Forever in My Heart

It's been too long. I did indeed go to the Middle East in February and returned safely in March. All the wonderful experiences while over there prevented me from having time to update my own personal blog, but if you follow this link you can read my updates written while on the ground doing health work. Since I got back I've been doing the college thing non-stop and haven't had time to even log into my blogger account. It's time to write a little something to share with people around me. Due to the sensitive nature of working in any field in the ME, I cannot share details in public online sites, but you can get a taste of our health work from the Weimar blog above that have more detail than what follows. This is what I wrote recently for a Weimar publication. (photos: Adam Jackson)

Middle East Health Team College PAC

Cami Martin, Health Science

Before leaving for PAC, I was excited about taking Weimar’s NEWSTART lifestyle principles to the Middle East, but it wasn’t until the on-site planning took place and our actual health expos started that the reality of how medical work can be used to touch people deeply hit me. After I realized how far reaching the work of my Weimar PAC team was, my excitement escalated to a high point that hasn’t diminished, even though I’m back in school once again.

The biggest lesson I learned was that even humble college students could make a difference in the lives of people deprived of available health care or health education. Through our health work, we could encourage many people who have at one time or another experienced war, oppression, and are still facing challenging economic times. Seeing the emotions within the eyes of the people and how they responded to the care we had for them touched my heart profoundly.

Through health expos, orphanage visitations, and interaction in the homes of the people in the Middle East, my views concerning health work were confirmed. Health work is the way to win the trust of people. It is the work that is going to make a great impact on the lives of millions of people across the globe, from the Middle East to the United States. This recent experience with simple health work immersion and the far-reaching effects it has been God-sent confirmation for the goals I have for my life. I’m excited about pursuing my Masters in Public Health after finishing at Weimar because it will be so useful in service in other countries! I was incredibly happy in the Middle East and I loved the work we were doing. Potentially, I could have found a home. I was touched, never to be the same.

PACking

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What can I say, but God has been preparing the way for an adventure I embark upon tomorrow morning. Over the past school year plans have been being finalized for Weimar College to take a small group of students to a country that is part of the Middle East Union. I am one of these ten or so students who will be doing health work in the Middle East for nearly two weeks as a part of Weimar’s Practical Application Component. While I can’t give more details than that on a public forum due to the sensitivity of countries in that area of the world, I can give you a link to our PAC website where you can follow along with the adventures, joys, and challenges of the various PACs Weimar College students are on during our spring break: http://pacmissions.org/college

I just finished midterms and I’ve been packing, but it didn’t hit me until my church I attend while at school had the elders pray for us today: I am going somewhere that Christ desires His followers to go and am about to minister to the physical needs of people as Christ did in His day in a similar part of the world. I am about to leave!

7:43 AM departure from Weimar College. 1:40 PM from San Francisco. Adventure is just around the corner! Thank you for your prayers. إلى اللقاء

How Weimar Burned Down

Conviction of my need.
It's been with my since November
- And it hasn't gone away.

It's not just my need
- Other students have been convicted about my need as well.

Except they themselves are convicted about the need I have in their lives too.

Outreach. Ministry. An earnest desire to stop at nothing to do everything that God has placed on our hearts and in our reach to further the gospel commission.

It's not gone away.

The conviction has spread.

The campus of Weimar Institute is going to be burned down. The flame of the Spirit is taking hold.

We've been talking, we've been praying, we've been planning.

And we are doing!

Today's ministry was beautiful. A group of ten college students drove five minutes off campus to a nearby community. NEWSTART  singers sang through the neighborhood using the ministry of music to cheer the homes and hearts of people on a damp January afternoon. The response to well-known and loved hymns was extremely positive, with many smiles, kind words, and great contact with people.

And God divinely placed us out today to do this special ministry. At one house we sang for a young woman who was about 30. When we finished "How Great Thou Art", her lower lip trembled and she whipped a tear from her check as she chocked, "Thank you so much... my father just died". Her mother came to the door at this point, with emotion saying, "Your time is impeccable. My husband just died... This is my favorite song... Thank you so much". The time wasn't appropriate for another song or prayer, but we wished them our heartfelt condolences and said we would be praying. As we walked past this home half an hour later, the mother came walking out over her wet driveway in her stockinged feet to inquire who we were and where we came from. As we answered those questions, she told us to her we were angels, that she too was a Christian, and that her husband's funeral was the next morning. Her thankfulness of the cheer of Christian service could not be denied.

