Hit the fast forward button...

"Welcome to medical school. Many of you have only been here a day or so. In the next eight months you will be required to memorize 6,000 anatomical structures, read 25,000 pages of text, attend 200 lectures, and pass or fail 40 examinations. If you fail a class, you have to repeat it. If you fail two, you have to repeat the entire term. If you fail three, let's just say, you probably don't belong here anyway. Along with my duties as Associate Dean of Students, I also teach Gross Human Anatomy, the one thing you've dreaded from the moment you made the decision to come here. Nonetheless, it is the centerpiece of your first year of medical school; the systematic dissection of the human cadaver.....Your first year of medical school is a daily, hands-on exploration of it (death). It's not easy. It's uh, certainly not pleasant. And there's absolutely no reason for you to do it unless you want, more than anything, to be a physician. "

- Quote from the 1989 movie, Gross Anatomy

Medical school is miserable. Here is a typical day in the life of Ryan Pearman:

6:30 AM - wake up

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM lectures

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM lunch

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM lectures

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM study

7:00 PM - 7:45 PM dinner

7:45 PM - 11:30 PM study

11:30 PM - 12:30AM wind down and prepare for next day

12:30 AM - go to sleep

Raise your hand if you want this life to be yours! Of course, everyday is not like this. Sometimes he doesn't have that many lectures, but he spends that extra time studying. Then on weekends he might get a little more sleep, but he pretty much still studies the entire day. The only time he relaxes at all is the weekend after a huge exam and even then he still studies the majority of the weekend. I can't even stand how not-fun his life is! The quote at the top of this post is from a movie that Ryan and I watched probably 5 times at least before we came to medical school. The only thing I would change in that quote is: "There is absolutely no reason for you to do it unless you know that God has called you to be a doctor." As hard as things have been and as worn down as Ryan has been at times, he has never wanted to quit (well of course he's wanted to quit, but not really considered it) because he knows that this is what he is supposed to be doing. Sometimes I envy him because he is so clear as to what the Lord wants him to do with his life. I still don't know what type of career I want to pursue once we are back in the U.S. I've been praying about it a lot. I'm excited about the service opportunities we will have once he is a doctor. We will be able to go on medical mission trips and Ryan will have the talents to help people in a way that many of us can't. I'm so proud of him for how hard he works and how determined he is. Why does he work so hard? Because he will not settle for less than his best. He always tells me that he will not have any regrets about this. He will never wonder if he could have done better or if he was capable of doing more because he gives it his all every single day! He is giving it his 100%. So, this post is entirely to brag on my hard-working husband. He is sacrificing so much right now to achieve his dream. This is what I pray for him everyday:

- That he will wake up everyday feeling refreshed, even if he's only had 5 hours of sleep.

- That God will give him total recall of everything his eyes have studied and everything his ears have listened to.

- That God will help him to be efficient.

- That Ryan will do his best and have faith that God is going to do the rest.

- That God will add joy to his stressful day.

You can pray too - we would love for you to! So, about now we are really ready for the semester to be over. I try not to "wish my life away", but right now I would love to fast-forward through this semester for Ryan. Since January Ryan has only had a 2 week break and that has just not been enough! The last day of this semester is August 20 and we will be home on the 21st! Please pray for Ryan to finish the semester strong and to find the motivation he needs to get through the next 5.5 weeks. Thanks for keeping up with us! I know there are a lot of people who read this blog who are preparing to come to Ross and I'm sorry if this post is discouraging to you! And pray for me too because I miss my husband! And, even though I want the semester to end, that means that Andrea leaves and I'm super sad about that! We read this verse in church today and it was just what we needed to hear:

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30, 31

And here are some quotes from the encouragement book I made for Ryan in May:

"God does not offer us a way out of the testings of life. He offers us a way through, and that makes all the difference." - W.T. Purkiser

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure." Psalm 16:8,9

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." I Peter 5:7

"If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer." - Richard Foster

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

During the last year I have definitely gained a new respect for doctors, and for all those working so hard to one day become doctors. They have to be so dedicated to put themselves through the ridiculous amounts of stress, long hours, and information overload. It's like the professors expect them to be super-human. I'm just praying that God will bless all this hard work in the end!