ALL Things.

People criticize. People see all of the obstacles that I will have to go through, and they shove them in my face as though I don't know about them. People see a girl, in the midst of the majority of male dentists and change their minds about the "everyone's equal" thing that many say they so strongly believe.

Usually, I don't let it get to me. But I had someone that I look up to today, bring me down. I let the frustration and negative attitude come over me all day.  I doubted my choice in school, my plans for life, God's help through it all and everything in between. I was driving home, praying and worshipping. I remembered the well-known and well-used verse:

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me" Phil. 4:13

As I thought and prayed over this verse, it came to life more than the usual.  We read verses and sing worship songs about the goodness of God but set aside the parts about how we need to follow God's path in order to truly recieve all the blessings that he has planned for our lives. So as long as I let Christ into my life, my actions, my plans, my schooling, and my finances and as long as I rely on His strength, I can do all things. I believe that Seattle Pacific, whatever the cost, is where I am supposed to be and until I feel that God has different plans, I will walk in that.

The second part of this, that I have touched on in the past, is being responsible. I need to take up every opportunity that God lays in front of me. I need to use my job, this blog, scholarships, job shadows, and volunteer work. God doesn't grow money trees, He doesn't make money rain down from the sky, He doesn't leave bags of cash under my pillow each night (Although, He could do any of those, He just usually works in other ways that will teach us and stretch us).

I hope and pray that I am doing God's will and I know that while walking in obedience with Him, I can do ALL things.

The Two Destructive "F" Words. Part 1: Finances

A couple months ago my pastor spoke on how to reach your biggest dreams possible and how there are two big "F" words that we should not let get in the way: Finances and Fears.

If I let them, finances could easily stop me from pursuing my dreams. I could say that I do not have the money to go to college, especially one as prestigious as Seattle Pacific University. But part of my dream and God's calling on my life includes Seattle Pacific and just in general, college is a necessity to be an oral surgeon.

God can provide. God will provide. But I have to act on the opportunities He gives me.

One opportunity is my job. I am working somewhere around thirty hours a week at a sub shop and I babysit regularly. Every bit of money that I can possibly save, I do. But it's not enough.

Another opportunity is scholarships. I am spending any free time that I have applying for them. I even got a letter today saying that I was a semi-finalist out of 500+ essays for one. Sure, I didn't win that, but it made me feel more capable of getting others.

This blog is another opportunity. I know that asking for financial support through a blog is not the most politically correct thing to do. (It's definitely humbling to be doing this.) I know that as of today, I only have six followers, but that is six more than two months ago when I started this blog. I know that the economy is still rough. But through all of that, I know that there are people who believe in my dream and who want to help with medical missions. In reality, a donation now will lead to being able to do medical
missions in the future.

With the money I will be saving over the summer, my $15,000 per year scholarship from SPU, state loans, and work study, I will end up somewhere around $8,000 short just for this year. I can always get private loans but that will only get me so far. Sometime I see the eight thousand and I want to give up. I want to say that I'm not able....but God is able.

So what I'm asking for is your help in supporting my dream. Just click the little button to the right that says donate. The transaction goes through paypal but if you are uneasy about that just email me at amerz35@hotmail.com. No amount could be too small. If you are unable or uncomfortable with giving financially, I could use all of the prayers I can get!

Thank you so much!

P.S. My posts will not all be about money, I will continue to share my thoughts and feelings of normal life.

I love dentistry.

Random side note: I definitely planned on writing more often, and I will from now on, but the last few (and final!) weeks of school were insanely busy.

So anyways, I love dentistry.

When people hear that I want to be an oral surgeon they wonder why I would want to touch people's dirty mouths all day.  Many people mention something about the great pay I'll receive, as if that is the reason for my dream.

But money is hardly the reason and dirty mouths can be cleaned.  I love dentistry because I love smiles. Smiles bring joy. With dentistry, I can heal people's mouths so that they can be confident in their smile. Mouths, teeth, lips are essential to everyday activities. Talking, laughing, and eating are all accomplished with a healthy mouth.  I love that by being an oral surgeon I can help people enjoy their everyday motions, and I will have the opportunity to share the joy that surpasses the happiness of the daily motions of society.

Not only that, but I'm a huge nerd when it comes to teeth.  When a friend starts talking about their braces or some work that they have to have done on their teeth, I ask them to open wide, no matter where we are.  I like to see what dentists are doing and how it all works.  I like to call teeth by their numbers.  I like to look at my chart when I go to the orthodontist. When my nephew lost his first tooth, it was a very proud moment. When my sister went to her consultation at her new orthodontist, I asked more questions than my mom and sister combined.



Dentistry. It's one of my dreams, passions, and my nerd factor.

Let the Blogging Begin!

Hi friends! I've been captivated by the blogs of others and so, I've decided to start my own. I am so excited to share my heart with all of you! Mostly, this blog will let you walk with me through my journey of faith, following God's will, and everything college and dentistry-like! In the fall, I'll be going to Seattle Pacific University to major in Biochemistry with a "pre-dentistry focus". And in the far future (we're talking ten to twelve years of school, people) I'll hopefully be an oral surgeon, with the knowledge and passion to repair the mouths of kids with clefts in countries where the resources and money are not available. My heart has been in this since I was little and experienced surgery after surgery for my cleft lip and palate (I've had somewhere around 20 surgeries). I cannot wait to pass on this healing to others and bring with it, the spiritual healing of Christ.

I ran across 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 in my devotions last night and though I've heard this verse many times before, it hit me in a new way. The verse says:

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting the men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

I want to see God's beauty in the children with clefts; kids that are regarded by the world (especially in third world countries) as ugly and messed up. I want to reconcile these children to Christ. I want to reconcile them to their communities and families. In their healing, I pray that they will turn to Christ and become a new creation in Him. I love Jesus, I love the beauty that is found in each of us through Him, and I want the world to see that beauty.