Gretchen Henner's Blog
Spring Break / 04.11.10, 03:00 PM
I’ve never had so much fun at IWU before. I showed up Friday afternoon (3/26) in Indianapolis after a slightly crazy morning. Let me explain. I’ve had a lot of food poisoning during MY. At 2:30 AM I woke up with several GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms. I was going to get ride to the airport with the same person my housemate Hilary was. Having never flown alone before I was scared and I thought it’d be nice to have a ride to the airport instead of public transit. Hil hadn’t flown alone before either, so we were going to have some solidarity going together. When Hil’s ride showed up around 4, I couldn’t leave the bathroom. My GI system sentenced me to taking public transit to the airport. I knew it was possible, but I was leery, at best, (at worst completely petrified) about the trip. Keep in mind my primary goal going to my school over break was to re-test on my nursing skills and put myself in position to start classes in the fall, hopefully as a junior. As my body revolted I went on a downward spiral of negative thoughts. I was convinced that I wouldn’t make it to the airport or IWU or re-test on my nursing skills or make it back into the program or ever finish college. This illness was going to destroy my life plans. I started to pray (and really I’d been covered in prayer by so many people, mine was just one of the many). I was so weak and uncomfortable my prayer was more a cry. I was pleading Christ blood over my body and for strength. I slept for an hour and a half and at 6 or so I left the house, walked into the subway and simply asked the subway attendant “How do I get to the airport from here?” For the rest of the day God confirmed that I can trust Him by providing the willing and knowledgeable fellow travelers that helped me make it through two subways, a regional rail and an airport. He gave me the strength to drag around a 50 pound suitcase after losing what felt like gallons of my precious fluids and electrolytes. He even gave me a huge black man in the subway to silently pick up my suitcase and carry it up a flight of stairs for me. (he literally said nothing, not asking me if he could help, not after I thanked him repeatedly) Megan summed it up text saying it’s just God’s way of showing you how much He’s gonna take care of you even at IWU.
At IWU God provided me with all the encouragement and love the school could muster. I got there exhausted. Lindsay and J-po drove out to Indy get me and how I love them. Upon arriving at IWU I saw Linda and Emily and finally Kay right next to the Goodman field. I was talking to someone when she spotted me and let out a battle cry. I said a quick farewell to my friend and sprinted into her arms, letting my shriek of joy match hers. Haha. We promptly turned to the nursing department I planned out my skills tests. Kay was all over it. She was going to make sure I passed. Her pronouns changed from you to we. When will we practice? How will we make sure you know the critical behaviors? She was a little overbearing, but it felt good. I was tired and I needed someone to plan out my life. After that Kay took me around the student center and showed me off like a celebrity. Then I told everyone how disgustingly sick I’d been. It was a good time. In the evening we went to the Switchfoot concert in the new chapel, which was opened by Mosquito Fleet and Everyday Sunday. I hadn’t been in the new chapel yet and I was glad my first experience with it was Kay and me dancing around like crazy. Oh, not to mention John Foreman started the concert directly behind us. Kay touched his hand and freaked out. We’d also seen him at McConn (IWU’s coffee shop) before the show. Kay totally cleared out her weekend for me and we had a great time together. We went to Goodwill, ate a birthday lunch with her mom and just chilled. She is so precious to me. I value our friendship so much. I got to see people that really matter to me. I’d love to list names here but if I forget someone and they see I’d feel like crap. Monday started off lab practice! 10 hours in two days and then an hour and a half test. So 7 hours Monday and 3 Tuesday. The lab is mind-numbing for that amount of time. My test was to be at 1PM Tuesday. At 12:55 PM who walk into the lab with sneaky little smirks but Mama Mcneely and Marilyn. I’m just finishing up practice and Marilyn acts shocked and offended to see a dummie with its legs spread which I have on the hospital bed in an elevated position. She’s so funny. They announce that they’re here to pray for me, and steal me away into one of the exam rooms, the same room I end up testing in! Soon the test is over and I’ve done it with no serious mistakes. Four skills at one time! Sterile suctioning to pouching an Ostomy to packing a sterile wound to medication administration. Whew! It was such a relief to be done. The rest of break was filled with prayer and dinners and good conversations and sleep-overs and hand holding and me screaming in the student center and a better understanding of my feelings. I told my story a few times. At first it was a patchy mess of events, but by the time I was about to leave I could see and articulate God’s themes in the year and a general flow. That’s one thing I really appreciated. My friends listen well and the outlet of thoughts and emotions was good for me. I feel excited to be a junior (as posed to a senior). Time at school is precious and it feels like I get a little extra. Also there a bunch of cool sophomores (like they’re sophomores now), and I’m stoked to hang out with them. For some reason, I was scared I wouldn’t have any friends during my senior year.
I went up to G-rap after nearly a week at IWU, hitching a ride with a friend from high school. The time at home was peaceful. The friends I hang out with whenever I’m home weren’t there, so I got to waste some time, which felt good. On Good Friday I went to the beach with Monika. It was a little cold, but it was the only opportunity I would have before August and I knew it. Afterward we went to Captain Sundae and I got the Captain’s Apple (soft serve, granola, caramel and apple pie filling) and Monika got a brownie and cookie dough flurry, I think. Then we went to her house and watched Hot Rod, which is so good. It was the highlight of the weekend. Well, Easter was good too. God gave me tears. I cry whenever I go to KCC (Kentwood Community Church) especially on Christian holidays. Haha. They had people that had made a commitment in the last year walk across the stage with signs pertaining to their decision during the last few worship songs. I hesitated but finally when my dad said “Didn’t you get baptized since last Easter?” I rolled my eyes and tromped off to the stage. I grabbed the sign that said “I got baptized in the last year” and began to cry. Last Wednesday was the one year anniversary of me deciding, officially, to do Mission Year. It was significant to me because it reminded me of how I’d surrendered one more area of my life to the Divine One, who controls everything anyway, and how its made all the difference in where and who I am now. My eyes water writing about it now. After the service I checked my texts on the way to the car. “Uhhhh… I gotta go back!” I shouted to my parents, as I read a text from Alison and promptly turned back to find her. Alison is very dear to me, but I hardly ever get to see her. She hugged me so hard it hurt. She told me that she would be spending the summer in Grand Rapids, so August will be a good time for us. I also reconnected with another friend there, who I’ll also be seeing in August.
I flew back to the Betty today. It’s beautiful here. I’m psyched to see what God is going to do with these next three and half months.
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