Tales of a Missionary Midwife

Some Milestones

2012-01-04T00:29:00.000-05:00

If you are familiar with Sarah, and Sarah’s blog, then perhaps you have already heard, that she got married. Sarah and I met in January 2010, when I was visiting Florida for the first time. Our first connection was Africa, I was intrigued by her time spent in Malawi and Mozambique, and while I had a background of study about Africa, had never had the opportunity to go there.

We were married in July, 2010, and travelled together to Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique (along with Sarah’s mid-wifery partner Holly Findley) in September and October 2010. Our goal was very specifically to find a place to serve in a long term missions environment, be it school, orphanage, clinic or other environment.

Several doors seemed promising, but not exactly open, until we arrived at Maforga for a visit. Maforga is in the center of Mozambique, and has a long history of serving the people of the region, during times of war, drought, sickness, and everyday life for the past 25 years. The mission has seen good days, and some lean times, but consists of care for children (orphans), a school, a bible school, a church, a pastor training program.

We were invited to return to Maforga to fill in for Greg and Kim Hart, a family returning to Australia from March to September 2011. We did, and spent six months learning a host of things about the region, the mission, the people, the languages, and especially the needs. In addition, our baby daughter Hannah was born there at Maforga, in a beautiful home-birth.

We saw our time at Maforga as temporary, while keeping our eyes and hearts open to the possibility that we might be called to return to Maforga on a permanent basis.

For me, it wasn’t a difficult choice at all, even in light of some very obvious difficulties. The needs are so great in Mozambique, and the doors are open, and the opportunities are there to minister in a number of ways that are compatible with the gifts and experience that Sarah and I have.

By the end of our stay, we had arranged with the mission directors, Roy and Trish Perkins, to return, as soon as we are able, to provide leadership for the babies at Maforga (from 0-4 years old) and a group of younger boys, ages 5-7.

In addition to our daughter, we had the great pleasure of fostering another baby there, From April 1^st (I will never forget that day) until the time we left. Jacinta was a lovely little four month old baby when she arrived, that we were able to foster and care for and love, and feed and clothe and take care of her and watch her grow healthy, happy and strong. She brought an incredible amount of joy to our time there, and we are hoping to go back and be able to care for her again, as well as the dozen or so other little babies that are also currently at the mission.

A time to remember, a time to forget, part two

2012-01-02T22:41:00.001-05:00

January 2, 2012

Another way of expressing the thought from yesterday:

Philippians 3: 7-14

‘’But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’’

I have not been good, in my past, at letting go of hurts, wounds, attacks, and losses. In fact, I’ve more often kept the documentation that proves those hurts and losses, holding on to many things that I should have let go of long ago.

So whether it is related to forgiveness, and the fact that God has forgiven me so I need to forgive others, or, that sense of giving up to God, things that I do not need to hold on to any more, or one step further, even letting go of whatever things I once considered to be gains, I need to let it all go. All of it.

This has been a back and forth process for me, for a number of years. The past few weeks, while working through some backlogs of past work, I realized again, that I have been holding on to things I should not be holding on to, for reasons that are not positive. I am working my way through several of those situations, and am systematically working to eliminate the evidence that serves only as negative reminders for me of those situations.

I know for certain that as I get rid of these reminders, my natural forgetfulness will take over, and eventually my heart and soul will also forget, and I will not be hurt by these memories, because the reminders are gone.

This is what God does for us: Psalm 103:12 says ‘’ as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.’’

That is where I am at today. My hope is to write more about Maforga, and the children there, and our mission to be a part of the team there in Mozambique to help these children.

A time to remember, and a time to forget

2012-01-01T20:38:00.001-05:00

January 1, 2012

Isaiah 43:18

‘’Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.’’

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Though the second passage above does not mention a time to remember, or a time to forget, other places in the Bible do mention those themes.

I am working on understanding the larger context of the verse in Isaiah above, and joining that together with verses such as the many times that Abraham built memorials, that were intended to be reminders of significant spiritual events in his life.

In this context I am bumbling through trying to understand the Old Testament concept of Herem or Cherem (in Isaiah 43:28) and trying to understand the dedication of certain things to God, without any possibility of return, and the destruction of those things, in the context of where I am today, New Year’s Day, 2012.

That will be the starting point for me, as Sarah and I work together to return to Mozambique this year to help the children and babies at the Maforga mission.

We will try and post some of our history of how we have arrived at where we are today, and some of what we understand of our future plans.

A time to remember, and a time to forget.

On not being a midwife....

