A Civil War Saga

I want to tell you about one of my favorite things once again- books!

I just finished reading my favorite book in the whole world for the 4th time, a novel that takes place during the Civil War. It's called Candle in the Darkness, by Lynn Austin. I first read it when I was in high school, and I LOVED it! It instantly became my favorite book of all time, and it hasn't been beat.

The story follows the life of a Southern girl named Caroline Fletcher. Caroline lives in Richmond and her family owns slaves, but she has always seen the slaves as people rather than possessions. When the Civil War begins, Caroline believes more in the cause of the North than of her homeland, the South, and struggles to seek God's will in the whole situation. It's a beautiful story about being obedient to God and fighting for what's right, and it has some romance sprinkled in as well.

Now imagine my delight when I found out that Candle in the Darkness is actually the first book in a series of three?! I couldn't wait to read the other two! I quickly found out, though, that the main characters are completely different in each book (although they are related to Caroline's story in one way or another), so the series is not a continuation of one story, but instead three different points of view during the same historical event. The first book is from a Southerner's perspective, the second from a Northerner's perspective, and the third from a slave's perspective. What a great idea for a Civil War Saga!


Fire by Night, the second book, follows the story of two young women, Julia and Phoebe. Julia is a rich girl from Philadelphia who, against her family's wishes, becomes a nurse for the North during the war. Phoebe is tomboy farmer in West Virginia who has been raised by her three brothers. When they all go off to fight in the war, she wants to join them, so she disguises herself as a man and becomes a soldier herself.


A Light to My Path, the third and final book, is about two slaves in South Carolina who have both lost their families. One is bitter and angry at all white people, while the other is timid and fearful. They both struggle with finding dignity in the life of a slave, as well as forgiving those who have enslaved them.

All three books are fantastic, and I highly recommend each of them. Lynn Austin is an incredbile author (my favorite!) and she has created very real, complex, relatable characters that become your friends as your read their stories.

So if you enjoy Christian historical fiction romance novels, then you should definitely read the Refiner's Fire series!


P.S. Once you're done with this series, then you should read the rest of Lynn Austin's books. Between my mom and I, we own 11 of her novels, and all 9 that I've read so far are amazing! In fact, I'm going to start reading her newest one, While We're Far Apart, right now!

Nursing "Fundations"

I started a part-time job 2 weeks ago! I am now a Teacher's Assistant for APU's School of Nursing!

The Chair of Undergrad Nursing wanted to start a part-time position that new grads could hold while looking for nursing jobs, so she created a TA position a couple months ago. She thought I would be a great person for it, so I was basically handed a job! I was so happy!! Three of my fellow South Africa nursing friends and I are the only ones working as TAs right now, but more people may join us in the future. It's kind of exciting that we're basically pioneering this position!

Right now I'm working with the freshmen nursing students at their clinical site. They're in Nursing Foundations (which another TA has nicknamed Nursing "Fundations" because we want to make it as fun as possible for the students). I go to Foothill Presbyterian Hospital on Thursday and Friday mornings, and I basically oversee the students as they go about their clinical experience. I answer their many questions, give them tasks if they have nothing to do, and help them with assessments and patient care. I work alongside their clinical professor, but she's basically given me all the same duties and responsibilites that she has!

I've been having a great time getting to know the 9 students in the clinical group. They are all so sweet and so eager to learn. They make me laugh because they are so scared to do anything with their patients! I remember being exactly like them when I first started nursing, and it makes me proud to realize how much I've grown and matured as a nurse.

In the meantime, I'm still looking for a real nursing job. Please keep me in your prayers as I look for just the right position that God has prepared for me.

"Seeking Wisdom from Above"

Every spring, APU cancels classes for a day and instead holds an event called Common Day of Learning. There are lots of different sessions led by faculty, students, and guest speakers about a wide variety of topics. This semester's CDL was held yesterday, and I got to be one of the presenters!

The theme this year was Seeking Wisdom from Above. Two of my South Africa study abroad friends and I planned a session about the wisdom we gained from our nursing experiences in South Africa. Seven of the nursing students that just returned from SA joined us as well. We had a great time sharing our love of the South African people and culture, as well as talking about the lessons we learned.

I talked about one of the clinics that we went to called Mason's Clinic.

This small clinic serves the rural township of Haniville, which is primarily made up of small mud shacks built on the hillside.

They have no running water or proper sanitation, which means that there are a lot of health issues, and the clinic is usually very busy.

A personal anecdote that I shared was about the lesson I learned on the importance of greeting patients as they come in. My very first clinical day was spent at Mason's, and I barely knew any Zulu at the time. I was really frustrated because I couldn't communicate with the patients on my own, and it helped me realize how important greeting patients in their own language is because it develops trust and respect and shows the patient that you care about them.

Near the end of the presentation, we shared a small nugget of wisdom that we each took away from our experience. Mine was about the fact that nursing isn't just about the skills we perform. It's also about supporting and encouraging patients spiritually and emotionally.

I also shared something that God reminded me of over and over while I was in South Africa, that each person I encounter is His precious child.

I shared a verse from The Message,
"God chose you out of all the people on earth as His cherished personal treasure" ~ Deut. 14:2
This verse really resonated with me, and reminded me how much He loves each one of us. I talked about how He knows the struggles and the pain that we're going through, but it's all part of His plan because He works everything for His good.

It turned out to be a great presentation and we had about 100 people come to listen to it! I was really grateful that I got a chance to share the wonderful things that I experienced and learned in the amazing country of South Africa.



P.S. I've continued to make progress on my cross-stitch, little by litte...