Being Un-slaved Feels Like Surfing

Honolulu, Hawaii

A poem I wrote during my journey at Union College...

Un-slaved

Take away my itch to be in the niche

Of the very things that made You hang on the crucifix

Create my plate to be evenly balanced with Your taste

Remove my sin based waste and replace my fool's gold look

With Your truth-bearing, sin-tearing, love-bearing book

You say green, I say go and the way I maneuver is with 

You on the steering wheel

We'll never know what gear is best until we surrender our

Will and trust Your tests, remembering to look at the context

As I confess and die daily, You caress my being, suggest what I do next and

Selflessly call me Your princess

You were beaten, but You won

There is no man-made gimmick that can even mimic

The way You saved, un-slaved, and made me whole with Your Holiness!

In His Joys,

Hannah Elise

How God's Itinerary is Better Than the One We Booked

         Today I woke up, checked my flight status, saw that it was cancelled, and confirmed a flight that would depart three hours later. I was not sure what was going on with that and decided to trust that God had a better plan for me. I ended up at the airport for my original boarding time just to make sure my new flight wasn't cancelled too.

         I was informed that I could go be on standby for a flight that would leave in a few minutes. I ran as fast as I could and as I was putting my shoes on after the security check I heard over the loudspeaker, "Two minutes before flight to Detroit departs!" I ran even faster and got in line behind the passengers that had their boarding passes. The Holy Spirit impressed me to get in line behind everyone else instead of in front of the main desk where you negotiate flights, as a small act of faith for how God was going to get me on the plane one way or another.

        

         I calmly told the lady in charge that I was told there was a chance I could come on this flight and be on standby. She said, "Who told you that? That makes me mad! I've got a plane that needs to take off!" I said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset. The person at Delta that told me I could try had a nice smile." The lady responded and said, "Let me see what I can do." Another girl came to the front desk and asked if she could come on the plane too. The lady said, "Listen, out of fairness, there isn't time for me to put you both on the plane. The doors are closing. Then on her radio to the pilot she said, flight has all passengers, ready for takeoff."

         I silently stood two feet away from the closed terminal door with both my carry-ons and had a big smile on my face. I knew that even though she was telling me everything that sounded like bad news, there was no reason to doubt that God had a way to get me on that plane, because why else would the Holy Spirit tell me to stand right in front of the terminal door and not behind the front desk? The girl that also wanted to board the plane left immediately and I was still standing there smiling. Then all of a sudden, the lady said, "I'm going to do all I can to get you on this plane. Watch that luggage truck, when it leaves I'll be out of time. As soon as I say go, you run down that terminal and sit in seat 2B!" I said, "Thank you, Ma'am. God bless you!" I ran down the terminal, sat on the plane, and in no time at all that lady who stopped the plane for me came running with the biggest smile as she handed me my connecting flight ticket that I didn’t have time to grab!

The view from my first flight 

         I was excited to see how God was going to speed up my flight from Detroit to Omaha. I thought after all, why would He make a way for me to come to Detroit early without following through with another early connecting flight? As soon as my first flight landed I walked over to the big screen that shows connecting flights. I saw two for Omaha. The first one I saw said boarding! After seeing that the gate was A31, that meant it was time to sprint! I ran through the long tunnel at what felt faster than the speed of light :) 

The long tunnel 

         I finally reached gate A31 and out of breath told the man at the desk, "I'm wondering if there is any chance I can get on this plane, could I be on standby for it perhaps?" After looking at my boarding pass he said, "You're booked for the next flight, not this one. I have two minutes till I shut this gate. I'm not even sure I can get you on, and there will be a $50 fee." I said, "That's okay. I will wait for the next flight. I'll call my dad and tell him." 

        After I hung up the phone with my dad. The man said, "Excuse me young lady, I'm going to do all I can to get you on this plane." Then he handed me my ticket without charging any fee, and he told me to RUN!  I said, “Is there anywhere I can write a recommendation for you?” Shaking his head no and with a huge smile he said, "My name is Taka. I'm always here, have a great trip!" I said, "This is a miracle! Thank you so much! God bless you!"

