Whitnee's journey with Christ

From the very beginning I have always been excited about learning. Mom and dad would always say learning was something no man or woman could take away from me. For fun I would look up words in the thesaurus or scan the dictionary to expand my vocabulary. Yes I said it, I did it for fun.

Well I have a confession, it was once a punishment from my father but I grew to love it and started doing it voluntarily. Thanks for the push dad, I think it might be starting to finally pay off lol.

While talking with Mrs Carolyn, my moms speech therapist last week she taught my mom and I the difference between a tracheotomy and aLaryngectomy (obviously I didn’t learn the spelling because I had to use talk to text for that word). It was so inspiring to know the difference and how your voice sounds different depending on the type of procedure.

We always wondered why some of those folks on the cancer commercials sound the way they sound like a robot- fun fact nine times out of ten they had a laryngectomy.

Have you ever spoken with someone in the medical field and you see the excitement in their face or you hear the thrill in their voice when they talk about medical terms? Well I do, two friends in particular come to mind- Jamika and Faith. So what ended happening was I was talking to one of the psychologist staff members after my mom watched a video and she “took me to school.” I learned the difference between the suffixes ectomy, otomy, and ostomy. My brain went WOW!!!!!

I mean I took anatomy and physiology in 9th grade and I thank God Mr. Jordan went easy on us because according to Jamika not only do you have to know the definition of all these medical terms but you also have to know the correct spelling. Whenever she would correct me and my ignorant biases when it came to how the body functioned my mind always went 😜 wondering “what the heck” she was talking about.

I learned SO MUCH since May 29th (the date of my moms surgery to remove the cancerous tumor from her throat). I mean ask me prior to this experience I would not know the proper terms like inner cannula, Yonkers, sutures, incisions, bolis or continuous feeds, cuffed or uncuffed trachea, and the list goes on.

SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE MEDICAL STAFF- in whatever capacity you serve. YOU GUYS ROCK AND ARE MY HEROES!!!!

Jamika and Faith and others have never been judgmental about me not knowing certain things. Instead of them “having one up on me” they always tried their best to explain things. I so appreciate that and Lord knows I appreciate them.

Which brings me to my next point and takes us back to Scripture. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book do Romans, the 15th chapter. Like the pastor says, someone read starting at verse 1 and end at verse 6. Like they say in church, if you got it say “Amen.” Well in this case, type AMEN in the comment section below.

It reads:

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak; and not to please ourselves. 
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
That you may be one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 


Romans 15:1-6

Well folks technically I can end on that note as God has spoken but I’ll leave you with a few words of encouragement.

Just as Jamika and Faith showed and continue to show compassion and educate me; God is calling us to bear each other’s burdens.

We have to be alert and be mindful of how this pandemic is affecting our friends, family, and loved ones. Yes you and your household might be fine and dandy but what about Sister Baker down the street who is working at night to be at home during the day time to assist with at home schooling and the only time she has to sleep is during her thirty minute lunch break at work? Or Brother Michael over there who doesn’t have transportation to get to dialysis on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays? He used to ride the public bus (Comet) but the bus driver tested positive for coronavirus and they are already short staffed and can’t pull anyone to cover that particular route.

So you may be wondering what does this have to do with you! All of us have a Sister Baker and a Brother Michael in our community that we can be helping. If it’s not a ride, stepping in to help with home schooling verses watching the Bold and the Beautiful or the Price is Right all morning, or even taking a hot meal so that’s one less thing they have to worry about about dialysis or being on their feet for 10 straight hours- trust me there 1000 ways we can help our neighbors and those in our communities if we wanted to.

For example, on the 26th of this month those of us in SC who serve folks in the Eau Claire community will be going to the seminary around 10:30am next Saturday morning to plant collards to get ready for the Thanksgiving harvest at the Koinonia Garden (for more info about Koinonia go to www.koinoniaofcolumbia.org )We are anticipating GREAT THINGS! Sure it would be nice to sleep in late or be at the flea market but bow does that edify the Body of Christ? Care to join us? We can use your help! Text me if you need the address.

In conclusion I ask each of those reading and under the “sound of my voice” to use your God given wisdom, your talents, your time, your gifts to be of an encouragement, a beacon of light, or a vessel in the form of hope for someone today. Allow the God in you to further edify the Body of Christ. Allow God to dwell in you today- for we ask these things in Jesus precious name. Amen amen and amen!