Anatomy?...Yes Anatomy

It is finally here, school that is. For months now I have been eagerly awaiting the start of my EMT Bootcamp in San Francisco and it is just around the corner starting on June 23. Let's just say I am a mixed bag of emotions, everything from incredibly excited and eager to learn all the way to stressed and frantic thinking about how much studying I will be doing in such a short period of time. I have had many a mental image of words going in one ear and out the other, simply because my brain is so full already.

It was recommend that I get the 1500 page textbook beforehand and read and take notes on it in it's entirety before the class begins. Why you may ask? Well because I am doing the bootcamp style of this class, so what you normally learn in a 16 week semester I am learning in five weeks. I will be in class from 8:30am-5:30pm Monday thru Thursday and will have the weekend to take tests, put in hours in the classroom logging skills practice time, and doing my hours required in the emergency room and ambulance.

But as I am a rather stubborn woman, the challenge brings excitement, and as I must remind myself, "I can do all things in Him." For those of you that are maybe just tuning in to my life. I am taking this course to help broaden my skills set for RescueNet, the international disaster relief team that I am a part of. The class will also give me more knowledge that will help me be able to facilitate medical outreaches through Project Sixty-One. So it is an investment into the ministry that I am doing both here at YWAM Pismo Beach and YWAM as a whole.

I am excited to report that the finances for the school and for my lodging at YWAM San Fran did come in but I will be living very tight while trying to manage my bills at home and in San Fran. If you would like to give a special gift that would help towards managing these bills, would you please do the following:

(All donations are tax deductible)

Online:
1. Go to www.ywampismobeach.org/donate.html
2. Click on the "Donate Now" button
3. Follow the directions & under "Specify Donation" put my name (Jacque Gowing) & what you would like your donation to go towards (ie. EMT School)

Check:
1. Make your check payable to YWAM Pismo Beach
2. Leave the memo line blank to receive a tax deduction
3. Attach a sticky note to your check saying "Jacque Gowing" and the area you want your money designated (ie. EMT School)
4. Mail your check to:
YWAM Pismo Beach
791 Price St. #119
Pismo Beach, CA. 93449

Also your prayers during the next couple of months would be greatly appreciated. I know that on my own strength this school is nearly impossible, but with reliance on God, is achievable!

In other news, my outreach to Guatemala was amazing! God taught me so much more about leading teams and a ton about what it looks like to facilitate a medical outreach. Let's just say my hat goes off to Bob & Linda Vomaske and their leadership during this outreach, because I can see just how big of an undertaking it was. Much much different than leading youth groups and young people, so it was a very valuable learning experience for me!

I ended up working in optical most of the time, bouncing in and out of dental when I had the chance. It was such a blessing to be able to help people see, some for the first time, clearly. My favorite story was this sweet old woman who needed glasses. So when the glasses were finished I put them on her face and she started grinning ear to ear. She told us that she hadn't been able to walk to church for some time because she couldn't see and now, with the help of her glasses, she would be able again.

Although we had many success stories, we also had an equal amount of tough encounters with people. They thought we were there to fix all their problems and it was hard to explain that due to lack of equipment or expertise we couldn't do anything for them. And so it was in these moments that my heart was broken for the nations again and I was back on my knees thanking God that He has blessed me with so much and asking how I can take what I have and go serve others.

In total the clinic was able to see 1150 people, which blows my mind. The church that I went with from Colorado has also invested ten years into this particular city in Guatemala. So they will be back yearly to do building projects as well as more medical clinics. It is cool to see the body of Christ commit to the nations in this way!

I want to share more about Guatemala, but as I am still processing the trip it is hard to put everything into words. So check back later for more stories!

I wanted to finish by saying a huge thanks to those of you that gave a special gift or gave a little extra in your monthly support to help me go to Guatemala and attend this EMT school. What a blessing to have a support team that is going with me on each and every outreach or school!