I walked away from this last encounter humbled to be a part of a blessing. The opportunity to follow up this contact in the near future with Weimar bread, a card, and an invitation to a health event is perfect. I can see the doors are opening, the opportunities unfolding.

It all starts with conviction. Through prayer ideas are unveiled. And through action the work begins.

The semester is new, the year is new. I'm making a NEWSTART to the way I view my life. Mission service to those around me is my focus. God blesses the efforts to share Christian love and kindness.  Through conviction God has impacted the hearts and lives of many people in the past. Conviction is the flame that carries out revolution. Here at Weimar we are beginning to sense with earnest need a revolution of the missionary spirit in our lives. I cannot be complacent any longer. Neither can many other young people. We want to tell the tale of how Weimar burned down by the empowering of the Holy Spirit to go change the world around us!

He is moving. He is empowering and equipping. Let us work for, as my life's motto is, there is much to do.

Home to Home

I'm HOME! Yes, I'm home sweet home back in Washington State. The Lord brought me through comprehensive final exams; as I look back over the semester I see God's guiding hand. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, the old saying goes, but it's really based on the principles that God refines and won't let us bare more than we can handle. Praise my Jesus, I'm much stronger for this semester away from home. I am one blessed girl, of that I have no doubt.
Things I am thankful for: high shower heads, hard mattress on my bed, home cooked meals, my mother's goodnight hug, and fresh snow. And we're at our home in Kettle Falls - scores big points for me. It hasn't sold and although my family lives in Spokane most of the time, we're home for the holidays. Tanner and Dad have been down in Spokane this week and last since Tanner has been finishing an intensive course online - no phone, internet, or mail at home! :) They are on their way home as I type and will be staying home now. I'm glad of that. All together finally for more than two days! :-)
Tanner and I flew back from Weimar Friday, December 7. The following day we went to church at my home church, Sunday Cayce and I used our new skis for the first time, and Monday on we rode the horses, walked, and I shadowed a lot at the local clinic and hospital as part of my Weimar Winter PAC. Thursday afternoon Mom took me to their rental house where I had to stay overnight to go early on Friday, Dec. 14 for an exostectomy bilateral calcaneal surgery for both my heels. Since then I'm slowly recovering with crutches for two painful feet. It's going good. I'm sure I'll heal quickly. In the mean time, I'm enjoying lots of reading and time with my sister who has a cold! :) However, I'll be very happy to be off my bed and the couch, into non-pajama-laziness, and on to my life! :-)
I'm home. I'm happy. God is SO good. I miss my Weimar family a lot- I left a home to come home. I am seeing the truth of "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content"- be in Washington or California, with biological family or with family in Christ. (-:

The Plan, the Experience: Weimar

Do you have any idea what a blessing it is to attend a college where the teachers are more concerned for the spiritual welfare and growth of their students than anything else? God is first here at Weimar College. Students are second. While our studies are important, the order of priority follows the plan of true education. We're facing finals next week, so the conformation of the dedication that our teachers are expressing comes with amazing reassurance. I'm praising God for leading me to this place.
My experience here reflects the journey of life. I started off the semester feeling very burdened, very impaired by the thick fog of the forest. I was incredibly homesick - rightly so, I do believe -. While I still miss my home and my family immensely, I am at peace. I explained the joy I found backpacking one of last posts, but right now I just want to briefly say that I'm excited to be part of a movement to change the world. I'm excited to be part of Weimar. I'm moving up to higher places.
I didn't start school here expecting to be so profoundly impacted. I wanted a nice, SDA Christian environment as a change from public college. I have found that, I admit. But what Weimar offers is something so much deeper, something so much more vital to my life than just taking classes in a good environment. Here at Weimar, we talk, think, eat, study, play, sing, sweat, cry, pray, plead, encourage, listen, and live Jesus. Believe me, until you've experienced it, you have no idea what I'm talking about. I am about to walk away next Friday morning to go home for a month, but I'm walking away with a changed life. My life is to live for nothing short of being where God wants me, doing exactly what He wants me to do, and to be sharing just what He thinks is best for the moment I am in. I'm going to take the principles and practices I'm learning here at Weimar with me throughout my whole life.
You better believe it, I'm coming back next semester. Sure, I hate the noise of the dorm, I don't like the expenses of living away from my parents' kind support, I don't like some of the ways certain things are handled, but I love Weimar. The principles are strong. The mission mindset is compelling.
I'm going to be a medical missionary. Being at Weimar has taught me that public college changed me in one way; I stopped saying medical missionary for the sake of having to explain the term. But at Weimar, I've discovered how I was influenced and I'm doing all I can to remedy years of neglect for a spirit I had previously cherished for many years. Mission had been slightly pushed aside, in a subtle sort of way. But it is forefront in my life now! I can live what I to do with my life here, and that is really special. 
This place is a blessing. Please come see Weimar. Wei want you here. Wei have an amazing school. You can be a part of Weimar in many ways, but please, pray for us. Pray that we can be lights to those we meet and represent our religion of Christ attractively, as it really is. 