        

         I ran down the terminal, boarded the plane and am on my way to Omaha. There is an empty seat next to me for a reason. The flight attendant has been listening to me tell her this story and the story of my lifeguarding experience from the previous blog post. She is beaming because she sees how God makes matters marvelous! I can't stop smiling because God opened doors for me that were originally barred closed.

         To recap what just happened: 

1. After getting news that my new itinerary was taking off 3 hours later, God ended up getting me to Lincoln, NE earlier than my original 10 AM flight out of South Bend would have.

2. Two flights were stopped to get me home after both airport workers told me there wasn't any way and one told the pilot to takeoff.

3. God helped me run through the tunnel in two minutes, normally when I’ve timed it takes me twenty!

4. The Holy Spirit impressed me this morning that my flight was going to be arranged, but to trust that God had a better plan than the one I booked.

5. God honored my decision to trust Him, by standing in line without being ticketed for the flight even though it seemed and looked crazy!

         This adventure has given me the courage to meet the faculty and graduate students in University of Nebraska's Speech-Language Pathology Masters Open House tomorrow. 

        What a thrill it is to see God have fun coordinating moments that solve every minor and monumental mystery we face. If God can make my itinerary on earth a fascinating adventure, think about how wonderful God is making your itinerary in Heaven!

        I want to leave you with this verse found in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

        My pilot can take care of all your flighty feelings. He loves to have your frequent fellowship miles!  

Landed and ready for Lincoln!

How God's Power Works Best in Weakness

            I have found that God carries me the furthest when I have to depend only upon His grace. Three years ago I was lifeguarding and teaching little children swimming lessons. I got them all out of the deep end. I had my eyes fixed on them as I was getting out of the pool then stood straight up under the elevated concrete lifeguard stand. Immediately a loud thud echoed as my head collided with the concrete structure.  I remember telling myself, that I had to keep it together in front of the children and to stay alert to make sure they were protected. 

Later that night, I was studying with some of my friends who started asking if I was feeling well. They said they noticed I was acting funny and not like myself. I told them that I hit my head really hard. They told me it was serious and arranged for a nursing student to call me in the middle of the night, to make sure I was still breathing. The phone call came, I answered, and went back to sleep. 

First thing in the morning I visited the school nurse who suggested I see a doctor to evaluate me. My dad picked me up from the dorm and took me to the hospital. They explained that I had a traumatic brain injury and that time would tell as to how my post-concussion symptoms would pan out. I was thankful for the results, but had no idea of how this accident would change the course of my career choice as well as my empathy for people. 

The nurse gave me warm blankets

The after effects of the concussion included intense throbbing headaches, sensitivity to light, inability to keep my college course load, sadness, and feelings of being overwhelmed. For months I went to Madonna Rehabilitation Center for Physical Therapy to help reduce the headaches and neck pain and received Speech Therapy to help with time management. I was one of the few patients who looked normal on the outside, but was struggling from post-concussion syndrome on the inside.

Most of the patients there are in wheelchairs, have lost limbs, and receive inpatient therapy. I remember waiting in the lobby one morning and seeing a normal looking Husker football player, telling someone that since he had hit his head he could not remember his team player’s names. I wanted to tell him that I was having problems with normal tasks like that too, but thought, What’s the point? It’s not like he’ll remember it the next day. J  

My Speech Pathologist took thoughtful care of me and encouraged me on my journey of strategizing my time. She helped me get a planner to record when and what places I was supposed to be at and gave me three goals of completing for each day. My cognitive ability function right after the concussion was at the level of a sixth grader. 

One month before my concussion I was living in Hawaii with my family. One of our favorite activities was to hike a steep trail up Koko Head crater, an extinct volcano with beautiful views overlooking the ocean. On the trail, I paused to pray, first praising God for the beauty that was surrounding me through the ocean and bright blue sky. I quoted the scripture, “Ask and you receive, you receive not because you did not ask.” I asked God to move my family to Lincoln, NE, give my dad a pastoring job there, pay for our plane tickets, and to stop me if He didn’t want me to pursue a degree as a Physician Assistant. Up to this point, my dad knew nothing of my prayer or even that I had settled on going to school in Lincoln.  Two weeks after my prayer, the phone rang, and it was the Kansas-Nebraska Conference offering my dad a job in Lincoln. I told dad to take it because I had prayed that we could be a family on the mainland as I went to school. We took the job, hopped on the plane, and I enrolled into the Pre-Physician Assistant program. It was one month into the program that my life-changing lifeguarding experience happened.

