All of my life, I wanted to be a health professional. I always loved to help people when they were sick. When I was younger and whenever anyone in my family was sick, I’d make them soup and bring them orange juice. What none of them knew at the time was that I’d ALWAYS raise the glass of orange juice up to the heavens, say a prayer and drink out of it with hopes they’d miraculously get better (I think in my young age, I’d partook in too many communions, haha). I did this ritual repeatedly with my then sick family members because they’d ALWAYS overcome their sicknesses. I swore it was because I had some type of healing power. 🙂
Fast-forwarding to 2006, I’d received my bachelors degree in nursing from Florida A&M University *makes hissing sounds to my fellow rattlers reading this*. I was elated to finally be living out my dreams as a nurse. So, I became gainfully employed by a hospital but was never content with just one place. As a result, I became a traveling nurse and traveled across the entire country (I drove 😀 ) to help whoever I could in as many hospitals as I could. It was exciting. Rewarding. However, it was also very sad. No matter what city I went to, people were still sick and still dying. It made me want to do more. So I went back home to Philly.
I started a non-profit organization that exposes minorities to optimal health via exposure to health maintenance and disease prevention practices and techniques. I wondered if health maintenance and disease prevention would make us want to be healthier. Could we stay out of the hospital if we knew how to prevent certain diseases? Would we eat healthier if we knew how to juice at home or how to cut saturated fat and sugar out of our diets? I didn’t know but I sure wanted to try to find out. On a deeper note, I wanted God all over this project. So, I wanted to do this in church- my church. What greater place to want people to get well but in the house of God? So I did.
In everything I do, I want to give my all. With giving my all means being the best I can be to help others. I always had dreams of getting my PhD in Nursing at The University of Pennsylvania- the Ivy League school of my dreams. They have an amazing dual Masters / PhD in Nursing program I’d been looking into for a while. I wanted to do research but had been brainstorming different disciplines and areas of study as I couldn’t narrow it down. “HIV? I’m sure UPenn will find a cure for that soon.” “ Health and poverty? Hmmm.. maybe”, I thought. Then, the light bulb went off. “Yes! I will study health and spirituality”. Does being spiritual or having a religion have any affect/effect on how healthy you are mentally, physically, spiritually, or emotionally? Can optimal health REALLY be centered with God? THAT is what I want to research.
So I applied. I had the most wonderful PhDs write the most wonderful letters of recommendation for me. I triple checked my essays to make sure they were exemplary. Then, I got a return response letter from Upenn.
"Waitlisted? Aww man. I wasn’t expecting that!" Okay, if I don’t hear from them by July 1st, I can request that my application be considered for fall term 2014. Cool.
I strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman so the verse that says, “She does not eat the bread of idleness” is something I have always tried to practice. I like to stay busy faithfully managing my affairs and myself. Because it took a very long time for UPenn to render a decision prior to the day I received my response letter, I prayed to God to help me to do what He has called me to do in this life. So, I stayed in His word. At this time, I was teaching the teenagers of my church bible study and randomly found the World Race while planning a lesson for them. This could be His answer to my prayer. So, I prayed about it not thinking too much into it and applied. I was going to fully trust God.
When I realized I got accepted into The World Race and got waitlisted for UPenn, it was starting to make sense. I felt God was telling me to wait. He had other plans for me. I have ALWAYS loved to travel and have always loved to help others. I felt like God was telling me to step out on faith and literally live as a disciple. Don't be a lazy Christian of convenience. There were so many things leading up to that revelation and I’d wanted to live that way for some time. I had that peace that surpassed all understanding. To my surprise, my mind shifted on August 9th.
I got a letter in the mail from UPenn saying, “Congratulations” because I had, in fact, been accepted into UPenn for their fall 2013 semester- that is literally next week!
“WHAT??????? Ok God, what are you doing here? Because now I am uncomfortable and don’t even know how to receive this.” The first thing I immediately thought was, the enemy is really hitting me with his best shot! He has been doing things to my family and some of my close friends LITERALLY AS SOON AS I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE WORLD RACE but not in this crafty way. I was no longer bothered by the things the enemy put in my way to tempt me before. “Men? Marriage? Nope! Money? I need it but only for funding this world race!” Haha! What a struggle this particular decision would be. But in the end, I decided to humbly decline my acceptance for fall 2013.
Some may say it was a blessing in disguise and I should have gone to Upenn. Some may say I made the wrong decision and God was trying to give me the desire of my heart. But nothing speaks louder than the talk I had with my Spiritual mom. She made me realize it was a test of my faith. I say I am faithful, but how faithful am I really?? I need God to know I am faithful… as He has been to me!
The first spiritual gift God gave me was faith. So, I made the decision to put God’s work before my own desires. Maybe God would have me to get my degree once I return to the U.S. Or not. God is ordering my steps…. and it feels good to totally trust Him.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
XOXO,
Belle*
_______________________________________________________________________________
P.S. I still need your help with funding for my World race. Please spread the world about my ministry or donate if you'd like to support me! Thanks so much if you already have! Please click the "HELP me continue to HELP others" tab in the left hand corner. God Bless!