San Jose Choir Trip

Choir trip. San Jose, CA area. Mountainview Japanese church. October 27, 2012.

In photos :)

Men's Chorus - Midnight Cry - (photo: Andy Im)

Josh, Ben, David, Winston, Philip, Michael, RD, and Watanabe - Cupertino, CA - (photo: Andy Im)

 

I (by window next to plant) thought it would be neat to sing one of my favorite songs with my friend Michelle (blue shirt), but suddenly Erwin, our German classmate and choir director (at piano), joined and before I knew it my solo turned into a 6 part acapella group! What an incredible Sabbath blessing to spend time singing as friends in the home of kind hosts from the church! (photo: Dr. Iwahasi)

Sharing music is a great blessing. We weren't perfect, ha by any means, but the angels sang with us.

With Confidence

Weimar College. The longer I'm here the more I realize I'm right where God wants me at this point in my life. The vision and implementation of true education is touching me very profoundly. My missions and goals are being realigned towards doing whatever it takes- and waiting patiently on God's timing- to do with my life that will further His work the most. I can say with confidence and sincerity that I am happy here and so incredibly thankful that God has me placed me at Weimar to train me to be the best that I can be.

For the weekend of Weimar College's Fall PAC 2012, a group of dedicated, high standard young people hiked to California's Desolation Wilderness to spend the weekend digging into God's word- 1 Peter chapter 1-, praying, talking, spending time in nature, singing, and reflecting on God's will for our lives. I was deeply and profoundly blessed. Never will I forget October 5-7. Amazing classmates and friends. Amazing insights. Amazing focuses on the Lord's work. I had time to make important re commitments to God and to give myself completely over to His work in my life. Because of this trip, I can say that I am happy where I am. He gave me confidence renewed in his purpose of my being at Weimar College.

Kimberly hiking on Sabbath!

Madeline & I. Earlier in the semester we both bought backpacks and looked forward to using them together. We took a photo at the beginning of the trip to show us out together about to hit the trail!!

Michelle Boykin & Kimberly Azelton. I've known Michelle for about 8 years and am enjoying our friendship here at school, as well as on the trails! :)

 Madeline Cardona, one of my closest friends at school. I never cease being blessed in all our many conversations. She is a young woman of prayer. I'm so incredibly blessed to call her my friend! We are both premed students, RAs in the girls' dorm, and on SA at college!

 Sabbath afternoon we went exploring-- Maddie, Kimberly, Michael, Ben, and Mr. Shaffer (our Weimar Staff chaperone and my second dad)

 You don't know what the word blessing means until you experience singing miles and miles from anything with people very near and dear. Madeline, Kimberly, Michael, and Ben! These are friends for life. And singing Scripture songs on top of the world-- it doesn't get much better!!

Donner Peak Hike: Sierra Nevadas.
Last Sabbath, October 13, a good group of the college went east to the mountains around Tahoe. Here are some photos of our lovely time out in nature (by Adam Jackson).

FALL R&R Weekend: Castle Peak, Sierra Nevadas.

 Hiking to a nice Sabbath School and Church location, then fellow-shipping with food, talking, and reflection made our time of Rest and Relaxation quite lovely. All this followed the day before having gone white water rafting on the American River!

 My wonderful brother, Tanner, and our friend Michael Lombart :) Theology seniors.

 Melissa Guthrie, my cousin (<3), Ariel Hempel, and Amaris B-- my hiking companions of the afternoon of R&R.

The journey continues.

But I am confident

That He who has begun a 

Good work

Will keep on preforming it!