NOLA and Ethiopia

I just arrived in DC tonight from spending a few days in New Orleans at the American Physical Therapy Association's annual Combined Sections Meeting. Oh, what a fun time. I absolutely LOVE this conference. This is my third year to attend and I can't even pick my favorite part. I practice in multiple settings and see a LOT of different types of diagnoses: orthopedic, neurologic, pediatrics, geriatrics and everything in between. This conference allows me to attend 2-4 hour courses on completely different subjects. Up this year: balance and falls, pilates for building bone strength and posture and locomotor training (specifically in the spinal cord injured population, but arguably many of the same principles apply to different diagnoses). Let's get to the real important NOLA happenings, though:

• Reunion with most of my favorite Duke friends (seriously, amazing. I really love these people and wish we could get together more often. Too bad we're spread across Boston, DC, Chicago, Little Rock, Colorado and all along in between. The only thing that could have made it better is if Nick could have joined me)
• Watching the Duke versus UNC basketball game with 30 other Duke alumni and fans. The fact that we won sure helps, too!
• NOLA food, wow! Love it. I'm pretty picky about my food but I really wanted to have a full New Orleans experience, food and all. Let's just say my favorite of the visit? A debris sandwich from Mother's. A close second was pretty much everything else- beignets at Cafe Du Monde, grilled shrimp and enough Starbucks to keep my lids open!
• Karaoke at Cats Meow. Yes, I sang. No, I will not tell you what I sang. Fun.
• Snagging up all the goodies in the exhibit hall, including free pens, frisbees, hand sanitizers, goniometers...everything I took I will be taking with me to Ethiopia. That was my criteria- I'll pick it up if I can use it in ET!
• Of course I was initially a little put off by having beads thrown down from a balcony, but as soon as I was reminded how perfect these would be for PT interventions in the orphanages and foster care, I snagged some up!

I had such an amazing time this week, although it went by too quickly. I am hoping Nick and I can plan a long weekend getaway to really soak in the city. Now the time has come for us to leave for Ethiopia tomorrow! We are tying up loose ends, finishing up e-mails and confirmations, taking our last hot shower for who knows how long! and sleeping in a comfortable bed. 


We'll be off the grid for our first week in Ethiopia. Hoping to still be typing up some posts during that time and will upload them to the blog around February 20 when we're back in Addis. I CANNOT wait to see what this trip has in store for us. With the amount of spiritual warfare I have felt around it, I can't help but think something BIG is going to happen. The leader of the Visiting Orphans team, Kari Gibson, that will be in Ethiopia with a team of 30 at the same time we'll be there posted this on her facebook recently. It could not have hit closer to home for me.

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet...prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each others spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Eph 6

We ask that you pray not necessarily for our safety but more that we are able to live out God's word, shine the light of Jesus to the people of Ethiopia and answer His call for our lives, whatever that may look like. Thanks again for all the support. We appreciate you all more than you could ever know.


Signing off for a week or so! Love you all!