7/21 - Prenatal Day

In quiet time this morning, I happened to read the book of Jonah. The last chapter has always made me smile...how foolish we can be sometimes!!! Here God sent Jonah to preach the Gospel to the Ninevites before they were wiped off the earth, and when they changed their ways with fear and trembling, Jonah gets mad at God for sparing them!!! Yet--though maybe not in the same way--,we do the same thing today...worrying about trivial things, making molehills into mountains, and getting mad at God for not meeting our expectations!! We try to put God in a box, but that DOESN'T work...

Playing Pranks...what fun!!

At 9:30am, we split up into 2 teams, and went out to inform the villagers we were giving free prenatals to the "boras" (buntis [Tagalog] in Cebuano or "pregnant" in English), by walking through the Puroks an going to their homes. Sylvette was on one team, and I was on another.

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It wasn't until this moment, that I realized how MUCH different it is...being a "midwife" at the Clinic, and being one here in the Bukid. At the Clinic, there is always a Supervisor on shift, that you'll run any problems or major procedures by before doing anything on your patient, so she is ultimately responsible for everything that is done on her shift. Out here in the bukid though, YOU are ultimately responsible, and if YOU mess up, you may have messed up for midwives in years to come!!! What a huge responsibility. When I was with Sylvette, she was the "Ultimate", but she was with the other team, and now I was "the midwife" (along with some....other....midwife............--la-di-da-di-da).

Do you understand now?? Yeah...here I am, barely 18, out in the middle of no where, being introduced as 'the midwife'. Scary!! Now you're REALLY being scrutinized! Every action you make, is being watched by 50 pairs of eyes. How is a midwife supposed to act?? Not like an 18 year old! No more skipping down the pathway, laughing and joking!! You gotta know what you're doing!! You're responsible now!! (Arrggghhh!!!! Raaarrrr!!!) You scared yet??? LOL :)

Okay, so maybe I took a little extreme?? Well, it was big and scary!! I can sell alpacas--dili problema, and help others with their animal deliveries!! But then, hey, I'm just a friend...I'm not a vet! Here????? Yeah, I may not have 'certification' yet, but to them, I have the key to ALL their problems (NOT!!!).

God used that moment in my life in a huge way. First of all, it was very humbling. Second of all, I realized to help people, I need to have a wide base of knowledge, because I WILL be asked help for so many different problems. God really gave me a wider perspective on what a "Missionary Midwife" could look like.

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Back to my story, afterwards, we gathered at the community gym, which was right next to H/C, to wait for their arrival. Looking back, we decided we should of had them follow us, instead of setting it 15 minutes away, because then they got there a half hour late.

Waiting for the Buntis: Belle, Arlin, Bong, Kayla, Angela, and Jordan

Sweet Action Photo!!!

We preformed 7 prenatals, with 1 more (the teacher) scheduled for tomorrow morning. Before conducting them, Sylvette and I gave a health teaching on the Basics for a Healthy Pregnancy....actually, I gave it, with Sylvette translating and then adding more at the end. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, especially since there is a pause to think about the next thing when it's being translated.

Arlin

Angela ministering. (Look at the sweat marks on her back!!)

 Since I had done over 60 prenatals as Primary, I got histories from each woman, charted, gave each person their records afterwards, as well as vitamins and instructions on Pregnancy Health, while Sylvette taught the other girls how to do prenatals. It worked out really well. If I haven't said it before, I love working with Sylvette....she is amazing, and we understand each other so well, despite our cultural differences. She has taught me so much about the Filipino Culture, and I have done the same with the American Culture.

Health Teaching (sorry some are blurry-amateurs)

Sylvette doing a prenatal and teaching at the same time.

Listening to Bebe's Cassin-Cassin!!

Lissa, me and my Filipino kuya (brother) Bong

Cell Reception!!

Our Buntis (and not! :D)

Kayla---team leader and precious friend

It started raining half way through just as we ran out of Ferrous Sulfate, so Melyn and I walked back to the house to get some more. Actually, I was going to walk through the pouring rain to get them (I love rain), but Melyn insisted on going with me with her umbrella, so we did--arm in arm.

Oh....I guess I haven't told you about Melyn. She is a 20 year old Filipino girl, married to an Ameri-pino. They have 2 kids: 4 and 1, and boy are they cute!! God saved her through the Nehemiah Teams this year, and they have been discipling her ever since, and wow!! She is on fire for God!! Her husband (10 years older) is not, and she needs a lot of prayer and grace. She knows that nagging won't do anything, and so she is committed to praying for him, and waiting on the Lord. What a joy for the Lord!!

Train!!! (Melyn's little boy is in back...isn't he adorable??)

Once prenatals were done, we had lunch, and then Jordan, Sylvette, and Bong left for MJ Santos at 2:30pm for the funeral of a pastor and to finish an unfinished project, leaving me to help however I could. I read Julian's book, that Bong had borrowed: "Raising the Dead" by Dr. Chauncey Crandall, and it was quite inspirational...  Though I attended quite a few Bible Studies in Tinucoran, there were some times where the Team needed to spend time alone with the family, like today, which worked well for me, as I got a siesta and a "date" with God!!

Sylvette doing her hair using the Taga Bukid Mirror

After dinner, which was Rice and Backpack Meals--Spaghetti and Chili, we had another Bible Study at 7pm, which lasted 2 hours, and was really good. It was done with a Jehovah's Witness family across the street, and boy did they have questions!! They knew that if they committed their lives to God, they'd have to change, and they weren't sure they were ready for that.

I was asked to share my testimony, and so I did....how I grew up in the best Christian family a body could have, how God saved me as a little girl, and I rededicated myself to him at the age of 13....How  soon after that, Satan tried to get a hold on me by speaking lies to me--lies that I deeply believed, which hit past hurts perfectly....How at the age of 16, I almost shunned God completely, knowing all the while in my heart that I was His, and that He would not allow me to do it.....How God rescued me from the sinking pit I'd dug for myself, and put me on my face before Him, begging Him for forgiveness, which He gave so tenderly and lovingly...How since then, I have been trying to learn how to be more like Him, and that He has so graciously been teaching me.

I praise God for what He has done--turning something so ugly into something beautiful!! I praise Him for sending people into my life who encouraged me during those dark times, who prayed for me without ceasing. I thank Him for my parents and grandmother who kept speaking the truth to me, and who were always there for me.... Thank you Jesus!!!

We had Team Time afterwards, and were in bed by 11pm.

WHAT I LEARNED:
- Nothing is impossible with our God.
- If only we would spend more time with Him..He is there waiting for us, all we need to do is turn around and see him!! If Abraham had not called out to the 3 men walking down the road, they would have continued on...think about the promises he would have missed, if he hadn't RAN TO THEM and begged them to stop!! So many times, God is there just waiting for us to just ask, but when we don't, He continues walking on.

Reminds me of a story my pastor told us a few years ago (don't remember it all), about how a stranger came to live at a man's house, and told him that he ever wanted to talk, that he'd be in the front room at 5:30am. Well, basically, the man had a lot of excuses why not to get up that early and spend the time with him, until one day he realizes that he is always there at 5:30am, just waiting for the man!!! If only we took the challenge, and made time in our day for our Creator!!! He is the most precious thing we can spend our time on or with!!!

But as for me, my prayer is unto Thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of Thy mercy hear me, in the truth of Thy salvation.

~ Psalms 69:13 ~