Blog Kick Off: The Story of Yarina
The Story of Yarina
This is my blog kick off post....Because this story is one of my favorites. The story of Yarina took place on my first (of soon to be many) international travel trips over the years. I am an occupational therapist by day and this is a story of a sassy and determined young lady who was rolled into a medical clinic, not to be seen herself, but only coming because her sister needed to be seen. The physical therapist and myself may have had the eyes to call her over to learn her story, but her love for life continues to be joy sustaining for me today. Although our stories only collided for a few days many years ago, Yarina has had a lasting impact on who I am today, both professionally and as a daughter of Christ. I often wonder about the life she is leading as a now young woman. I can only imagine she is still full of life, sass, and determination! I still hope that one day we will be racing in the streets of heaven together!
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Today, as I searched through my photos, seeking to fulfill a request from my mom to give her a nice photo of myself, I learned that I am not one who sits still long enough for a photo to be taken. I am mixed in with friends and family or in action on the sports field. I also ran across a number of photos with my friends in Nicaragua. Miss Yarina is a young girl I continue to pray for and I find joy in hoping one day we will race through the street of heaven together full speed ahead. She is an amazing young lady with so much personality and her spirit encourages me so much in my day to day life serving my kids here in the states. She was rolled into a medical clinic in a stroller, unable to walk by herself, and her mom followed her as she walked out of the clinic.
Photo Cred: Unknown
Miss Yarina's face here is one of my favorite looks. She is sharing that she is merely tolerating my craziness of placing straps and wraps on her leg to help her walk. Her belief in me is guarded and her intelligence is witty and perfect. She made me chuckle when this shot was taken. She also made me pause long enough to tell her that I understood her opinion and to ask her to tolerate me just a little longer to try and make her impossible possible. With my kids today, she reminds me to have empathy and patience when they are guarded and opinionated with my craziness in trying to make their impossibles possible. Eighteen months later, she still reminds me to respect the intelligence and life lessons that have made my kids who they are. She has changed my life for the better, more than she even knows!
Below is the original post from March 2012 on Thirsty, a blog from RADIUS Church's time spent loving and growing in faith alongside the Managua Christian Academy. To see her face change from doubtful tolerating to a joyous smile warms my heart, because that is exactly what God gets to see when we choose to jump both feet in to joyfully follow Him. God let me be a witness to His plan for Yarina, allowing me to see a piece of how warm His hearts felt when I chose to follow Him. That my friend is an awesome gift!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Serving in the Medical Clinic
After completing 2 full days of living in community with the Managua Christian Academy we have provided health care and love to over 300 students, including many of their family members. More importantly we have been blessed beyond our wildest expectations by their love and patience. Today, over and over again our Nicaraguan family expressed great gratitude as we explained why they had sore muscles, tired eyes, and stomach pains. In their daily lives, few take the time to say ‘I know this is where life is today, but let’s see what we can do to together to try and make tomorrow better’. For one young lady, tomorrow has come. She came into the medical clinic to day with her mom and older sister. She had difficulty walking without loosing her balance because she could not lift her toes up while she walked. After some Macgyver style problem solving and teamwork, Amy and I were able to put a smile on her face and help her to walk better.
Yarina and her family. Photo Cred: Unknown
Taking the time to listen and care for people is a key piece of living in the image of God. Human nature often leads us to be selfish, looking to see how a relationship best suits our needs, with little to no concern on the impact it has on others. We so easily can spend our days rushing from one place to the next, upset when we get stopped in our path, failing to see that by us stopping, someone else is able to pass by with ease. Just imagine where this young lady would be tonight if God had not lead us to take the time to create braces!
We still have many more in our family to serve in God’s image with compassion in the medical clinic and are excited to continue to be served with compassion by our family. Stay tuned for more!
-Tina