Sunday, May 5, 2013

A life filled with love

I know I haven't posted a blog on here for well over a year.  So much has changed since I last posted,  I've come back to from the Philippines after two amazing but crazy years of midwifery and ministry.

If I was honest I haven't posted anything because I was to scared people would judge me or would understand what I've been though the last year and a half. The previous posts were about my adjustments and highlights as I began the journey to be a midwife and learn to live within a impoverished nation.

Yet things changed following my time of furrow back in the summer of  2011. I was excited and ready to go back to the Philippines, to continue to serve the muslim women I had met, to engage the culture and just be a midwife!  In the end I did all those things but I ran into obstacles along the way. Obstacles that I never imagined I'd have to face.... yet they I did....


I remember sitting down at McDo... ( yep I'm loving it...) around Christmas  2011 and coming to the conclusion that the Missionary life is hard. You don't hear about the struggles, the chaos, and the heartache much when you hear someone speak at a luncheon or sunday service.


Yet I think sometimes people need to know.... Over the next few blogs I am wanting to share a few of those stories.... BTW... they may not be the typical issues you might think someone might face on the mission field....

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Crazy day... crazy life...

So if some of you have facebook, and you seen my status.... I had quite the day... or okay quite the week....



A tramatic birth... which turned into a crazy stressed out baby check as well. However I still don't have any news about my patient... praying she comes in at 10am for baby check up and a note from the doctor. (sat-birth and baby check monday swing)




I finally got to sleep Monday at 1 am, then woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep : ( ... however I soon feel asleep again at 6 and woke up at 10 ... later then I would of like but oh well...



So I started my day by riding a motor to kanga a local coffee shop... BLT, Mango smoothie, and a cinaroo... lami (yummy cinabun with apples and yummy carmel)... then a skype date with my dad, and facebook/skype chats with a few friends.... All awhile reasearching online some sources for my assignment.... So around noon Ashton joined me at Kanaga and we worked on out assignment, the sun was out, nice air con inside kanga ( almost chilly cold like 84) couldn't be better having coffee, working on my assignment... glad to be inside away from the 90+ (105 with humidity) weather outside.




At 3 i get a text asking if I could switch shift and work night shift... sure I love night shifts... I really do I had 4 last week. : ) However I was working day shift... so I spent an hour or 2 trying to find people to switch shift... finally I got it to work... I would work night tonight and thursday and then swing sun, and the other two girls would take day and then sat swing... okay everything seemed peachy...



Around 6 it started to get cloudy and humid...then rain... nothing new.... Ashton and I would get our regular fried fish special that was served from 6-8 and then go home... I could even get 3 hour nap in yay!! I was wrong... it instead turned into another crazy Davao Adventure.... However we finish out dinner by 6:30 the road outside of kanga was a lake....we tried texting a taxi but no reply.... thunder lightening.... cats and dogs rain.... what to do???



So I decided to walk outside and get a taxi... roll up my pants and head out the door... The overhang outside kanga didn't help because of the wind.... so.... i was dripping wet... Put I still tried to flag down a taxi..... all full... since it was raining cats and dogs... the streets were flooded and all the taxis were full or had hazard lights and they were waiting out the rain and not taking passangers.





6:45pm...still outside, soaking wet... I'm mid-calf deep in water and still rising... the lighten is getting louder... closer together, I am standing under a small patio porch set up trying to keep out of the rain... I really didn't mind the rain...However that was the least of my worries...Then all I see is this white huge flash/spark and I jump back... the car not 2 feet in front just gets hit by lightening... its gleaming silver and random sparks bursting all around it... and at the same time the car alarm goes off, (then the huge Crack...BOOM I jump back again reliezing what just happened.) I take a few steps back, and looks across the street the building next door then the cell phone tower gets hit by a bult of lightening... the owner of the car turns off the alarm but then.... the car alarm continues to go off with each boom and flash lighten... (which I found quite interesting..) ....


Oh what am I doing...

I just want to be home... Why can't I just be on the balcony at the orange house watching this storm in the comfort of my house.... ( I normally watch each rain storm and or thunder storm while sitting on the railing of the orange house.... unless I have shift... its my time to spend with the Lord, enjoy the soft rain, the wind, the humidity is gome for just awhile..yay... perfect amazing Jesus time... listen to music, or just stand in awe of each thunder bult that roams across the sky) At this point still no taxi... nothing...


Finally around 7pm a taxi comes... I go back inside and get my computer, and Ashton. So we are on our way home...I can do this go home, sleep for an hour... yay... ummm.... maybe not.... The roads are flooded... the water starts coming closer and higher... the taxi driver kept repeating "mam I don't think I get you home" "I can't get you home".... maybe another way... maybe"... see he turns around still heavy rain is coming down... the water get higher... again he turns around... " mam I only know one more road" ... then its change of subject....mam " can I take you sa yellow house (another coffee shop) Bos?" Okay yellow house, its close, sure.... so we drive some more... um... the water is rising and so yellow house is out of the question..... So back to Kanga..... What else could we do... we were stuck...