2011-05-28T04:18:00.006-05:00

Ok, so in my heart, I know I'm still a midwife, and I still get random questions, and I taught a pregnancy/birth class for one of the missionary kids here... but, for now... I've put away my gloves, and I'm just being "normal." Whatever that means... but, to me, part of it means not having my phone with me all the time... easier said than done. I've gotten SO used to keeping my phone with me 24/7.... under my pillow when I sleep, on top of my towel when I'm in the shower, that kind of thing. So now, I don't have it tucked into my pocket every moment of the day, but it is ALWAYS within hearing distance... One of the girls here texted me after a quick reply and said, if you need a text back, go to the lady of the house!! my reply was something about not being able to turn the midwife in me off. :-) So, here I sit, innocently blogging, playing on facebook, e-mailing... and my phone, my almost constant companion, sits right in front of me on the coffee table.

Really, I've felt it kind of a reprieve. I do like being a midwife. But, I'm not going to lie, it's hard being on call constantly. Though, having small children living in your house is like being on call constantly, too... but different. I miss the feeling of new life in my hands. I miss watching women become mothers. I miss watching men become fathers. But this season is also good. And I am enjoying taking care of this sweet--and silly-- little girl. :-)

This week we--I say "we" loosely... Jacinta had injections. Because when she came to us we had no information on her--none, no birthday, no health record, nothing-- the hospital had to restart her series of immunizations. So, she had to have the BCG again, and some others. It's been a tough week! But she woke up this morning in a really good mood!! yay! And she's been sleeping (on her own!!) for more than 20 minutes already, so I think we are in for a good day!

no words...

2011-05-14T04:22:00.002-05:00

The problem has been... I haven't had words... I haven't had words for a long time, and as I sit here, just for a moment, to process, to think, to write... the tears start... and, perhaps that is what I was trying to avoid. But, here it goes....

We've been here for... 2 months, a little more... Africa has once again turned my world upside down. I would expect nothing less. We arrived on the 10th, tired, dirty, but with all our stuff!! And I once again settled in for the drive back to the place we would call home for the next 6 months. I don't remember too much from that drive, except that I had to go to the bathroom... the WHOLE time! Finally, I said something, totally expecting our driver to just pull over and let me go (a preferable option compared to most "public" bathrooms). But, he was intent on looking for a proper facility for me... We arrived, and slept... and then found out that one of the new babies that they had just had at the mission for a few days had fallen ill and died... within a day of us being here... Oh boy, you're back, Sar.... reminding me that death is as common as life in this place... In my first 2 or 3 days (I can't remember now) of being here, I had already been to my first funeral (of this trip). The sweet tiny peanut, hardly had a chance to get her feet wet on this earth, was already in the arms of her Father! It was sad, but, I was rejoicing for her, sweet girl!

We made routines here, Daniel at the school, me with the "juniors" who I have affectionately labeled "the littles." Then one day, I was not feeling well, so I stayed home for the day, Daniel came back with news. There was a new one! Jacinta. 4 months old. Very sad story. to compound the sadness, the women who take care of the littles weren't especially keen on the idea of having another. Especially one who was only 4 months old. The next youngest is close to a year old... It's a bit of an age gap. So I said... no worries, I'll take her to my house, get her adjusted to life without her mama (she died that day, I think). I told Daniel... "Don't get attached." I wasn't worried about me. There was no way I was going to get attached, I had already had my heart broken by one sweet Mozambican baby girl... not going to do it again... famous last words. Jacinta came to live with us on April 1. She's still here. She gives us so much joy. She takes all our sleep, most of our energy, and commands a HUGE hunk of our love. We are so blessed to have her for this time. The women are also pleased that we are keeping her over here, because they have found her troublesome. We have found her a joy.

Life moves on, life in Africa... We are learning our places here. We are preparing for the birth of our baby. We pray, we live, we serve, we love... Trying to show people who may not receive much love on earth, how desperately their Father in heaven loves them.

Hitting the road... or the sky...

2011-03-08T07:14:00.002-05:00

We are headed back! To Africa, lots of exciting stuff in store for us!! We can't wait to see what God will bring from all of this, and we can't wait to tell you about it! I'll be blogging much more frequently, and maybe even some guest posts by Daniel! Lots of words and pictures coming your way soon!! We leave tomorrow morning! Can't wait!

It's time...

2010-10-11T03:27:00.002-05:00

It's time for me to start blogging again.... I've taken a long break... I needed to process... I needed to think... but now, once again, my thoughts and heart are overflowing... and I'm not sure if I've processed it all... I'm sure not... but, it's time. I have a lot to update, lots of thoughts, lots of things. I'm in Africa now... I'll be home next week. I'll start then.

Pictures...

2009-02-04T06:36:00.000-05:00

So... I feel terrible, because I try to take pictures of my babies... the problem is just that there is some manner of "short" in my new camera that will not allow the power from the batteries to actually reach the important parts... so, I rely on the cameras of others, which is absolutely fine, because there about 1,000,000 girls here, and most are more than willing to let any of the others borrow anything from her. The problem is just that... sometimes I forget to get the pictures, and then, my sweet patients ask for the pictures, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what I did with them... oh dear. So here I am again, in the same pickle. A very sweet little lady asked me when she could pick up the pictures of her baby... oh dear. Where are they? The sad fact of it is... when my camera wasn't broken... I had the same problem... I need to maneuver some sort of system... I just need to think of one and implement it... That will be my next goal... that and more frequent blogging... sigh....

Ethan Choy

2008-12-25T23:11:00.003-05:00

My great friend, and supervisor, Ate Estef had her baby tuesday afternoon! He was born by cesarean section. Both mama and baby Ethan are doing well!! They are scheduled for discharge this afternoon! Some stats:

December 23, 2008
4:17 pm
2.8 kgs

Christmas time!!!

2008-12-03T20:45:00.004-05:00

I got a Christmas box!!! I have had reports of several little somethings being sent my way... but the first to arrive was probably the last to be sent! My mom sent this Christmas box on November 26... exactly 7 days before it arrived in the Philippines!!! But it was GREAT!!! In this box were all my favorite treats!! and... a "Christmas tree in a box" which I think might just be the best thing ever!!! It is a little box with a paper doll Christmas tree, that me and Holly put together right after dinner! It is complete with little paper ornaments that we have already decided to use as earrings for the Christmas party!!

Also, Christmas angel season is in full swing! I have gotten some pretty amazing stuff from mine so far, this year!! She is crazy thoughtful, and SO encouraging!! She has me hooked on the Filipino treat... "Hello" bars!! I don't like a lot of chocolate stuff... but I do like this! :-) Thanks Angel!!

Here are some pictures of the Christmas box celebration!!!

New Christmas Undies!

Holly With the Christmas tree!!!

Me and Hol with the mugs from London!! Complete with one of Holly's favorite teas!!

Holly laying under the Christmas tree... looking up at the lights!??! :-)

November

2008-11-28T20:10:00.003-05:00

well... it's november... My month has been rather slow... but crazy.... There have been a lot of busy busy shifts at the birth room... but... I haven't caught any babies... well.... 3. But compared to last month when I caught 10 babies... 3 doesn't seem like a whole lot. I haven't caught a baby since the 7th of November!! But, my two amazing continuities gave birth this month. The second, Twinkie Mae, my 15 year old... she just had her birthday, she's 16 now... She named her sweet baby girl Sarah Fate! :-) She had the most amazing birth, and she was such a amazing laborer... she took directions well, and did just amazingly. Here are some pictures of that baby...

So... my camera has some sort of short in it so... I don't have many pictures from the last ... long time... but, I cut my hair off... and you can see in those pictures. I'm not sure what made me do it... but... yeah, there it is. It's already growing back nicely. :-)

The clinic has been bustling as usual. And we have just started our "Secret Angel" season again. Secret angel is a name draw where we write encouraging notes (etc.) for a person we have selected... I'm excited, it's a really fun time. Not to many Filipina participants this year though... A few only :-(. It will still be fun. Christmas in the Philippines is a very exciting time of year! It starts in Septem"ber" and lasts through all the "ber" months!! So we have been in full Christmas swing since I got back from vacation! I was just at the mall yesterday and there was a Christmas parade!! Wow! :-) Anyway, it's time to get back to the homework!! I hope you are all well, and had a wonderful thanksgiving! God is SO faithful to us and never stops giving us more and more reasons to be thankful!

~Sarah

A note from the worst blogger ever....

2008-11-07T01:26:00.003-05:00

I'm not at home anymore... I actually haven't been at home for a very long time... the pace at which life passes me by is overwhelming, at times. God is always faithful. Since I've been back, I've done 3 assignments (in the middle of the fourth), caught 16 babies, 9 boys and 7 girls... The latest of which is mere hours old as I type. 3 continuities have given birth to beautiful healthy babies (Ricardo Clyde, Diana Riaza, and most recently Sarah Fate last night at 10:26pm). My picture collection is sadly.... non-existent... my camera is not doing so well. I didn't get any pictures of my sweet continuities.... but here is one of baby Ricardo Clyde, on his birthday... he is now19 days old. This is super short... but, my assignment calls... and my cooking duties as well.... More is coming.... Thank you for being faithful readers, and prodding my slow blogging-ness into action!

~Sarah

I'm Home!!

2008-08-06T09:23:00.004-05:00

I'm home for my break! It's been a crazy year of learning, and growing, and stretching, and... stuff. :-) But now I am back for a month, and I am looking through some pictures, and here are some highlights from the year (in no particular order)!!

I love these girls!

On a motorbike... on samal :-)

...He he he...

Will she get all the little piggies on there? Chances are, probably not...

We were a killer prenatal team!

The rare occasion I go out of my normal study spot...

Diligent Holly.... studying... (before her computer died)

~Coming and going~

2008-07-29T23:51:00.002-05:00

So about a year ago I was just arriving in Davao, and I remember riding over in the plane from Manilla to Davao looking out the window to try and catch a glimpse of my new home... I was looking for a "big orange house" which is where i knew I would live, if only I knew then what I know now... there are TONS of "big orange" structures around davao city, it seems to be quite the popular color for house painting...

