Medical Missions

Helping others!  Using skills!  Seeing results!  Meeting needs!  Sharing joy!

These are just a few of the things I am looking forward to when I go to Guatemala for a medical mission trip during spring break (March 7-14^th) with my church.  During the trip, I will be able to share my dietetic skills with those in Guatemala, and I am so excited!!  I have always loved to travel and I love being a Dietitian, so I cannot wait to blend the two for this trip.  What makes this trip even better is that it will provide the opportunity to share the gospel in order to help people's spiritual needs, not just their physical needs.  I cannot wait to go!

This will be my first medical mission trip, and I am happy to be going with my church, Christ Chapel Bible Church (CCBC).  Our team of 20 includes doctors, nurses, dentists, a physical therapist, and me as a Dietitian as well as school teachers and others who speak Spanish.  We plan on providing medical, dental, and eye care, as well as giving out necessary medications and teaching healthy habits with our partner, Manna Worldwide, a Christian organization focused on caring for impoverished children.  We will also be involved in adult and children ministries sharing the Good News.  Did I mention that I cannot wait to go?!  :)

First, I cannot say how much prayer is a necessary component of the trip.  On a previous mission trip, I just knew people from all over were praying for me, for my team, and for God to open hearts.  Please join me in praying for the people of Guatemala to receive Christ and to be blessed by our medical services.  Please pray that our team would serve and love like Christ and that we would work well together in all phases of the trip, especially since there is a lot of preparation to be done before we leave such as having packing parties so that we have necessary supplies.  Please also pray and consider giving towards our trip monetarily so that this trip can become a reality.

The disclaimer:  Giving to the trip is completely optional, as is praying, of course.  I would hope that this would be a means to sow in faith whether through prayer or giving and that you would then see and hear of the rewards.  All monetary gifts are tax-deductible and non-refundable.   All excess funds raised will be used toward global mission endeavors as directed by CCBC.

If you choose to give, you can do so by mail or on-line.  I will not know who gives or how much is given by each person/couple.

Mail: Make checks payable to CCBC.  Do not write in the memo line, but include a separate note with my name, Jessie Zoller, as I am the person you are supporting.  The address is:

Christ Chapel Bible Church

Attn: Global Missions

3701 Birchman Ave

Fort Worth, TX 76107

On-line:  Go to www.ccbcfamily.org/give and click on “mission trip donation” on the right-hand menu and follow the instructions.  In the “Mission Trip” dropdown menu, you will need to select my trip: “Medical – Spring Break 2015.”  You will also need to spell my name correctly – Jessie Zoller.

If you have questions or would like a hard copy of the letter, please let me know!

Here’s to seeing God work as well as continuing to be humbled and excited about being a part of something bigger than myself!  Thanks for reading and for your support!

Friends Are Family

Over the years I’ve acquired some super stellar friends who have super stellar spouses.  So, on more than one occasion, I’ve said or thought that my friends have married well.  Praise the Lord! 

Being able to hear about their marriages, do fun things with them, or even be another shoulder to cry on during one of life’s storms has given me an appreciation for them individually and as a couple.  I just love being a part of their lives!

Incidentally, if I start dating a guy and my married friends don’t like him, he’s out.  No joke.  Not only do I highly regard their opinions, but I also love and enjoy them, so, naturally, I want the eventual four of us to love and enjoy each other.  None of this “I like her but not him” business.  I mean, I have to be with someone they like otherwise our get-togethers might be few and far between.  That would be the worst.  Because…

My close friends are like family to me.  Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be without them sometimes.  I love and appreciate them very much.

Last weekend I went to visit said friends.  It was a pretty spur of the moment trip, actually.  I try to see them on a regular basis but this time my friend texted me about joining her for a gymnastic meet.  She was half joking because it was about a day and a half away but where there’s a will, there’s a way!  I rearranged my schedule and drove up for a fun, relaxing weekend with my best friend, her husband, and their little girl.  Another bonus was seeing a couple other great friends, too.

