Yates Family In Soddo

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6. Years ago, I had prayed and prayed over the decision to apply to medical school. I either felt like the Lord was calling me to be a doctor or a teacher. At that time, the Lord asked me, “Michelle, why can’t you be both?” Since the beginning of my medical education, I knew that my heart and passion for medicine goes much deeper than just seeing patients and caring for them through their medical problems. I always knew that I would be a teacher in some context. As a family we prayed over the where the Lord would send us. In 2012, There were rumblings of a family medicine residency in Soddo, but those at Soddo Christian Hospital made it very clear that SCH was in no way ready or planning to start a family medicine residency any time in the near future. God confirmed that we were to serve at SCH and we moved to Ethiopia in 2014, still with no plans to be formally involved in a family medicine reside...

During the preparation for our trip back to the US we have had a lot of reflections and thoughts about how to spend our time in the states. One thing that we have found to be helpful is to pray over what God desires for us to accomplish or do this summer. In the "missionary community" there are a lot of words that float around. To be honest with you, it can be confusing at times. Some people will describe this season as furlough, others as home assignment, others may call it vacation and for us, maternity leave.  On our departure, we prayed over all the possibilities of things that we would "need" to accomplish while we are in the states this summer: Do we need rest and renewal? What about the delivery of baby #2 and bonding with our new baby? Do we need to learn new skills to take back with us? Do I have to do any medical licensing work requirements(CME)? How should we reconnect with friends and family? How do we need to report to our sending church and supporters?...

So this is the beginning of many thoughts and blogs that I have wanted to write, but never had the time for. The Lord encouraged me to write them, even though many months later, to remind myself, and anyone else who reads them, of his faithfulness during our journey. One of the biggest challenges I have had to face is the constant illness and death. It is all around in Ethiopia and at times can be overwhelming. As I entered our time here I didn't realize how much of my sense of being a "good" doctor or successful at my profession was very western. I found that I judged my success based on my patient outcomes. In a hospital where death is no stranger, it was very easy for me to feel "bad" at my job and found it difficult to remain hopeful and optimistic as things felt futile and felt inadequate. But the reality is that my success and worth is not measured by patient outcomes, and if patient's live or die. My success is measured by how I can make a difference ...