Chapter One

This blog will serve to provide updates to my friends and family during my upcoming adventures. 

Here is a quick overview of the path that has led me here: in February 2011 I began to consider service with the Peace Corps in Africa.  I quickly came to the conclusion that I would prefer some medical training before embarking on such an adventure, and began looking into emergency medical technician (EMT) courses at local colleges in Las Vegas.  As I was considering the course offerings, nursing school ads continuously came up in my browser.  Not one to believe in coincidence, I took this option into consideration, and found myself enrolled in prerequisites for nursing school at Nevada State College (NSC) within the month.  After a long and arduous journey through nursing school, I plan to graduate from NSC with my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) this August.

So what is next?  By semester three of nursing school I knew that I wanted to work with patients affected by the HIV virus, and I still felt drawn to Africa.  In October 2014 I began to research organizations that work in developing regions in Africa.  I applied to the Peace Corps for service in South Africa in February 2015.  By March 2015 I received notification that I was in the candidate pool for Peace Corps South Africa, but an interview was not requested until June 2015.  During that waiting period I was asked by two people in the same day whether I had considered service with the Rafiki Foundation.  Again, not believing in coincidence, I researched the Rafiki Foundation.  I saw an excellent service opportunity and requested information.  After applying to Rafiki I was approved to serve on a minimission to Malawi, departing on November 28, 2015.  I will spend one month working in a Rafiki village, working as a nurse and a tutor for the orphans housed in the village.  I expect this to be both a humbling and rewarding experience, and expect to learn so much while serving. 

I will be raising support for my trip with Rafiki.  Some have expressed interest in contributing to my Rafiki account, so here is the way to do that:
1. go to www.rafikifoundation.org
2. click on "ways to give" and choose "support my mini or support my missionary" from the drop down menu
3. you can either enter my name in the text box or put your cursor in the text box and choose my name from the drop box (Wood, Shauna-Trip 1 - M2653-1) and press "go"
4. enter your email, name, and phone number, enter a dollar amount, and press "add gift" and continue to payment.