December Letter

            This last month and a half I’ve been working part-time in a hospital in Cadillac, Michigan, while they look for a full-time Ob/Gyn doctor.  Right now I’m sitting in the hospital on call, waiting for a few people to deliver, as a snowstorm squalls.  If it’s not a white Christmas in northern Michigan, I would be surprised. 

            And while it’s been good to work, learning more and earning some money for my student loans, it’s been a blessing to have my weekends free to visit friends and family.  This last weekend I watched my cousin Lizzy perform in the Nutcracker and my cousin Wyatt sing in his Christmas performance.  I also was able to sneak in some time with friends from college and medical school.  It’s strange to realize I won’t be seeing most of you for the next 2-3 years, so I appreciate even a few hours to talk and visit.

At this point, most of the details for my January departure have been taken care of: I have a one-way plane ticket to Zurich, Switzerland, from where I’ll then take the train to Neuchatel for my French language study.  I’m hoping to be back in the U.S. the last week in April to take the verbal portion of my board exam, but I haven’t yet received approval.  If I’m able to take my boards, where I go from there will depend on how proficient I am in French.  If I need more time in language study, then I’ll return to Switzerland until June.  If not, then I will be headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for 2 years.           

But before Switzerland, I’ll take the next few weeks to spend time with family, eating great food and singing carols in a key that no one else would want to hear.  It’s fun to spend time together and experience our traditions, and one of my favorite things is on Christmas Eve when my brother reads from the Bible about Jesus’ birth.  It’s an amazing story about how God chose to become a baby.  The purpose wasn’t to show us how to live a blameless life like he did, but to love us and save us from death, the consequence of our sin.  Seems like a pretty extreme punishment for people who don’t really do things that are too bad, but God’s standard is perfection, and the only one to have met it was Jesus.  And even though he was perfect, he chose to literally die in our place, demonstrating his power to save us by coming back from the dead.

I think this hit home for me a little more these last few years.  Trying circumstances often bring out the worst in people, and after being tested the last 3 years in a difficult residency with some difficult people, I discovered the extent of my sinfulness.  But it’s given me a greater appreciation for Jesus’ deliberate decision to become human, to live on this earth, die, live again, and still offer his love to me, to all of us.  And, even though it can be hard, all I have to do is believe it.  It’s a true gift, offered, ironically, to people who don’t deserve it.  I don’t have to earn it, pay for it, or be good enough to get it. 

So on that note of hope, and in case I don’t see you before I leave, Merry Christmas!

           

Prayer requests:

1.     Discipline and ability to learn French quickly

2.     Approval to take the verbal portion of my board exams and wisdom to know when I should take it.

Timeline:

            January 8^th:  Leave for French language study in Switzerland

            April 12^th: Tentatively done with language school (longer if needed)

            May 1^st: Possibly take board exams in Chicago

Contact info

1.  The best way to reach me will be e-mail: medoran82@aol.com

2.  I also plan to update my blog monthly: michelledoran82.blogspot.com. 

3.  Switzerland is 6 hours ahead and I have access to Skype: doranmi1

4.  My address in Switzerland:

Chemin des Vignes Perdues 6

2022 Bevaix Switzerland

5.  Packages when I’m in the DRC should be sent to my home address:

                        4614 Claudia Dr

                        Waterford, MI 48328

Giving

Thank you for the financial support so many of you have already generously given.  I am receiving a stipend from Samaritan’s Purse, but I am raising money in order to stay long-term in the DRC.  I don’t have a set amount that I need to raise yet as I don’t have a lot of the details about cost of living, but the typical amount is about $3,000/month.

Checks can be sent with my account number (004864) in the memo line:

Samaritan’s Purse

P.O. Box 3000

Boone, NC  28607

Alternately, donate online at www.samaritanspurse.org.