Merry Christmas!! :) I hope you all had a wonderful day with loved ones.

I leave for the airport in a few hours...i can't believe how fast the time has flown by! I am still not ready, i have to pick up some stuff tomorrow morning before I head out. At times, I was regretting leaving right after Christmas, because there's so much going on - it's a really hectic time to try and get everything together to go overseas for a while. On the other hand, it's been such a blessing. This past week I've been able to see pretty much all of my wonderful family and friends right before i leave, and have really gotten a chance to reflect and be thankful for the awesome people I've been blessed to have in my life. I also graduated college this week - another crazy thing to throw into the mix! It was a nice ceremony, and they even surprised me with a special award for doing "outstanding humantarian work". My wonderful advisor/favorite professor (Hi Professor Cuff-Plante! :-) ) was behind it - she is too much. What a wonderful lady...she really influenced me and taught me a whole lot! It was sad to say goodbye to all the great people i've been around for the past 2 years...but thank goodness for email and all these high-tech ways of keeping in touch!

I better get back to my packing. To be honest, i'm starting to get a little bit of the butterflies in my tummy. It's overwhelming to think of the task put before me, and the prospect of being alone and away from the people and places i am so accustomed to. Thinking about it makes me feel really small. How can what i'm doing make a difference? I'm just one person. A young person, at that. But then yesterday morning at church, Jess sang the christmas carol(song?) "Little Drummer Boy" and for the first time ever, i really thought about the meaning behind the song. There you have this little child, who is being told to come see the new King and to bring him great and fancy gifts. But as he's approaching, he admits that he's just a poor boy, he's got nothing of monetary value to give that is fit to present to a King. In comparison to what others have done or given, he is coming empty handed. He did, however, have his drum with him. So he asked if he could play the drum for the King, and the song says "I played my drum for Him...I played my best for Him". He was able to honor the King with what he had, this little child did what he could to the best of his abilities with the talent he was given - and it was pleasing to the King. And i guess in some way i realized I (all of us!) can be like that little boy. Maybe I don't have my MD degree yet, maybe i don't have all the money in the world or all the fancy connections, etc... but what I do have, and what I can do, I'm going to give. And that's all that's really asked of any of us. That's what pleases the heart of God...when we take what we have been given and just willingly give it back, no matter how grand or small our own eyes and mind perceive it to be. So, long story short, i've made up my mind to "play my best for Him" these next few months... I would encourage you all to do the same with whatever is set before you :)

Alright, now time to *really* get back to packing! :) I am going to miss all of you very much - it was great seeing so many of you this week! Once i'm all connected in Cairo I will give you an update.

Love,
Nicole