Koko Head

Since then, God has strengthened my stamina for the rigors of college life and He has equipped me with the encouragement I have needed to function well in everyday situations again! I am graduating on May 1, 2016 with a B.S. in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Andrews University. I am applying to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to pursue a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology and will specialize in Traumatic Brain Injury. 

The past three years of my life have been challenging, but what I see even more is a God whose power works best in my weakness. God made my home a happy home. My brother is now my best friend. My family is closer than we ever were and it is because we had to depend on God completely and wholeheartedly. God took my prayer on Koko Head and answered every part! I had no idea that I was going to end up studying Speech Pathology and that I picked the one state that gives the best in-state tuition for graduate school! 

God strengthened our family’s faith by being faithful to Him; He has showed me that He gives and takes away and yet gives even more in return! I still have my good days and my bad days. Yes, the headaches have stayed, but the heartache has not. Today I received a test score that shows God is merciful. His faithfulness is renewed each morning. He sends encouragement right when you need it!

God sends encouragement when you need it most

I want to leave you with this verse found in 2 Corinthians 12:9 saying, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” My Lifeguard walks on water and His name is Jesus. Have you met Him yet? 

Family time at Holmes Lake in Lincoln, NE

Don't Try to Cheer Me Up!

Don’t Try to Cheer Me Up!

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

~ Proverbs 17:22

My younger brother, Noah, has coined a phrase in our family that is used when one of us is in an unbecoming mood called, “Don’t try to cheer me up!” For the moments we are stuck in a selfish funk, often times we would rather look for a way in than a way out. To keep our family accountable and make each other smile we say, “Don’t try to cheer me up!” We find that it breaks the awkwardness of the moment and allows joy to seep in. 

The Bible is right when it says that, “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Why would anyone want their strength sapped? When we question who wants us to be broken so that we are not cheerful? The answer is the enemy, Satan. If we can realize where our broken spirit’s originate, we can reverse the problem with calling on Jesus for strength, and choosing His prescription of a cheerful heart implant. Not only is it 100 % cheaper than a medical heart transplant, it is free medicine, no matter what insurance you have. Side effects include a peace that passes understanding, a passion for people, a growth in your character, and a journey of endless joy! 

Thank You God for making a way for us to know You, through your Son, Jesus. Help us to always look to You to be reminded of Your perfectness. Please shine into our hearts each moment.  Thank you for surgically removing sadness and sin from our lives and implanting the joy of our hope in Heaven.  Amen.

Hand-in-hand

Digesting Fructose Malabsorption

     Depending on where you are in the world, you will find different textures, smells, tastes and nutrients combined in food.  Many people are familiar with eating disorders, but many are not informed about digestive disorders.  People can be plagued by celiac disease, crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption or an enormous variety of allergies to food.  I am ready to share my journey with you.

     For nine months I felt absolutely awful.  As in fatigue, upset stomach, bloating, irritableness, cramping, nausea, pain, and exhaustion.  I regularly ate really delicious healthy food such as sauteed onions, garlic, and asparagus with homemade tomato sauce and whole wheat spaghetti.  For several months I went gluten-free and added rice and quinoa to my meals.  Cashews, mango, honey, sweet potatoes, apples, celery, cauliflower, and snow peas were handy.  I could not understand why I felt so sick after eating such wholesome nutrient-rich food!  

    That is when I finally decided to go see a Gastroenterologist in Lincoln, Nebraska.  My doctor thought that the best way to figure out what was happening was to perform a colonoscopy.  My response to him was, "Please give me all the other tests first and make the colonoscopy a last resort!"  He agreed and off I went home with two Hydrogen Breath Tests. For two days I followed the test's directions and only ate white bread, pears, eggs, peeled apples and white rice.  The first test was to see if I was lactose intolerant and the second breath test was to see if I had fructose malabsorption.  Each test required me to drink a powder mixed with water and every 1/2 hour give a sample of my breath in a tube.  I turned in my tubes full of my breath and waited for the results.  

