How did I end up in PNG?

Good question.

I have been interested in missionary work since I was a small girl. I particularly give credit to the camp I went to for 10 summers, Tapawingo (http://www.camp-of-the-woods.org/camp_tapawingo/COTW-Tapawingo.shtml), where we always had missionaries speaking to us from far away places. Also, my parents got me subscription to Ranger Rick, an educational magazine (think National Geographic for kids), and I clearly remember an issue about Papua New Guinea. In fact, the cover had a man very similar to the picture I added above.

By the time, I was in middle school, I distinctly remember telling my 7th grade math teacher, Mr. Cunningham, that I was going to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea. I am pretty sure I came with up PNG by spinning a globe, and that is where my finger landed. But at least one childhood friend remembers me telling this to Mr. Cunningham.

One of my best friends, Shireen, spent a summer in PNG serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators when I was in college, so it stayed in the back of my head. Since late college and early medical school, I already had this dream where I plan to work in the US as a doctor most of the year, but gradually return more frequently to missionary hospital overseas.

In medical school was my first shot at trying to go to PNG myself. Long story short, I learned alot about patience and God's timing, but ultimately spent 2 months in Ghana instead of PNG. At the time, that worked out perfectly for me. Ironically, when I made it to Ghana, I was already following the blogs of people at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital. One of the first nights in Ghana, I was in the schoolhouse, checking my e-mail, and happened to look up where one of the missionaries was on her computer, and she had up the same blog I was reading from PNG. It turned out one of the missionary doctors, a graduate of PCOM, had received the same scholarship I won to go to Ghana. Small world right?!

I actually only applied to residency programs that would give me an opportunity to do an international rotation. And as it turns out, the Delaware ACP (American College of Physicians) has a scholarship to allow internal medicine resident the opportunity to do this kind of work. Again, shortening a long story, I won that scholarship. My residency worked with me to give me credit to spend this month working at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital.

So tomorrow morning, I hop on a plane, and live out my dream! I could surely use many prayers for travel mercies!