I was staring out the window thinking, oh my goodness, what is this place? It looks so beautiful from the sky... What will God have for me here....

Today I brought a classmate to the airport, and these memories came flooding back. I saw the place where I stepped out of the airport and saw the MMC crowd waiting and cheering for us... and I remember walking down the "red carpet" and meeting them all... Oh my goodness. I was so overwhelmed, and tired, and excited... And now it's normal. It's just life. It's just here. So much can change in a year. The 8 strangers who met in Oregon, would meet the rest of their class and become an amazing team of women... I tell you, it's been such a short year, but so much has happened... it's hard to imagine that it's only been a year...

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures in the last couple of posts, the internet+blogger=no pictures... :-(

...In my infinite wisdom...

2008-07-29T18:26:00.004-05:00

Well, my mom and sisters went on a cruise.... and they came back tanner.... and I was suddenly worried that after almost a year living on a tropical island in the middle of the sea I would be whiter than them.... Which is a definite possibility considering I don't really go out very much, most of my activities involve studying (inside) and work (definitely inside)... So.... I am still white. I decided that in my efforts to become tan, I would go to the pool every day, for at least... well, a while. Also, I got a new bathing suit just last weekend... My old one was a million years old, and you could actually see through some parts of it, which, is not good. It works out ok, cause ALWAYS wear board shorts over it, and sometimes a shirt... So while I had an ok base tan (thanks to that boat trip... ok ok, it was a burn, but after it peeled off, I was definitely darker...) anyway, so my old speedo had crazy a lot of coverage... And this new bathing suit... not as
much...

There should be a picture of my old bathing suit here...
but it refused to load...

New Bathing suit!!

Day 1: 11:30 am..... I go to the pool, I put a minute amount of sunscreen on my shoulders and face.... I get in the pool, I swim around until I am cold then I sit in the sun to get warm, and read... 1 pm, leave...

Result.... burned shoulders and arms... but not too bad, it mostly faded by the next morning

Day 2: 11:30am.... I go to the pool, I have worked night shift, AND initial prenatals, sleeping a mere 4 hours all spread out... I jump in the pool, swim around, get out sit in the sun to dry off, have my book, but get tired, sit on the steps of the pool, fall asleep (oh dear....), wake up 1 hour later feeling really hot... Leave at 1 pm....
Result.... Burned beyond recognizable condition.... sigh....

So, the result of this whole experience is, I am not going to the pool anymore before I leave, and I have a really nice tan where my old bathing suit tan was, and in the places that this new bathing suit does not cover... oh heavens, I am red, not just red, but also swollen... and it's been 2-3 days since this brilliant experience... So, instead of having a beautiful tan when I get home, i will probably be in some stage of peeling, because it usually takes me forever to get there, and then a LONG time to finish the peeling thing... sigh... Holly made the comment that I look like I am wearing a white tankini and a red speedo at the same time... sigh...

~Grill Saturday~

2008-07-15T07:27:00.003-05:00

So, after a year of living here, we bought a grill!! It's so exciting! Holly and I, as well as Jes and Michelle have instituted "Grill Saturday." Grill Saturday is going to (hopefully) become a weekly event when we grill some manner of meat. Last weekend it was hamburgers and hotdogs, which, let me tell you is a treat. Typical hotdogs here are of a sweeter variety than your typical american hotdog.... So we invested (he he he) in the 1.50 hotdogs, and grilled those puppies up! Here are some pictures of our little grill, and lunch (which also included french fries, that I slaved over (-: while everyone else got to be outside with the grill) yummy!!

The Hamburgers on our shiny new grill!!!

Our Grill Chef, Jes!

Assistant Holly

The Finished feast!!

MG came over from work to eat!
Yay for great supervisors who let us go home and eat!

No Survivors

Empty Bed?

2008-06-23T03:32:00.003-05:00

So last week I told you about the little boy that was missing from mercy... So here's an update. The mother came back on tuesday to check and see if we had found anything, and she was talking to the guard and he turned around for a second, and she started laughing... So we didn't really know what to think about that. And she said she would come back again, and she never did... So we do not really know what happened. But the more people who we talked to, the more mixed up the story got. She was number 6, and her boy would have been there the whole time, I got there at 7:30 and saw a little boy there, wearing a white shirt and dark pants black/navy blue. And that was the description of the little boy. So I thought, oh, that was him. I came down later, and saw that same little boy sitting there waiting for his mama. Then prenatals started, and another midwife over half way through prenatals saw the same kid down there, and the little boy had already been reported missing... and he said he was "just here" and his mom was upstairs. There was only one little boy that age down there that morning... and nobody saw him. Not other patients, not midwives, not other companions, not the guard. So, we are not sure what to think. The story she has told goes back and twists around a lot. We aren't sure what the deal is, and we aren't sure why she hasn't come back. And we are praying that she found him, and he is home safely with his family, but the truth is we don't know.

