Skip to content
Pam Schmoll
Menu
  • Blog
  • Contact
Menu

Will I Ever Get Used to Nasty?

Posted on April 1, 2023April 5, 2023 by Pam

I’m writing this from an airport hotel that is actually nice. I was just hoping for clean because of my nasty Rome experience. I got used to it then yesterday they moved me downstairs on the street next to a laundry shop that had a variety of characters coming and going at crazy hours. It was awful but the location was good for walking most places. I have not had a bath since September. I was told by a classmate that I hold the record for most showers but the record I am most proud of is that I sent out more correspondence than Wiler had seen from a student before. I know this is a second mention so I will try not to mention it again. I am also proud that I completed my DTS. I will say that I have never gotten used to adapters, weird commodes, and weird showers (not a fan of overhead rain-shower attachment). So in the other places I visited I was grateful to have a bed (always twin so I hope my new discipline of not rolling around in my sleep has a purpose). A few annoyances were bug bites, cold, snoring, people sleep-walking into my bed (yes that really happened), and people talking in their sleep. I think I have coped but am I cut out for this community living to become a real missions person?

What does God require of me? What does he require of a missions person. I hope they are the same requirements. I’m…internet keeps quitting so will finish this from home! Flying at 11 am arriving 5 pm with a time difference of nine hours! See ya’!

I am happy for the internet challenge so I can improve my attitude! So…it is now Wednesday and no one told me that when we age our toes wrinkle. Oh wait – that is because I just took a long, hot bath since I was unable to for SIX months (capitols for emphasis). I am happy to be home but it has taken a son and 72 hours for my phone to work, my car to run, and the heater to heat. This morning I woke up to 33 degrees in April. If you are getting the jest of this it is to point out that I – and most people – am a complainer. If you read the above again you will notice I was never shipwrecked, never beaten, not put in prison nor appeared before a judge for my faith. All of my complaining is nonsense. Why Paul described his sufferings was to prepare us for discomfort, no matter the form. I am now comfortable in my home but jet lag is real. Six months is a long time to be away in another time zone. I did not shout, “Thank you Jesus”, when I made my connecting flight. I did not kiss the ground when I exited the airplane but I will tell you that part of my transformation (or, at least, improvement) is that I will accept my circumstances with more grace and appreciation.

A lot has happened already in 72 hours and a lot can happen in seven days. I saw this shared on FB: the palms, the last supper, the crucifixion, the resurrection, seeing Jesus again. A lot can happen in seven days. Happy Easter my friends.

"Thoughts from a genuinely evaluative mind."

Pam writes so that must make her a writer. Recently retired, she can now fill days with family, friends, missions, writing, creating, and showing up for whomever needs her. Pam loves the Lord and people. The Bible is God’s love letter to us (and who does not need more love) so she studies and writes some more.

Pam lives in the Pacific Northwest but was home-grown in Southern California. She attended San Jose Bible College and finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. She became a teacher, then a Research and Development Chemist, then she built two successful real estate businesses in two states. Pam also pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary and just completed six months serving in missions abroad.

Pam has two amazing children, married to two precious in-laws, and five sweet grandchildren. Pam is a gifted connector and communicator and the Northwest has the perfect climate for staying inside and writing – or baking! She has been writing since a wee one and is currently converting many years of blogging, by topic, into ten books. The first is a collection from 2011 titled, Beautiful Enough. The second is a yearly day-timer titled, Weekly Planner - Lessons in Life, Glory, and Grace. Number three is in progress with the working title, Christmas Today.

Ten facts about Pam in no particular order:

  1. On the team that developed an insulation for the Alaskan oil pipeline.
  2. Loves looking at homes, decorating, and has flipped five homes.
  3. Likes being tall.
  4. Films have helped define her vocabulary.
  5. Comes from Colorado tenement farmers with history traced to Wales.
  6. Was lost but now is found.
  7. Baking makes her happy – as does eating sweets with coffee, of course.
  8. She thinks mission work is the most important work in the world.
  9. The church started in Rome so she is learning Italian.
  10. Pam is a work in progress!

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

© 2025 Pam Schmoll | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme