( Alumni Profile: Kristen Houlihan)
Taking Hold of Each Opportunity
W
e always appreciate alumni who take the time to
share their story with us. Often itfits perfectly with
an issue ofInspire that is in the works. Such was the
case with nursing alumna Kristen Houlihan '96. Recently
Kristen sent us her professional testimony. Here is what she
had to say:
When I think back to those beloved 5 a.m. nursing clinicals,
I remember my medical-surgical rotation with Professor Jan
Conway.It was then that I encountered a patient who
enthusiastically encouraged and challenged me to make the
most of every opportunity. The next day in chapel,President
Dixon read Ephesians 5:15-16:"Be very careful, then, how
you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of
every opportunity, because the days are evil." Those were the
words that I chose to hide in my heart and deem as my life
verse.
After graduation, I moved back home to Binghamton,
New York, where I worked in a traumatic brain injury
rehabilitation unit. What an answer to prayer when I learned
that my nursing supervisor was a Christian! Less than a year
later, we started a weekly Bible study for our fellow nurses.
In the fall of 1996,I started working part-time on a master's
degree in nursing at Binghamton University. My goal was to
become a family nurse practitioner. The following summer,
my father accepted a call to full-time ministry as an associate
pastor for New Testament Baptist Church in South Florida.
Through much prayer,I felt the Lord leading me to join him
in that move.
The next day in chapel,
President Dixon read Ephesians
5:15-16: "Be very careful, then,
how you live—notas unwise
but as wise, making the most of
every
opportunity, because
the
days are evil." Those were the
wordsIchose to hide in my
heart and deem as my life verse.
I was offered ajob working in an emergency room in
Hialeah,Florida, which is highly populated with Hispanics.
Talk about a cross-cultural experience! It wasn't long before
was fluently speaking medical terms in Spanish and relying
on a lot of nonverbal cues! I thought back to my nursing
missions trip to New Mexico in the spring of 1996. In New
Mexico,I worked in an ER at a Native American medical
center for five weeks.The Lord used that trip to prepare me
for the cross-cultural experience I faced less than two years
later.
After relocating to Florida, I transferred credits toward my
master's degree to Barry University in Miami Shores.
In December of 1999,I graduated with a master's degree in
nursing as a family nurse practitioner.
I enjoy reading the letters written by the Apostle Paul,and
was particularly touched by Paul's principle of action in his
ministry. In 2 Corinthians 1:12 he writes,"Now this is our
boast: our conscience testifies that we have conducted
ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with
you,in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.We have
done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to
God's grace." May we as nurses continue to conduct
ourselves in holiness and godly sincerity as we care for those
who come with physical needs and concerns, but may we be
wise to address their spiritual needs and concerns as well.
Inspire 17