I’ll say it again!  My close, tried and true friends are like family to me.  They know me so well.  They’ve stayed with me no matter what – distance, inconvenient time zones, different life stages, etc.  They have and will continue to invest in me and our friendship.  They truly love me with all my quirks, flaws, hang-ups, and joys.

That’s what families are meant to do, right?  Stick together despite all odds?  Help each other out when in need?  Laugh together, cry together, celebrate together, or just be together, yeah?  Teach you, nurture you, protect you, guide you, and love you, right?  That’s how I was raised in my biological family and it applies to my spiritual family, which encompasses my close friends.

Granted, some friends come and go, yet I’m thankful for all the friends I’ve had over my lifetime because God gave each of them to me at the right time.  Whether we were best of friends or more like acquaintances, each friend has made my life richer. 

Then there are the gems you think so fondly of.  I think of one of my best friends.  She’s a forever friend.  She’s the one I would reschedule my weekend for on short notice in order to see.  She is my only running buddy, and she knows me maybe better than anyone.  As her mother said, we’re good for each other.  We can talk about our worst fears, our worst sins, our hang-ups, our problems, our triumphs, our joys, our random news, our accomplishments, or our “what am I doing with my life!” exclamations and know that we’ve got a prayer warrior, a listener, a tender heart, an encouragement, a cheerleader, a warm embrace, a pep talk, a needed laugh, and so much more in and from the other.

On top of that, her husband has me spoiled.  He’s like a cool older brother with whom I am good friends with.  He expertly drives me and his wife on race day and he’s comfortable talking about a plethora of subjects.  I know he cares about me by the “drive safe” texts and the “when are you coming back to visit?” query.  Melt my heart.  Plus, there’s the fact that he’s a good, godly man who loves his family and provides for them.  Then let’s me come and join on the occasional weekend. 

I don’t know what will happen in my future, but I do know that I will see my best friend and talk all about it with her!  I don’t know whom I will marry, but I do know that he’s got to be as spectacular as her husband.  I don’t know if I will have kids, but I do know that I am a loved “Miss Jessie” by their precious girl, whom I’ve adopted.  (Hopefully the one coming soon will follow suit!)

And I for sure know that I love them all!

Watch It, Buddy

I was enjoying myself with friends over a provided dinner of pizza one evening and making conversation with those around me.  The subject of work came up and once the guy next to me knew I was a Dietitian the next thing out of his mouth was, “So, as a Dietitian, is pizza in your diet?”  I do not appreciate such comments.

First, its hearing things like this that can fuel some girl's/women's insecurity.  Heaven knows it is hard enough to be a secure women in our society with constant reminders of the way we “should” look, in that you’re considered beautiful if you’re skinny or that you’re some how more desirable if you are a twig.  This is absolutely not true.  Yes, you are healthier if you are thinner and, in the medical world, have a normal body mass index because so many health problems stem from being overweight.  However, for those women who are naturally bigger or are like me and have thunder thighs, it can be a daily struggle to accept that you’ll never be a size 2 and that that’s okay or it can be a daily struggle to believe and stand by the fact that you truly just want to be healthy even if the scale doesn’t budge.  

Secondly, I do not think such things should be said to a girl, especially by a guy.  Some girls would take that to heart and terrible things may ensue.  Think about it, a girl who is already self-conscious of what she’s eating or what she looks like or both (most likely) wants to be accepted, liked, thought of as beautiful, and more and a pretty good-looking guy questions whether she should be eating what’s on her plate.  I won’t keep harping on this but it is no bueno.  The only way I’ve heard a guy speak to a girl about what she’s eating in an acceptable manner is when a guy politely asked me, “have you earned it?” which I took more as a question as to whether I had worked out that day or if I was going to.  However he meant it, that question went over much better with me.

