First of all, I just want to thank Liz for letting me be a “guest” blogger here. It’s going to be very hard to beat the great job she does on here keeping every one updated! I thought all semester about what I would write about when I got a chance, but all I can think of is thank you (especially Liz, and to every one else too). As you can see from the picture above, I’m ready to relax. It’s very difficult though because I feel like I have to keep going, and there is no stopping to relax.

It’s not really revealed on this blog, but Liz takes care of me very well here. She has been such a great support! I hardly have to worry about anything, unlike a lot of my classmates. I go to school, study, come home and there is a clean house and meal ready to eat. The cycle repeats day after day. She does all of the shopping, and so many unseen things and makes sacrifices that I never see. I can’t thank her enough. She hasn’t tired or given up! I’m so proud of her, and to be honest, never imagined she would have such a rough life. Yes, to those of you who say: “But you’re in the Caribbean, how much easier can it get? You’re living the life” Well… Dominica is different… This is a very beautiful island, but there is a lot of hardship here too. We don’t get a lot, and everything is very expensive!

Secondly, I would like to thank our families and friends who support us from afar. Getting packages down to us is not easy, and can be quite an expense. Also, we still have a lot of business to take care of back home and our families are taking care of that for us. That’s huge to us! We’ve only been here one semester (4 months) and we have been so blessed. Thank you for to the people who do not even know us but pray for us and school! School is definitely very hard, and I really need the prayers. As much as I love learning about the body and medicine, some days I just get frustrated. I know that prayer works, keep it up, please!

Faith… Little did I know that my perfect life back in NLR would be turned upside down and rocked by God! He does some crazy things to us some days. We were newly married, built a new house, had new vehicles, great dogs (and places to take care of them), great church, great friends, and modern conveniences. We were doing so well, and when we stopped living “our” lives and started living for God, he hit us w/ a sledge-hammer! As much as I was confused and disappointed to be leaving the States, I know that God has great things for us in the future. So ultimately, I should thank Him. We rely on God by our faith, and some days are more challenging than others, but the end reward is sweet. It's so hard to describe. I am learning more about my wife, and we are growing closer. Med school alone is a growing experience. Try doing it in another country! Also, I am learning more about God than I ever thought I would. I want to encourage any one who reads this to try it some time.

I hope I am not leaving anything out, and every one knows how much we appreciate them. Thank you for your support, and to anyone who is an incoming student to Ross that could use some advice about this place, just let me know. It may take a bit to get back to you sometimes, but I will do my best. Thanks again!!
-Justin

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