Growing Up

2008-06-18T05:45:00.003-05:00

Natalie

So, I deliver babies. And I see these babies (and feel, before they come out) from about 17ish weeks of pregnancy until about 6 weeks after birth. I very rarely see these babes after the 6 week check. Well this last week I did! And it was CRAZY. First I got a text from one of my moms asking if I would come and be a godmother at her son’s (Noah) dedication. So I of course agreed. It is kind of more of a symbolic thing in the Philippines…. So later I find out that Noah’s mom is the sister-in-law of Cindy (Natalie’s mom). So… it was a very mixed up story, but it turns out Noah and Natalie (I am godmother to both) are sort of cousins (through marriage). The point of this very confusing relationship maze is that: I went to the party and Natalie and Cindy were there!! Great! I haven’t seen them since Natalie’s christening, months ago (at the beginning of the year…)! She is SO big, and she still has crazy a lot of hair! Here are some pictures of Natalie with her midwife. Then, and now. :-)

Natalie now!!

Mimi, Pil, Prixie, and her Lola (grandma)

I also got a text last week from another continuity, Mimi. She was concerned about something, but I tried to be reassuring, and “solve” her problem… we’ll see. Anyway, I told her to come in and bring Prixie Mae, because they live very close. So she did! And I got to see 4 month old Prixie. She is beautiful and funny. She has a great personality! So, Mimi and I chatted for a while, and she brought me some fruit!! Yum! And I got to see her and Prixie. Here are some pictures of Prixie then and now!!

Mimi, Prixie, and I, now!!

So I spent a while praying for all the baby boys and girls that I have assisted into the world, and that God would just show these kids HIS Glory, and make them into men and women who will live for Him. And that God will continue to provide for them and for their families, and show His face in a way that is undeniable for them, so they will grow up to know Him!

An Empty Bed...

2008-06-16T10:43:00.003-05:00

I can't sleep tonight. I am tired, but my mind is going too fast. I worked monday prenatals today. That is initial prenatal day, all the girls coming to mercy for the first time. It is NOT a coveted shift. I found myself marching over, doppler in hand this morning at 7:30, picking my way through the crowds of pregnant women, their husbands, and little children. It is not unusual for companions to come to monday prenatals. Usually little kids and their dads line the hall waiting for their wives/mothers to come downstairs. It's not unusual for older little kids (4 and above) to be sitting downstairs on the bench by themselves while their mom is upstairs. No kids or husbands allowed upstairs. Today was no exception. There was a little boy downstairs today, his mother was number 6. They got there early, so that she could try to have her baby at mercy. When she finished her business upstairs she came down expecting to find her 5 year old boy waiting for her, where she had left him. But he was not there. And he wasn't outside the gate either, and he wasn't anywhere on the street. She came back and asked the guard if he had seen him... but in the commotion the quiet little boy was missed. They looked up and down the street, asking people, but nobody knew. Where is this guy? What happened to him? It would be crazy easy for him to have wandered off, getting lost in the big city when he lives about 1 hour away. He's never been here before. It would have been easy for him to follow the wrong "mama" home. It would have been easy for someone to have come in and taken him to do who knows what with. It would be easy for him to be overlooked, lost wandering the streets, with all the street kids around. I'm praying for him tonight, he's probably scared. But I am praying he is safe, in a warm bed, somewhere with someone who is looking after him, and who will bring him back to Mercy tomorrow to his worried mama. I'm praying for his mother, who has been back and forth today looking for her son. Who is at home now, an incomplete home, staring at his empty bed...

Suturing class

2008-05-23T21:21:00.003-05:00

My finished chicken!

We just had suturing class a few days ago, and it was great!! Much more fun than IV class!! There was no crying, and lots of laughing (but not that nervous laughing!!)! :-) Our subjects: Chicken breasts. The stitches, deep interrupted, blanket, continuous, and continuous mattress! It was great fun!! And our chickens looked beautiful! The teams were me and Janelle, and Holly and Serena. We were stars. Here our some pictures from the day!!

Injecting my chicken... with... water...

Holly and Serena

My finished chicken! and Janelle~

Wheat thins and Goldfish!

2008-05-15T04:56:00.004-05:00

Mom!
Thanks for the wheat thins and the Goldfish... we loved them. The ladies of the porch (Holly and I) shared the wheat thins with the ladies of the hallway (MG, Jes, and Janelle). We all loved them! We just want you to know, you brought cheer to our night, it was like a little porch/hallway party!

Love,
Sarah, Holly, Michelle, Jes, Janelle!

Holly and the whole bag!

Michelle (in the front) and Jes with their wheat thins!
(Janelle was... somewhere...)

Pictures!!

