The Next Chapter

I am the extrovert among four introverts in the Nelson Squad. You can ask any of my immediate family members who the loudest/most obnoxious/sassiest member of our family is. 10 times out of 10, they will tell you it's me. I have that trophy.  I like to think of it as "wittiest and funniest" too. However, I'm sure my family would also say that would be coupled with "delusional" and "no, you're not".

When you get your own blog, family members, you can say what you want. Until then...

Well, I'll settle for the most obnoxious for now.

Lizzie and some of her favorite introverts

This 'special' trait intensifies with long car rides. I spazz out when my family would rather process life in peace and quiet. This past year we had the opportunity of 'enjoying' a long car trip from Ohio to Texas and back again. I'm pretty sure I covered almost every converseable topic known to man, much to my parent's exhaustion. However, on one of the rainy, late-night ramblings, I shared about all these exciting dreams and goals that I wanted to do with my life, but I had no idea when (or if) they would all pan out.

Months later, as it turns out, they were listening on that rainy night.

Since moving to Northern Minnesota, I get to see my parents every 3-7 months. We go to coffee or eat food as a 'special date with Mommy and Daddy'. I love quality time with my parents.
One afternoon they were in town, we went to the Chinese Buffet restaurant. Nothing like the smell of soy sauce and white rice to stir conversation.
We spent hours talking about life and what goals and dreams I had for the future. We wrote each one on a different-colored post-it note. Pink for academic goals, orange for career goals, yellow for ministry goals, etc. My daddy is so creative. He brought a plain piece of white paper, wrote, "Lizzie's Life Timeline" on it, sketched some lines to represent units of time, and slid it across the shiny wooden table with the obnoxiously-colored post-it notes. I must have given him a look that said, "Now what?" He said, "It's your life. Put the post-it notes where you want to." Guys, my timeline ended up going into Fall of 2030.

I chose some normal dreams/goals. I chose some weird ones too.

Lizzie to Lubango, Angola--CHECK!

I wanted to travel to Europe for a longer trip.
I wanted to go to Angola in May of 2015. (CHECK)
I wanted to finish my Bachelor's degree.
I wanted to go to grad school at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for their Spiritual Formation and Discipleship program.
I wanted to be a wife and mother one day.
I wanted to take ACLS and PALS (you can just google it).
I wanted to spend 6-12 months in Balfate, Honduras as a nurse.

That last one has been a dream for years. Originally, I had stuck the "Balfate" note AFTER grad-school when I'd have more experience as a nurse and some Bible training, as well. However, going to Balfate was also a dream I'd always plan on doing while I was single. Grad school might be in 4 years, it might be in 14. I don't know.
The beauty of post-it notes is that you can move them around on your timeline and it doesn't devalue their worth. They're still partially sticky/partially not pieces of paper. They're still dreams and goals.

And this particular dream is happening. 

After many emails, questions, prayers, conversations, forms, and phone calls, an opportunity has come up to go to the Loma de Luz Hospital in Balfate, Honduras for this year. I'll be working as a nurse, alongside existing Honduran nursing staff. I could not be more excited. My estimated timeline for departure is Spring of 2016. By Spring, I mean April-June. Estimated duration of this chapter: 12 months.

From Minnesota to Honduras

Balfate is on the northern coast of Honduras. Jungle on one side, ocean on the other. The closest city, La Ceiba, is around an hour away to the west. Grocery shopping and such is done in La Ceiba. It's 6-7 hours by car from where my parents live in Siguatepeque. Even though it's a ways away, I'm still excited about the thought of living in the same country as them (my mother squeals when you ask her if she's looking forward to me being semi-nearby--not really, but it's pretty close to a squeal).

Loma de Luz is a mission hospital, with an outpatient clinic, surgical suite, ER, lab, pharmacy, eye clinic, and clinic for visiting visiting dentists. Because of the limited amount of nursing staff available, only a certain amount of admitted patients can be cared for safely. My hope is to be an extra set of hands for the staff at Loma de Luz. I'm hoping to learn as much as they'll teach me, to develop relationships with the nursing staff, to see what nursing is like in a medical missions context, and to help the Honduran and volunteer staff share God's amazing love with the 20,000 patients who walk through the hospital doors each year.

Family Christmas Visit to Loma de Luz

In November of 2015, I joined Camino Global, a sending organization out of Dallas (the same one my parents and grandparents have been a part of) to help me get to Balfate. Because I'll be going as a volunteer, I'm responsible for raising money with Camino Global to help with expenses for the 12 months I'm in Balfate. I also definitely need people praying me through my time getting ready for Honduras and then when I'm on the ground in Honduras.

Camino Global New Members!
November 2015

Check out Loma de Luz's website to see how God is working through them.
If you want to partner with me financially, you can go here. You can also go to Camino Global's website, go to Give > Give to a Missionary > Enter 'Elizabeth Nelson' > Give.

Have questions? Want to send me a note? You can email me at enelson@caminoglobal.org--I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Future Coworkers!

Front Gate at Loma de Luz
Dios Obra Aqui
God Is At Work Here