So Finally we texted a few people and nothing...we had to wait it out.... So we got a coffee and tried to figure out a route home that didn't involve the main roads that were flooded... We facebooked a Philipina midwife and got another route home.. at about 8:30... so we decided to start trying to find a taxi... nothin..... At this time it almost 9pm and we had been trying to get home since 6:30pm, and I had shift in an hour... (keep in ming kanga is maybe a mile to walk or little more... but flooded streets pouring rain, its dark, we have our computer and few books) , during the day its a nice walk to kanga...


At 9pm Heather a supervisor at Mercy sent a text... that she would try and get us.... since I had night shift and all the 2nd years were gone for the evening, so I couldn't find coverage to just sit and wait out the rain....yay the Boswells to the rescue.... At 9:30pm Manny and Heather picked us up in the VW van and we were off though the flooded street.... finally 15 min later.... home sweet home... 9:47 perfect timing... I could grab a quick shower rinse off the nasty muddy water off my legs, my pant and change for shift... 9:53 I made it ...yay no sleep I can handle that.... and a crazy story to in the end... not a bad day!




However the story doesn't end here... its quiet at least right now ... but you never know... 12:30 in the morning a lot can happen before 6am....

Sunday, April 3, 2011

symbol of prayer... maps


The two countries that are close to my heart.... Niger and the Fulani... my time in Niger changed me forever, it has made me who I am today, I am in the Philippines because of my time in Niger.


Pakistan... a country that God continues to put on my heart... may I go someday maybe.... I just be a prayer warrior for this place... On the Lord know... I pray that I could one day go to Pakistan (northern portion)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

crazy night shift

So I've been trying to finish my postpartum assignment, however I am having trouble making the last final touches on it.


Last night I had a traumatic birth. We had two crazy births last night. Plus a couple transports to the hospital...

I spent the last two week being first up on my birthroom shift and no labors... not even early labors that i could send home... So I spent most of my time ready the Word, working on my assignment, sleeping a little since it was quiet.... I haven't had baby checks for a couple weeks since my last baby was the 15th...


So... I came to night shift last night, and my roomate had a labor that she endorsed to herself and I spent the night listening to music, waiting for a labor to come in... Around 11 a labor came in however she was really tiny, first baby, ultrasound stated the baby was 4 kg, ruptured membranes, so we transported due to lack of progress and bow rupture....

My hospital experience.... this is where my night became crazy!!! I spent some time praying with the patient I was transporting, the other labor at the clinic was being super vocal, so my patient was getting really nervous, so we transport an guess what a labor at the hospital is about ready to give birh right in the Ob ER... no doctor around, patient is screaming, she can't breathe though contracts... all she can do is push... a male nurse is standing by her unsure of what to do standing behind the wheelchair with this crazy freak out look on his face.. (priceless)..( It was just me and him in the room... I quickly put my hands in my pockets ready to see if I had gloves... for the doctor wasn't around... my patient is getting even more freaked out. She sits down I am still waiting to give the papers to the doctor. finally the doctor comes out takes my papers asks me why I was transporting... So I give her the paper, she puts the papers it on the table and takes two steps to the patient pushing but just stand there.... The patient by this time is screaming and cupping the babies head with her hand (with the oh my the baby is coming look on her face... scared unsure what to do... do I go with the urge that is in my body to push?...) I've seen this lots of times however not at DMC, and normally at MMC we rush the patients to an open bed and check to see how many cm visible try and get vitals... However the doctor was now in the room...So I didn't want to interfere, but I didn't want to leave the patient alone until I knew someone could delivery the baby... So I made my way back to the van to go back to MMC... trying to reflect on the fact I almost caught a baby at DMC...


I get back my roommate askes me to assist her with her labor... So I check heart tones, she is pushing, but nothing visible... wait sl opening...oh no... cervix... not good.... swollen lip on the cervix keep the baby from coming... hour of trying to coach her to breathe, checking heart tones... trying to figure out if we should transport, would she make it to the hospital or deliver in out ambulance... Oh Lord what do we do? .... we decide to give her until 1 am....well 1am on the dot baby girl... However at birth cervix visible... check for tear, check vitals, clean up after the birth.... monitior the mother and baby.... an hour later.....


A labor... yay.... I could catch a baby I have four hours until day shift.... my patient put some of the herbal oil on her stomach so I asked her to wash it off, and then continued with vitals....

My patient was super cute...everything she owned had some type of cartoon charcter on it.... tiger... powerpuff girls... so so so cute!! She reminded me of my mom, short, short crazy hair, cute voice : ) I was super excited to catch a baby :) ...

2 am checked her in, contraction were stong... she came back to the bed and started getting really active, randomly push... oh I better finish vitals quick, get the birth cart....2:45 baby out baby boy born "cual birth" head still completely covered in membranes.(4th baby to catch in a caul).... anyways baby comes out double cord coil around the neck, nuchal hand.... and the baby is blue, floppy, lifeless... the baby just folds over my hands.. no cry, no tone... cord pulsing, but nothing... recusitation begins... still nothing O2 given.... PPV again....slight cry high heart rate, chest retractions... suction machine... 10 minutes finally baby is skin to skin with the mom, still with O2 but semi stable.... mother is stable...every few minitues I'm checking the baby... refer the baby or not.... we decided to just monitor..RR 80-90... baby finally started to breatfeed and chest retractions were gone by endorsements...