2008-05-13T06:31:00.007-05:00

Back Row L-R: Naomi, Michelle, Bethany, Medea, Holly, Jes, Jordan
Front Row L-R: Janelle, Jenn, Stephanie, Serena, Me~

So... The all of the girls in my year went for a picture a couple of weeks ago... And, while we are a fine looking bunch, we are not THIS fine... They photoshopped our blemishes, they photoshopped our hair, they photoshopped our teeth, they photoshopped shine onto our lips, they photoshopped the freckles right off Holly! So, we went to get our picture taken, and we were in this little tiny studio... think, hmm, a large handicapped bathroom. And 12 girls, plus 1 photographer, 1 weird guy looking on, and 1 creepy guy hiding behind a curtain and we didn't even know he was there until we wanted to change... Anyway, so at one point, for a pose we were doing some laying on the floor, and we hear this banging noise, and we see this big background screen falling toward us! yikes!! SO we screamed, and there was some rolling out of the way... and it was pretty much hilarious. It didn't end up falling, and we were all ok, but it scared us a bit! Anyway, so we got to pick 7 out of the... lots... that he took, and it was really fun! My favorite is the "supported squat" picture... leave it to us to have a professional supported squat picture, and then to pay money to have it printed! Ha! I hope you enjoy our pictures!! We certainly enjoyed having them taken!

Supported Squat!

And apparently we all didn't get the same... "make a funny face" memo... oh well :-)

IV class... results...

2008-05-01T06:24:00.003-05:00

Oh boy! well, it's over! We all did it! It was an emotion-filled afternoon... Apparently we were much more emotional than our predecessors.... HA HA HA... so I started off the crying party... but anyway... Just to give you an idea of my level of apprehension; before class started my pulse was 60, normal for me... when it was time for me to poke my partner, Jenn (who is SO gracious)... my pulse was 120... which is nothing compared to hers, which was 140. We were both a bit nervous, apparently. I was SO nervous to poke her, that I burst into tears, at which point everyone started laughing and taking pictures. BUT, they laughed too soon, because before too long, they were all crying too! There was crying, laughing, fainting, almost fainting... it was quite the adventure! But, in the end, we all got our IVs in, and running! Yay for us! Here are some pictures from the excitement! The picture of Holly pretty much says it all. :-) Have a great day, everyone!

Me trying to make a nervous face while I was sobbing... oh boy...

After I stopped crying, in the 10 minutes I stood there trying to get up the nerve to poke her... meanwhile, her hand turns black....

I got it in, but I was SOOO nervous to let her drop her hand, for fear that the thing might stop running and I would have to do it all again.

A lovely face I was making during my second poke... that one really hurt... :-)

IVs....

2008-04-28T10:12:00.002-05:00

So I knew this day would come... tomorrow, actually... sigh... It's IV class... the one where I have to start an IV in a poor unsuspecting classmate... The problem is... when it's a medical emergency (or whatever....) I don't feel like I would have a problem... but these are my friends... I like them... they are fine. They don't need me to stab them with a honking needle, and stick a tiny tube into their body... ish... why do we have to practice these things on each other... can we just go back to the catheterizing class and the pelvimitry one.... sigh... The thing I am most nervous about is, most of the girls have already done it... just me... and I think one other haven't... sigh. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tan-Ton comes to Mercy...

2008-04-18T01:27:00.003-05:00

It all started on a very dead shift... :-) MG and I were diligently doing our homework... and before we know it the supervisors decide it is time for massages... :-) There is this sweet place here called tan-ton and it is a Thai massage place that gives really great massages for 5 dollars/hour. And after a busy shift, leaning over beds, holding up women, supporting... Midwives appreciate good massages. And so many of the Mercy midwives (white and Filipina both) frequent this place. I have only been twice, but I can easily recognize the massage when I see it :-). So one of the supervisors who was not on duty was chatting with the Filipinas on shift... and decided to "Tan-Ton" Ate Ermie! Here are some pictures from that... Also, the one at the top is a picture of me and MG back in the day on our VERY FIRST birth room shift!!! Crazy to think that it has only been a few months! Thank you guys for all your prayers. I have been really struggling. But God is faithful, as He always is. I know God brought me here for a reason, and I will be faithful to complete the task He has called me to. Right now I am in the middle of a MASSIVE assignment. It's going well. I am on cooking again next week (I was last week too! yikes!). This assignment is due... Wednesday. And it's pretty much crazy as usual at MMC. there were surprise twins born at the clinic. We do not normally deliver twins at Mercy because of different protocols and complications and whatnot, but this lady came in and had her baby and then surprise! another!! :-) So these two little (famous) girls are staying with one of the lactating midwives while their mother is in the hospital. Very exciting!! Anyway, back to work!! Enjoy the "tan-ton" pictures!!!

Oh Boy...

2008-03-18T20:23:00.004-05:00

This has been a very hard week and a half for me... God has been really using a lot of circumstances to make me look more like Him. It has been hard. It is still hard. But God is faithful.

Psalm 57

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
for my soul takes refuge in you;
and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by
I will cry to God Most High,
to God who accomplishes all things for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who tramples upon me.
God will send forth His loving kindness and His truth.
.....
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth
....
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
Awake, my glory!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your loving kindness is great to the heavens
and Your truth to the clouds.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth!!