     I was so happy when the nurse assistant called me and informed me that both tests were negative!  I was devastated when I got a letter in the mail, signed by my doctor that the test results showed that indeed I had fructose malabsorption!  I called my nurse to verify and sure enough I have fructose malabsorption.  According to the Mayo Clinic, "fructose is a sugar found naturally in fruits, fruit juices, some vegetables and honey. Fructose is also a basic component in table sugar (sucrose), and high-fructose corn syrup is used to sweeten many processed foods and beverages. When your digestive system doesn't absorb fructose properly it can cause abdominal pain..."

     Shopping for food was overwhelming and emotional!  I wasn't sure exactly what foods my body could digest and quickly found out that fructose seems to be everywhere!  Someone shared with me the FODMAPs diet and that is what I faithfully have been following for the past 9 months.  FODMAP stands for Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And, Polyols.  I bought an app called the Monash University LOW FODMAP diet and I use it daily.  It allows me to filter my sensitivities and easily see what foods to stay away from and more importantly, what foods my body will enjoy digesting!  I truly feel wonderful now that I know how to treat my body.  I had to eliminate the foods that I lived off of for 19 years and totally change my diet, but it is well worth it!  I have lost 40 pounds, my energy levels are up, and I am excited to try new foods that I never would have thought to try if I wasn't diagnosed with fructose malabsorption. 

     I am so thankful that I did not have to have a colonoscopy.  If your doctor encourages you to take that route, I hope that you listen to their advice.  I know people who listened and because of their colonoscopy, they know that they have crohn's disease and others found polyps that needed to be removed.  I think that everyone's body is finely tuned and it is very important to listen to what your body is telling you.  I am also thankful to attend Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.  The cafeteria staff have been phenomenal with accommodating my needs!  I had a meeting with them about my fructose malabsorption and they agreed to follow the FODMAPs diet with what they feed me.  Here are some pictures of the food they have made me and the FODMAPs list we go by.  Even though some foods are FODMAP friendly, I do not consume them.  Such as, alcohol and aspartame.

     I encourage you to eat foods that promote health and vitality to your body.  If you know that you struggle with an eating disorder, body image, allergy, intolerance, or digestive disorder, treat yourself with kindness and find someone to help encourage you towards optimum health.  It is important to talk about your struggles and listen to the wisdom of people who have been where you are at!  I only wish that I had spoken up sooner about the feelings I was going through.  To those that have mastered the art of eating and to those who are just beginning, know that you are so precious. Treat your body well and be well!  

Gluten-free Pasta and Spinach

Valentine's Day Dessert

     In His Joys,

     Hannah E. Abbott

You Are an Endangered Species

           Yesterday, we spent our family day at the Omaha Zoo!  We delighted in the warm sunshine that felt refreshingly tropical and enjoyed meeting friendly creatures that were vibrant and full of life.  We caught a glimpse for a few hours of what God designed in the beginning of earth.  From extremely tiny insects to tall giraffes, each were phenomenal.  Did you know that God made you a rare an endangered species?  Our friend's the Otto's, who create Christian music told us that once and it stuck with me ever since.  You have been designed with a purpose and are bursting with potential.  God loves you just the way you are, but too much to leave you that way.  Looking at how caterpillars turn into butterflies is an example our hearts should follow....

Noah and John giving the Aloha Shaka sign as they ascend for an air safari

Agape Feasts

          Agape is the highest of the four types of of love in the Bible.  The Greek word Agape completely describes Jesus' love for God and His followers.  This is a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love.  Recently the Holland and Northside Seventh-day Adventist Churches hosted Agape Feasts.  Together we feasted by candlelight, washed each other's feet, and shared the emblems of Communion.  Our tables formed a cross and in the center was a crown of thorns.  The thorns poked some of my friends as they were fashioning it, reminding us of the pain Christ boldly took for our freedom.  This was a spiritually renewing and refreshing experience.  Worshipping God through joyful songs of praise echoed throughout the Agape Feasts.  Following the Agape Feast we went door to door to our neighbors surrounding the Church, offering friendliness, a smile, thankfulness for being our neighbor, and gifts of uniquely decorated pots with Bible verses, blossoming with flowers.  If we can understand God's love in this beautiful way on earth, just think about how much more we will understand Him in Heaven...

          Acts 2:46-47 "They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God.  People in general liked what they saw.  Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved."