is affected by light-sensitivity and how hard I've worked my eyes that day. I also noticed that lots of air conditioning (a factor that would make more of a difference here than in the US) makes my vision blurrier. Pulling the computer screen closer to my face makes no difference, which tells me that it's not a matter of near-sightedness but just my eyes healing.

I will have a 30-day appt with the doctor to check my vision, then a 60 day and 90-day. I am praying for 100% but can be happy with 95%. :) The very fact that I can see anything that is beyond 6 inches of my face is already a miracle, and I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to have this surgery and that he gave someone the idea to invent it. I think I lied in that first paragraph, I will probably post an update at the end of my recovery here in about 3 months just to report how my vision has improved.

If anyone is reading this for the same reasons I read these accounts online, good luck to you in your surgery and recovery process, and remember that that putrid burning smell is over as soon as he turns the laser off, so be SURE to stay focused on the green dot and you'll be done in about 30 seconds. :)

Disclaimer: If any of my details regarding near-sightedness or corneas or how the laser works are inaccurate, that's ok. I don't have to understand exactly how it worked to be happy with the result. Unless the error is so glaring that it MUST be addressed, feel free to comment with your own experience or any questions you might have.

3 month Recap...I know, I know

I knew that when I came to my blog today I would cringe when I saw the last time I posted. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I did manage a post in December...I was expecting November...so I guess that's good, right? The few people who read this blog probably know why I've been MIA, but to ease my conscience I'm going to give you a big fat recap of the last 3ish months. Ready?

December was a whirlwind month, not just because my jasmine trees bloomed beautifully. We started it by changing our Sunday services at church to the morning time slot. Since the beginning of the church they had always met in the evenings, and due to a variety of factors we decided to move to the mornings. It's been a great transition and we've enjoyed having our afternoons free to continue the fellowship that started in the morning! Two of our members also got married in December and moved to China. That's the third wedding our church has had in just over a year, after no weddings for like 8 years, so that was exciting!

I spent the last two weeks of December and the whole month of January in the US for my furlough. Although I've been blessed to go back to the States at least once every year since I've been in Natal, this was the first official trip (I kept calling it my business trip) and it was GREAT! It was my first time to spend Christmas with my family in Oklahoma since 2006! I also got to spend two weekends visiting my two wonderful supporting congregations and report on the work here in Natal. I loved being with them again and getting to share about how things are going here. I spent a LOT of time driving, but it wasn't too bad because I got to rediscover the joy of driving an automatic and rest my left leg before coming back to my standard-transmission car in Natal. :)

Me with Tootie, one of the elder's wives at Springtown and a great friend!

As soon as I got back to Natal I started the process of scheduling my laser eye surgery. Had I known how long it would take (not because I had any trouble, but because they just had a lot of hoops for me to jump through) to get my insurance company to authorize the surgery, I would have started the process before I left. But, 3 weeks after I got back, I got the surgery scheduled and am now in my second week of recovery! I've worn glasses and/or contacts since I was 6 years old, and was blind as a bat, so this is a very new experience for me! I am so thankful for my Brazilian insurance that covered this type of surgery, something I would never have been able to do in the States without paying out of pocket. It's pretty remarkable that a 40 second procedure can correct 19 years of bad vision, but...I try not to think too much about that!

As soon as I got back I was also pumped to celebrate my friend Talis's graduation from college. College graduations here are week-long celebrations, with events every night and ending with a prom-like party on the weekend. Talis is one of our members who came through LST several years ago, and I am so proud of his accomplishments and where God is leading him in his life. It was an honor to be able to celebrate with him!

Talis's graduation prom :) (Talis is the one looking sharp in a tux)

Things are getting back to normal here now that the Carnaval (Mardi Gras times a million...) holiday is over. Brazil kind of waits for Carnaval to be over before anything serious gets done, so all of our classes are getting started up again and we're already gearing up for the LST season in just a couple months!

Now that I have the emotional burden of this recap post off my shoulders (seriously, I feel guilty about not blogging in a while. Does anyone even read this anymore?) I will really try to keep writing regular updates. but...I know that doesn't mean much since I've told you that many times before. I was reading a guy's blog yesterday who said he schedules his posts to be written on Mondays and Fridays, and actually has it built into his weekly agenda with a reminder that pops up telling him it's time to blog. Maybe I should try that? Ha. Here's to being a better blogger! Thanks for reading!

Jasmine

I mentioned in my "Thankful" post that I have two big, beautiful jasmine trees, one of which was about to flower. Natal has these trees in giant form all over the city, and they flower all year long. If you have never smelled a jasmine flower you are seriously missing out. I never in my life saw a plant and thought "I have to have that," not until I saw/smelled jasmine, that is. Each day new buds have bloomed and I just love it so much I wanted to share my cheer with you! I'm no photographer, but I hope you can enjoy the pictures as much as I do!

Continent Care Connection

Two years ago when I went to the Continent Connection Conference put on by Continent of Great Cities, I had such an uplifting, encouraging, refreshing week that I immediately began planning and saving for the next conference in 2010. At that point I didn't even know if I would still be in Brazil in 2010, but just in case, I made plans. It was that good. When the much-anticipated date of October 4th rolled around (one day after the elections I blogged about,) I was giddy with excitement to return to the beautiful beach town of Maresias and enjoy a week of worship, sharing, resting, and reconnecting with other missionary women from South America.

This year was everything I was expecting and more. We spent 5 days at a beachfront resort sharing in times of worship and prayer, classes on topics ranging from contemplative prayer to boundaries in relationships to the importance of female companionship, connection groups which served to connect us more intimately with each other and share about struggles in our work and personal lives, and lots of eating. :)

I reconnected with many old friends from the days when my family lived in Brasilia, some friends I made at the conference in 2008, some friends I had never met but had corresponded with through this blog, and was blessed to make many new friends. There were about 40 missionary participants and (I think) about 15 women who came from the US to spend time with us as small group facilitators, speakers, organizers, gift-givers, counselors, and friends.

On a personal level, I can say I returned to Natal a different person. Not only rested, but also confident that God used that week at CCC to show me many areas of my life where I was needing to make some changes, as well as showing me areas where I can be confident I am following His will. I came back to Natal determined to make these changes and live confidently, and in the weeks since the conference I have been blessed by the results.

In a week so centered on gratitude, I am reminded of how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to go to CCC for a second time. God blessed me with a great week of companionship and learning. I was blessed by the extreme generosity of the women who came to serve us for five whole days, and was blessed by the lessons they had to teach us and the way God used them in such perfect ways that we know only He could have orchestrated it. I am grateful for the generosity of the donors who made CCC financially possible-- because of them, all we had to do was get ourselves to Sao Paulo and the rest was taken care of. It was an unforgettable week.

My connection group: me, Amy, and Rachel

The beautiful food table on our final night. If you look closely, you can see that "Continent Care Connection" is carved into the watermelon.

Thankful

Before I resume my blog blitz on the aforementioned activities of the past few months, I feel it is necessary to stop on this day and tell you all (or most) the things for which I am thankful. Although it is not Thanksgiving in Brazil, it is Thanksgiving in my heart. So here are just a few things that make my heart cheerful today.

• the turkey breast sandwich I ordered from Subway today and the little laugh I had with me and myself over my private nod to the holiday
• the blessing of having friends who feel like family who, all on their own, offered to put together a Thanksgiving meal and invite me out for a Thanksgiving celebration because they knew today I might be missing home
• having a roommate who makes this big apartment feel less lonely (also a future blog topic)
• having a big, beautiful apartment in which I have enough room to host friends for Thanksgiving tonight and a wedding shower tomorrow
• the fact that rice is included in every Brazilian meal, including our Thanksgiving meal tonight :)
• the testimony I heard in one of my classes today of a woman who is so obviously filled with the Holy Spirit. I found out she spent 35 years of her life as a "priestess" in one of Brazil's most prominent pagan religions
• the music at my gym that motivates me to work out with a little more vigor and laugh at how stupid and uncreative the lyrics are
• the fact that I have motivation to work out daily at the gym...I mean seriously...who ever would have guessed THAT day would come?
• a washing machine that makes me not to have to hand-wash my clothes
• fans
• my two big, beautiful jasmine trees. One is about to flower and I just can't wait!
• the daytime doorman who works at my building. I have never seen a person so eager to take out the trash (Sorry, Dad. Carlinos has you beat, but not by much!)
• my new purple-handled flatware. It was on sale, totally clashes with my home decor, but it makes me laugh nonetheless!
• the fact that I will eat turkey tonight
• the fact that I will actually put to use 5 pipecleaners I received at a conference in October at the wedding shower tomorrow
• the Skype webcam chat I am about to have with my parents and extended family in Arkansas. It will be my grandpa's first time to Skype. Should be fun!
  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2 things

1. It was brought to my attention that my third post in my recent blog blitz was out of order and dated as November 7. I figured out it was because I had written it early and published it later, so it was published on the original date. Make sure to check it out, it's about my friend's visit to Natal!

2. My friend Brent, who is a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia, has done it again. He wrote a very poignant post on the role loneliness plays when you are living overseas, away from your home culture. He also beautifully explains how that place that, at first seemed so lonely, suddenly turns into home. If you would like to read it, click here.

The blogging blitz continues...