Lecture, semester exam, 6 baby checks, cooking, etc.

2008-03-06T06:03:00.004-05:00

So this week is a bit different. We are having a series of lectures by a local doctor. They are all about how to do physical examinations on all the systems of the body. It's pretty interesting despite the fact that I keep yawning through the whole thing... We have turned in to hotter season... maybe? Anyway, it's been hotter this week, and my asthma has been giving me a little bit of trouble...

We also took a big exam covering the whole semester of learning... so the past 6 months... yikes. It was good. I did well, and so did Holly! Yay! Today was prenatals and I had 6 baby checks!! Yikes. I had 4 that were 3 weeks old, and 1 that was 1 week, and one that was 6 weeks. Basically, it was all the babies I have caught in the past 6 weeks! ;-) They were mostly older because I haven't caught any babies recently... only one since the 19th of February. So... they all came today, and they were mostly on time... and it was fun to have a baby check party. All the girls were comparing babies, and weights, I brought 4 of them to the scale at the same time, and recorded all their weights, and they were so cute about comparing how big their babies were... One said, wow, yours is big, how often do you breastfeed!?!?! Ha ha ha, it was pretty much hilarious..

Also... this week I'm on the cooking team. With my fellow house mates Jenna and Jes. And we are having a grand old time cooking for the girls of the orange house. Our dinner menu this week consisted of:
Monday: Meatloaf, rice, and mixed greens (cooked)
Tuesday: Meatball subs (and something else probably, I was working)
Wednesday: Chicken and rice and cabbage and cucumber salad (it was a GREAT meal!!) and for dessert... that white chocolate stuff with the dark chocolate sauce (auntie Angel, if you are reading this... it was a HUGE hit!!)
Thursday: we had Jenna's moms pasta dish with squash and garlic bread
Friday: we are going to have breakfast for dinner.

Yum yum! So that was our menu for this week in the orange house... in case you were wondering what we eat. some weeks we eat more traditional food from the Philippines, a lot of curries, and most of the girls have traveled a lot, so we get tastes from all over the world! It's really grand!!

So... to wrap up this totally random blog... tomorrow I will go to the market early... it will be great! And then we will have veggies and fruits!! yay! Have a great weekend, everyone!!

~S

Gabby!

2008-02-28T06:23:00.004-05:00

Baby Gabby is home!! After 1 week in the hospital, getting antibiotics, and being on oxygen (for part of the time) he finally went home! I went to the hospital to visit several times, and me and Haide had some really good chats. And every time I went she pointed out to me all the mercy girls who were there with their babies. There were 5 mercy girls in the room at one point. yikes!

Since then, I have turned in my breastfeeding assignment, taken that exam... taken the semester exam (just today), and now... we have a between semester break. Hallelujah! It is just a long weekend, but its going to be great! Holly and I are going to get baby Loyd Jhon Tender from the orphanage, and keep him for the weekend! yay, that will be crazy fun! And I don't know what else is going on. But it's going to be good, whatever it is!

Have an excellent weekend, everyone, and enjoy some pictures of Gabby, and his parents, and me and Gabby and Prixy mae!

They Always Come Out!

2008-02-19T21:48:00.003-05:00

Oh my word! What a weekend!!! I had two continuities (A continuity of care, a person who I will do prenatals on, deliver her baby, and do her baby checks. The midwives build relationships with these girls, and most of the time, they need a little more help than the average woman at mercy)... I had two continuities that were due at about the same time. But I wasn't worried.

One was on her second baby, and they usually go early... the other was on her first, and they usually go late... It was all planned out... But that is not how it went down this time... I got a text from Mimi (the one with one baby already) in the middle of the night saying she felt like her labor was starting. We texted back and fort for most of the night (I got about 4 hours of sleep that night, and I had just worked swing shift (2pm-4pm) the night before). At about 6:30 she texted me again and said the pains were now about 3 minutes apart, and what should she do? So I told her to come in to Mercy, and we would check her, and she could have her baby.... so she came. and she did. In 35 minutes. So on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 7:20 Prixy Mae was born.

Before it was even an hour after the baby was born, my other continuity, Haide, texted me, and said she was having pains every 10 minutes... oh boy... So I told her not to come yet, and to keep observing, and to text me if he "pains" came every 5 minutes. And I finished up with Mimi, and went home to study.

So the day went on, and she (Haide) texted a couple times. I was working night, so I expected to see her then. And I did. She came in at 10:10, but was only 2cm (cervical dilation... the cervix starts closed and opens during labor to let the baby out. It is measured in cm. 1-10. it must reach 10 before the baby will come. 0-4 is considered early labor). So I sent her home, and I was sort of disappointed, because I was hoping she would deliver on my shift... It was a pretty busy shift, so I didn't get to sleep much, less than 2 hours. So she came back in the AM at 5:25 or something, and was still in early labor 4cm now. And the supervisor decided to admit her.

