Confidence & Gratitude

Today, I am reflecting on God answering my prayers. Here's why -

Confidence - This past Monday was my second time volunteering at Tipat Chalev. In my last post, I mentioned that I was super nervous about this new opportunity due to being afraid of failing. I am happy to report that I have not failed...made mistakes - YES - but failing - NO! The three nurses who work on Mondays with me are so incredibly nice. They constantly ask if I have eaten and if I would like a cup of coffee and/or tea. I am now fully convinced that feeding people is part of Jewish DNA. We may have the world fighting against us, but have no fear, we WILL feed our own people come rain or shine.  :-) I'm really clicking with one particular nurse, who asks me how my previous week was and what I did. It's not only nice to feel that she has an interest, but it's a GREAT way to practice my Hebrew speaking skills. I was already thinking that I hope this bond continues to the extent that I can invite her out sometime - maybe go shopping or grab a bite to eat...whatever. It's nice to have friends from all different places. Also, I am able to accomplish my assignment well, as each week I am recording, by hand, the names and details of patients from old files. I feel like a detective trying to piece together who these past moms were and where they could be now after so many years. It's also really interesting to see the different names. Lastly, one thing that really struck me was that on the inside of each patient's file, there is this question - Which country did you make aliyah from? There are really so many immigrants in our country that this has become a standard question. For some reason, this made me feel good. Yes, my confidence has grown, which leads me to...

Gratitude - Early this evening, I was catching up with my husband about the events of today. I was sharing with him about the wonderful time I had with a girlfriend. She made homemade waffles including sprinkling confection sugar on top. I brought grapes, cheese and maple sugar to add to our feast. When I arrived, this friend had already set the table so elegantly and lit a candle. You see, it's the little things - the details of a beautiful arrangement that make a room so inviting! We had such a sweet afternoon, as we ate slowly, talked a lot and enjoyed one another's company. I have been praying for girlfriends ever since moving to Israel - already 1.5 years ago! I was introduced to many guys thanks to my husband, but girls have been a slower process. I am so thankful for some really great girlfriends - both here and in the U.S. Another close friends of mine in the US, calls me on her way to work every Wednesday. She has about a 45 minute drive, so it's a great time to catch up (I believe she uses blue-tooth or car-intercom for safety...no hand holding). I love this weekly gab, as she is like a sister to me and the fact that she makes time to still grow our relationship is priceless. Yes, my gratitude has grown too, which leads me to...

Recognizing how God does both HEAR and ANSWER my prayers in His perfect way and timing. Baruch HaShem!

Summer Update

It's time for an update!

In trying to describe how I am feeling about life, I can't help but think of those wrestling matches on TV. I know it's funny and odd for a girl like me to say such things, but stick with me and you'll see what I'm talking about.

In wrestling, there are some matches that are a 2 person team vs. another 2 person team. Usually in the match, there is only 1 person from each team inside the ring at a time. For team members to switch off, they run to their assigned corner and tag their other team member; thus signaling that it's the other person's turn. This is exactly how I feel. I feel like my "Spring/Summer Season Self" has been in the ring and is about to tag my "Fall Season Self." I can feel the seasons changing and with that the activities that I am involved in, as I inch forward in trying to settle myself even more into Israeli society.

For the past 3 months, I had been volunteering at a children's welfare center in a neighboring town. This experience has helped me so much to gain inner confidence regarding speaking and functioning in Hebrew. I noticed by the end that I desired something a bit more challenging and a change from the current target group (toddlers - AHH!). For a long time, I have been desiring to volunteer and/or work in a Tipat Chalav (Well Baby Clinic) center. I'm excited to share that starting next week, I will be going in every Monday to volunteer at our local clinic! For those of you that are not familiar with Tipat Chalav, here is link that has a good description: http://www.nbn.org.il/aliyahpedia/healthcare/595-tipat-chalav-well-baby-clinics.html

I feel like this new volunteer position actually combines several things - my personal interest in Mother/Baby Health, my University Degree in Public Health and my continuing efforts to understand Israeli society. The one slightly disappointing factor about this position is that the Ministry of Health will only allow me to do clerical work as a Volunteer even though I do have a degree in this field. I am hoping that the local nurses, who all seem VERY nice, will allow me some leeway in time. I already know that my first task will be going through the patient files and recording data in order to build an electronic database. This will require me to sharpen my Hebrew reading and writing skills, which is good!

Overall, I am VERY excited about this opportunity and also VERY VERY nervous. I'm afraid to fail. That's the honest truth. I'm scared that this position is over my head and that my Hebrew skills are just not quite at the level that I can accomplish even this simple clerical task. This realization is hard for my type of personality, as I'm a goal-oriented, success focus, high achieving type of girl. My husband has learned the beauty of my to-do lists and enjoys seeing me cross items off these never-ending lists. What a patient man he is :-)

In addition to starting this Volunteer position, I am also going to enroll in another ulpan,which will start in mid October after the High Holidays. This ulpan should be REALLY helpful for me, as it focuses on reading articles and advancing the basic Hebrew skills that students possess. It's like a Level 2 course and even better is that it's in the town next to me. This will be the closest ulpan I've attended thus far! Yea!

So, my new schedule will be continuing to work part-time for Avishalom, Volunteer once a week at Tipat Chalav and take ulpan (this fall) two days a week. I believe overall this is a healthy step for my development and well rounded regarding my interest. I'm also hoping that the dance aerobic class that I took earlier this Spring/Summer will start back up and then I'll add that to the schedule. Oh and how will I travel to all these places, BY CAR BECAUSE I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!! Yes, Folks, I actually passed the test thanks to Sharon, my Instructor, and received my Israeli license! This is a real miracle and I feel like Queen of the Castle for accomplishing such task!

Lastly, another big change in our household will be my husband's return to school full-time this October. I could not be more happy about this change, as I think this program is an incredible experience and perfect for his interest. I'm excited to be on this journey with him and see which doors God opens for us.

Well, that's a quick summary and I hope to be more regular in keeping up my blog.