So I finally got home tried to sleep, debrief a little.. slept for three hours got up went to a coffee shop to work on my assignment.... 3 question done ... spent some time debriefing the births with my roommate via text though skype... praying for each other, encouraging each other....I ended up leaving the coffee shop early and slept another 2 hours.... then around 9pm started working again... well its 2 am and I am finished exept to edit and put in pics...3 am another talk wtih my roommate, gmail phone call home and a blog post later I am ready for sleep... okay another nap... 4-5 hour nap until church :)... then finish my assignment and get it printed... quiz on Monday... oh the life of a midwife... oh the life at MMC... life at newlife... oh how I love it.... Thank you Jesus for your grace, the hope you give, your love, .... mi wala sembe... I am weak... ama...but I can do all things in Christ... a great reminder.... ( my time in Africa, the dream God has given me, to be a midwife, to share the message of his love, hope...to bring hope.... )

life and death.... an amazing thing to see life, a newborns cry.... every time I have to praise the one who created me for giving life, for the life I hold in my hands, the little feet and hands.... to pray over them... as they grow in the womb, as I feel them kick during prenatals... as they come out.... to pray over the family, the baby, the mother....

How can I stop from shouting his name...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A happy ending...

As I went to night shift last night I couldn't seem to shake off the weird feeling that something was going on back home.... The night before I had a rough night with my mom. I woke her up and well it didn't turn out very well...

Yet I thank the Lord for placing it on my heart to call her. Praise the Lord for his wisdom as well. As I called her I could tell something wasn't right. She didn't understand me, she didn't really even know who was calling.

Within a few minutes I knew her blood sugar was low and in the end she hung up the phone because she was so mad at me. For once I noticed the signs I just kept saying "Check your blood".

Of course her answer was no... the very stubborn childish No ... However what can you do? Its not a 10 min drive anymore...

Again I felt God's hand upon me and his grace as he just quietly replied. You did what you could... Let it go... let your burdens down...

I grew up taking care of my mom. 6 years old reviving my mom as she lay on the floor unable to move because her sugar levels had dropped to dangerous lows again. It was normal for me, even though it was really abnormal. yet again I find that its was a gracious gift that God gave me, the wisdom and discernment, and I praise him for giving that gift.

As evening came and I was preparing for night shift, I again found myself wondering back to my mom. Was she alright, did her boyfriend relieze the state she was in... I didn't know... I could come back from shift and find an e-mail saying she was gone... I could call home and no one answer... Yet again I felt God calling me to just sit in his grace...

So here I am, after night shift, a world away from my mom (but yet so close with skype :)... Yet Gods hand of protection was over her. For once she hung up the phone her boyfriend decided to check her blood for her... 35 ... I can only say Praise the Lord she wasn't in a coma. Praise the Lord she woke up... So as I finish my breakfast and have a morning converation with my mom, I ever so thankful to hear her voice, I can't help but praise the name of Jesus.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

life outside MMC... outreaches.... (life outside the city)




Warning... the smell .... warning.... the taste.... warning these things may fall on your Head!!

Durian... King of the fruits... lami (yummy) or at least I think so... If your in Davao you have to try Durian.... the reason why they are so good around Davao is there is a colony of bats just off the bay on Samal Island...












Outland Adventure... the zipline.....











The farm... Baptist Rural Life Center... helping engage rural farmers with organic farming and livestock center






















The goat above was super friendly... however by the end of the day his head was on the fire roasting... yes ended up butchering him : (
Milking goats so much fun : )





Goat kisses... at least I have the barrier mask on ; )





















more to come later.... enjoy!

Friday, March 25, 2011

pictures of life at MCC







Welcome to MMC... lets go....
















Babies... oh Babies... lots and lots... : ) Above Jaylce and Below little Akiesha Hope















Baby Akiesha Foot prints... little purple feet!












Happy 15th to MMC (Feb) .... 17,000 babies and counting...








My badjao baby Nathan... (badjao patients are from Isa Verde outreach. )












Muhhamad... my very first handle delivery... Nov 2nd 2010!!




The faces of the kids at the outreach in Isla Verde (2x month thursdays prenatal outreach)


Assignments... oh assignments its a hate/love relationship... I love the stuff I'm learning, yet I feel so overwhelmed sometimes... Praise the Lord for his grace and strength to get though!






mix mix.... aka Halo-Halo.... the amazing food of the Phils... its condensted milk, jellies, ube (ice cream and jam), jackfruit, beans, rice cripys, candied black beans, chickpeas... and lots of other things... get the hint... its a pile of mix-mix!






#10 Opal St... my home... aka Orange house... Orange balay!