Hey yall!! My name is Courtney Patterson. I was raised in a tiiiiiiny town in east tennessee called Greeneville. (no, i didn't spell it wrong, it does have an extra 'e'.) It is actually where President Andrew Jonson was born and raised…. and i'm sure you've heard of Davey Crocket? maybe? lol
anyway.. I'm 18 years old and i'm sung 'happy birthday' to on June 2nd. i'm just finishing up my first year at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga which is three hours west of my hometown. i'm currently majorless and very unsure what career path i currently want to pursue. My family is ALL in the medical field, so i grew up having the mindset that it was what i was supposed to do. (My grandfather was the first surgeon in Greeneville, my grandmother was a nurse at the same hospital. Now, my father is the town surgeon, and my mother is his nurse!) .. after my sister got into nursing school, everyone began asking what kind of doctor i was going to be instead of what i wanted to do. eventually, after getting nauseous while watching multiple surgeries, i decided that medical was the only field i was sure i wasn't going into.
I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home, because my parents have a HUGE heart for missions.. it was important for them to raise my sister and i to appreciate what we have, and to give to those who are less fortunate.
i was either 5 or 6 when i went on my first mission trip… it was to Mexico to work in an orphanage, and we returned the next year. i honestly believe the mission trips i went on growing up formed me into who i am today, and obviously gave me the heart for missions. I've been to mexico a total of three times, equador once, and (my person favorite) africa. 🙂
We went with World Medical Mission or Samaritan's Purse for all these trips…. my parents would work in the hospital either teaching the local doctors how to do different surgeries/techniques, or just performing surgery with mom. while they were in the hospital all day everyday, my sister and I usually hung out with the MK's (mission kids).. and when they weren't in school.. we did what they did! we've done almost everything a kid can do on a mission trip… from playing with the local children, to teaching english in schools, or help teach the mission kids in their school, to walking across the mission compound to get clean water for the family to cook and brush our teeth with, counting out & sorting hundreds of different pills to give to patients, painting houses/churches/orphanages, mixing concrete, help laying tile, or clear brush , give out donated toys to local children, cooking dinner for the children in the orphanage then doing dishes, helping teach bible school, babysitting some of the missionaries kids, giving out food/clothes/ medical supplies….and me and my sister's favorite… going into the hospital and making balloon animals for the children and giving them 'jesus loves you' books in their language….. nothing brightens a sick or injured little kids face up more than getting an awesome balloon animal (i personally think they're kinda creepy… but they absolutely LOVE them)
i've done quite a bit of mission work in the states too!.. my church used to go to a church camp called M-FUGE, it was AWESOME!!!.. i went to the one in St. Louis, and one in charleston… (i think). I worked construction both years. we repared a roof, cut down many trees, pulled weeds, planted flowers, and repainted the entire house.. oh, and i got volunteered to clean gutters(that wasnt the only thing i did, btw. lol.. i was just the only one who did that) … because my new friends thought that i would get over my fear of heights..(more so ledges) if they hold my feet while i reach over the side and clean the gutters and nail them back on straight…… well…. they failed. i think i'm even more terrified… i developed a fear of bees that day, too. lol
(i'm very ADD if you havent noticed yet)
anyway, so i've been to that camp twice, & i've been to Gulfport, Mississippi right after Katrina and fed a full free thanksgiving dinner to people who had lost their homes.. i also helped repaired houses and churches.. and helped move many fallen trees. i've been a councilor for a month, two years in a row, at a camp called Long View Ranch, which is a christian action camp. i was a 'camper' since i was in 4th grade until i was old enough to be a councilor.. so.. like 9 years in a row i went there. and was so excited to FINALLY be one of the councilors that i had looked up to for so many years.
.. i can't think of any others as of this minute but i know there are more, but dont hold it against me, its 5:45am and i am taking a break from pulling an all nighter for a final at 8am….
um, sports! i started soccer in kindergarden and quit after my sophmore year of high school to run cross country after i ran my first 5k (for the fun of it) and beat two of the best girls on the XC team (coach recruited me that very day).
i ran sprints in track all three years of middle school and my sophmore year of high school… once i started cross country, naturally i switched to distance… BUT, i was only able to run one season of cross country… …….right after my first season ended and we started track season, during one of the first meets… coach made me run an event that WAS NOT MINE! (if you guys are familiar with track, i had to do the dreaded steeple chase). i was going over the last hurdle and i snapped my arch when i landed… and now (over 2 years later) i still cannot run without being in pain. …soooo that was it for running. my senior year, i joined the swim team to stay in shape…
swimming was an easy sport for me(as in convenient) i worked at the YMCA pool as a lifeguard.. at first i joined to stay in shape.. but then i had a goal…..
A few fellow indoor YMCA lifeguards decided we wanted to move to myrtle beach and lifeguard for the summer as ocean lifeguards (much swimming required, hints joining the swim team). Last summer was a huge step for me… and after much convincing of dad to say .. (only if i appy, get hired, pass the training, find a house, pay for the house, utilities, food, gas…) he's fine with me going.. and once i did what he thought was impossible, he couldnt take it back! so, me and a few friends from good ole Greeneville left two days after i graduated high school and lived on the beach for 3 months…. literally! 10 hours a day.. 7 days a week…. 100-105 degrees…. with 2 ten minute breaks other than 45 minutes for lunch. …lets just say it was less 'fun in the sun' and more peeling blisters that formed ontop of other blisters covering your face.. we lost a few dozens of layers of skin…. & i will not be returning! hahaha
This summer, before we leave for AFRICA, i will be teaching three & four year olds how to swim several times a week which is one of my favorite things in the world!
also this summer, i will be working out in greene county in an area called 'Camp Creek' (20 minutes down back roads from town, where my boyfriend lives) ..to help clean up all the aftermath of the tornado(es) that went through there. I know that Tuscaloosa's devistation is more catastrophic than Camp Creek.. but it hitting my hometown is devistating to me.. especially because we were raised thinking we're "never going to get tornadoes because of the mountains protecting us" … it was completely unexpected and was more on a personal note. Actually knowing some people that had died and sooo many who have lost every single thing that they own.. hurts my heart. It's truly a miracle that my boyfriend, his entire family, and his family's and his grandparent's houses are FINE! its just so unreal how they could live just down the road from so much devestation and be completely unharmed.
so, as soon as i move home this week, if my boyfriend can pass me through security to get back there, i will be working nonstop and doing as much as i can.. so KEEP PRAYING that God can use however he wants as i do what i can to help.
I'm sorry that i'm so ADD and wrote 100 times more than everyone else.. but procrastinating is what i'm best at.. and i hope my lack of sleep didnt cause yall too much confusion as you tried to follow along! i cannot wait to meet every single one of yall!!.. in 58 days!!! i can't believe it's so soon!!!
oh, and if we aren't facebook friends, look for me, and i'll add you to the Africa group so we can all chat! 🙂
-Courtney
