Why I became a nurse.

This week a missionary posted this link on the Mission Face Book page.

The missionary thanked me for coming to the mission.  What a wonderful humbling gift!

This caused me to think about the reasons I love being a nurse.  Those many years ago when I graduated from high school in Las Vegas and was about to leave home for BYU, my father pulled me aside and gave me some good advice.  At the time, I didn’t think too much about it but I did follow his advice.  He told me that I would be wise if I were to seek a profession that would always provide a “safety net” for me should I need to get a job.  He wanted me to get married and be a stay at home mother.  But should the need arise that I would be called upon to help support our family I would one day have, he suggested I think about teaching or nursing as my chosen profession.  As Dad reminded me, the world would always need teachers and nurses and I would always be able to find a job. 

When I first graduated nursing school, before I had children, I worked at LDS Hospital.  In fact I lived in the hospital.  At that time there were dorm rooms for nursing students right in the hospital on the north side.  I worked nights, 11 P.M. to 7 A.M. on weekends, as I completed my schooling. After graduating, I continued to work on a full time basis at the hospital.

I had the ability to witness miracles in life as well as miracles in death.  I created emotional connections with co-workers, patients and their families.  I had the opportunity to bless lives and for my life to be blessed.
 
For 20 plus years after my children began to come along, I was a stay at home mom.  Being a nurse helped me as a mother and wife.  When I decided I wanted to return to nursing, I worked at a clinic in Midvale.  Later I worked at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital where I was able to watch people get back their ability to walk and talk and to live normal lives even with handicaps.

Now being here in the mission field I can continue to experience these many blessings. The rewards of nursing are numerous!!  I don’t like the missionaries to be ill or injured but it is wonderful to see them heal.  They are so grateful.  One of my favorite things about being a mission nurse is getting to know the missionaries. 

Nursing is a profession that constantly gives back to me. I am rewarded every single day, in so many ways. I love what I do.

I began my week with a great walk to Takapuna Beach.  I didn’t get much chance to walk again this week though I did manage to ride the stationary bike on a couple of days.

I have had several doctor’s visits with missionaries and I’ve managed to meet up with some of them for lunch as I have been out and about.  (I told you that the best part of the mission is getting better acquainted with the missionaries and there is no better way than lunch.)

Wednesday evening was our Relief Society Christmas activity.  We marked Books of Mormon and put tabs on them to keep for ourselves or to give to others.  It was a fun evening.

Friday evening, Sisters Bennion and Johnson held a FHE with Lillian and Kevin at my flat.  I prepared dinner and the sisters had a lesson about the Word of Wisdom.  Kevin brought his violin and gave us a little concert.

Saturday, I attended a baptism with Lillian and Kevin at the Chinese Branch in Auckland.  Lillian then spoiled me with soup dumplings, steamed buns, and beef noodle soup a little walk from the Chapel in downtown Auckland.

On our walk to the restaurant, we passed a parade that was just ending.  The group of people and parade celebrated Ratha –Yatra, an Indian procession.  You may read about it here.

Sunday evening I went with Sister Bunker to a multi denominational Christmas Cantata.  Very nice.

Lillian texted me to tell me that Kevin had put a letter to Santa in the mailbox in the lobby of my building after they had come to dinner on Friday.  While having lunch Saturday, Kevin told me that he wanted a Playstation 4.  Lillian told him that Santa doesn’t always bring exactly what you want.  She doesn’t want him to have this game because she doesn’t want him to turn into a “game junky”.  So I helped her out with a letter to Kevin from Santa.  Hope it helps!

There are pohutukawa trees everywhere.  I mentioned them in last week’s blog as the New Zealand Christmas tree.
I will post weekly so you can see how they develop.  I’m told that they get more red by the day.   
There are pohutukawa trees lining the street across from my apartment building but they are not yet blooming. 

 This picture shows how they are already blooming in downtown Auckland.

This has been a busy week:  headaches, acne, rashes, nausea and vomiting, sprained ankle, depression, panic attack, home sickness, ….  Lots of little things with no hospital stuff until Monday evening when a missionary had to go to the Emergency Department with a fractured index finger.  Sister and Elder Packard took him as I can’t drive the elders in my car alone.  He was close to where they live so it worked out except that they had to wait in urgent care, go to an X-ray facility and then be sent to the ER.  Thank goodness for senior couples.  I don’t know how missions would get along without faithful senior couples.  Putting in a plug for anyone reading this blog.  If you can serve a mission, I encourage you to do so.  There are few greater rewards than being a senior missionary!

I love my Savior.  I love you my family and friends.

I cross this bridge every time I leave Takapuna going south. The centre concrete barrier dividing
the original 4 lanes inside the bridge is moveable so that there are 3 lanes going in the direction of
the heaviest rush hour traffic. Twice a day the barrier is moved by a huge machine. 
Really interesting to see but I’m always driving when I see it in operation so no pictures.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the North Shore side. It is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway. The bridge is operated by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA). It is the second-longest road bridge in New Zealand, and the longest in the North Island. 

The original inner four lanes, opened in 1959, are of box truss construction. Two lanes that were added to each side in 1968–1969 are of orthotropic box structure construction and are cantilevered off the original piers. The bridge is 1,020 m (3,348 ft) long, with a main span of 243.8 m, rising 43.27 m above high water, allowing ships access to the deep water wharf at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery, one of the few such wharves west of the bridge, the proposed Te Atatu port not having been built. 

While often considered an Auckland icon, criticism has included the nickname of 'coathanger' due to its shape, and complaints that it mimics the Sydney Harbour Bridge in copyist fashion.  Many see the construction of the bridge without walking, cycling, and rail facilities as a big oversight. However, in 2016, "SkyPath" an add-on structure providing a walk-and-cycleway received Council funding approval and planning consent. 

About 170,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day (2019), including more than 1,000 buses, which carry 38% of all people crossing during the morning peak.