Thirdly, the question should not have been asked because he is clueless.  For all he knew, I could have been having my cheat meal for the week or I could have just done something ridiculous like worked out for three hours.  Maybe I was having a bad week or day and was happy to be eating pizza because I like it and the last thing I want to hear is someone questioning my food choices.  Truth.

Fourth, I feel like the guy is assuming that I am on a diet when, in fact, I am not.  I don’t like the word diet because people think of fad diets or crash diets or whatever when I have (and promote others to have) a healthy lifestyle.  Because, let’s be real, people are going to have junk food or not the most healthy option every once in a while no matter who they are or what they do.  Plus, I think one poor food choice in a sea of good food choices may only cause a ripple but not a tidal wave.

Finally, the guy truly didn’t know to whom he was talking.  I am a Dietitian who knows quite well what I put in my body and that two slices of pizza is going to be okay.  I am also a Dietitian who is very aware of what profession I am in and with that goes the thinking that you should not be overweight, that you should be healthy, that you should always eat right, and so on.   Furthermore, I am a Dietitian who tries to practice what I preach, so I had restraint and only got two slices because just today I told a patient to enjoy pizza with her family with two slices and substitute healthier choices like a piece of fruit or some vegetables instead of a third or fourth slice of pizza because you can’t be in a bubble but need to live and sometimes your family gets pizza.

“So, as a Dietitian, is pizza in your diet?”

“Yes, yes it is” and then I took a bite of pizza.

The G's

Who can deny that seeing a sweet, elderly couple doesn’t just melt your heart?

Who wouldn’t claim to have the best grandparents in the world?

Who doesn’t enjoy being spoiled with love, attention, gifts, and more?

No one.  That’s why you gotta love grandparents!  And boy do I love mine!! 

They are that super sweet couple who have stayed together for years and still love each other so much. 

They truly are the best grandparents to me and my cousins, which has been shown to us in countless ways and probably some we don’t even know about. 

They are the people who selflessly and generously give me so very much.

My grandparents are affectionately called Duke and Lulu.  I’ve never been without them and only recently lost the only house I’ve known them to live in.  They’ve hosted every holiday meal but one that I remember and definitely make sure everyone’s birthday is celebrated.  They attended all my sporting events growing up (despite the freezing cold or the blazing hot sun) and attended all my big moments like graduations.  They’ve taken me on several trips, of which my most favorite has been to Alaska with another amazing couple that are their good friends.  It should go without saying but they’ve won the hearts of all my friends who have gotten the privileged to meet them.

Together they are precious and a powerhouse.  Lulu and Duke or Duke and Lulu, both sound great.

Lulu is our bargain-hunter and world-class shopper.  She. Will. Find. Anything.  And then just give it to you.  “I found it on sale.  It was $___ but I got it for $___”  or “It was on sale at (insert store name) for $___ but I had a coupon, plus I got an additional ___% off, so I got it for $___.”  Another famous line is, “Just try it on, maybe it will look better on,” which is usually never true, fyi.  I swear it wasn’t until college that I started buying my own clothes and I am not complaining!!  She has a heart of gold for so many reasons that go well beyond shopping, like praying for me and giving me good advice. 

 Duke is our jokester and the biggest teddy bear.  He is also super smart and was a very good business man, so I get advice from him.  He will make you laugh out loud or say “Duke” countless times and in countless tones (like “you have got to be kidding me” tone or “I can’t believe you just said that” tone) because he has one of the biggest imaginations out there.  I mean, take your pick: “Here’s a story from ‘Adventures of Little Duke’!” “You should become a nun.”  “You should marry a crooked lawyer because we need one in the family.”  “What about ‘Adventures of Zombie Jessie’?”  “I should write a song for you about looking for a guy.” or “Here’s some Hallmark movie dating advice…”  Yes, my eyes either bulge in utter astonishment or roll because of the utter ridiculousness that I hear, yet I laugh and still dearly love him.

There are way too many good things to say about each of them individually and as a couple along with way too many memories to recount. 

I’ll end with the fact that they are the best grandparents, whom I love so very much and always will.