So I was with her all of day shift, 6-2, after working night shift 10-6, AND running off 6 hours of sleep in 2 days, yikes! So, we checked her again before 12pm and she was 5cm... the swing shift came on a little while later, and the supervisor wanted to send her home. I was so tired... I was talking to another midwife and I just burst into inconsolable tears... right in the middle of the birthroom... where everyone and their little brother was congregating at that very moment (oh how lucky I am!). And just when I thought it couldn't get ANY worse, Haide and her husband walked in and saw me sitting there sobbing... oh fabulous! :-) So I sent her home. And I went home, and I slept from 3pm until 4am when they called me. Only waking up to eat dinner at about 6 (I ate with such gusto, you may have thought I hadn't eaten in days... which, I hadn't really, Sunday night I ate a can of tuna before work, and monday, I had a bowl of dry cherios... ). She was back, and she was 6cm. I was SO disappointed. She had gone 17 hours since her last check, and only 1 cm... progress, but SLOW progress... she was coping really well, and the supervisor on day shift gave her some serious deadlines. but we checked, and she was only 7 cm at 10 o'clock... oh man... So we broke her water, and thats when the party really started. In 1 hour she went from 7 cm to 10 cm!!! Yay Haide! She had some crazy intense contractions. And finally... after 54 hours of labor... she had a boy!!! an 8lb 13 oz big old boy, who they named Gabriel Joshua. And I have never, in the Philippines, seen a couple so madly in love with their baby. Oh, and he was born on my shift... just not the one I was thinking...

I am SO grateful to my supervisors for letting her stay so long. There were some problems at the birth, the baby didn't need too much help (but a bit of suctioning), and everyone was ok. about 5 hours later, the baby developed some respiratory distress, so we put him on oxygen, and had him breastfeed, and he got a bit better, but then worse again. So we brought him to the hospital, where he is now, and doing really well, just still on oxygen.

Praise the Lord for these lives!! And for the strength for me and these mamas who worked SO hard to bring their babies into the world.

I have some pictures of Gabriel, but they are on another girl's camera, so those will be up later!

Denver

2008-02-07T02:32:00.000-05:00

Being a midwife, I am learning is full of Joy and miracles and happy stories and life!! The baby comes slithering out and lets out a lusty cry and so begins another life. That is the way it's supposed to be... right? Well... sometimes, I guess. But sometimes not quite, and sometimes not at all... Yesterday was one of those not at all times for me... I will start at the beginning, I suppose...

I got to the clinic for day shift at 5:45, nice and early just in case someone was pushing, a dayshift person could catch the baby so the night people wouldn't have to stay forever... and there was someone pushing this time. I, however, was not first up... And I wasn't sure, because it was kind of frantic and it seemed like they were getting ready to transport. They were. She had high blood pressure. So they started an IV, and were preparing for her to be rushed to the hospital. She was also preterm (35 weeks and 6 days, term is 40 weeks). So another reason to be transported. But then I hear, "SOMEONE GET A BIRTH CART!!!" So, I jumped up, and ran in pushing a birth cart in front of me. They were pleasantly surprised to see me there, and offered me the catch. I said, oh sure, no problem. Pulled on my special blue (latex free) gloves, that are always in my pockets at work and assumed the position... Ate Ana was like, it's a hard one, Sarah. So I said, catch it then, I will just take over and do all the checks and everything, you don't need to worry about it. Because I knew they were going to transport... but I only knew the high BP part... not the preterm part. So the head is just slipping out, and I was waiting for the bulk of the head to come. It kept coming and coming, and I thought, this baby has some serious swelling, we haven't even gotten to the actual "head" of the head. But then I looked down, and there was his little face. Oh... Head out... "Oh man!" I said, "this baby is SMALL!" everyone looked and gasped a little... The rest of his body slid out easily enough, and he made a little crying/grunting noise. And that was all. He did not pink, he did not cry, he did not move. It went down from there. Nothing, no more grunting, no more anything, and he was all squished up, his legs were up by his head, and he just sat like that. We started (and by we I mean Ate Ana and Rose, while I tried to push myself as far into the wall as possible, so I wouldn't be in the way) doing CPR breathing for him, and trying to get his heart to pick up the slack a little bit. His APGAR scores (a scoring system used for newborns assessing their wellbeing at certain intervals after birth, 10 is the highest, zero is... dead) were 1 at one minute and 1 at five minutes. NOT good. I was praying as they were resuscitating him, and finally a weak little cry came out. Praise the Lord!! They got the board, and put him on it, continued to help him breathe, and rushed to the hospital. They all rushed out... leaving me, the lowly first year, alone... And I got really scared. Because, at this point, I didn't know the lady was preterm. I only knew what I saw: big woman (kinda chubby), and tiny baby... Oh my goodness, as they were rushing out the door, I called out, are you sure it's only one??? And they were like, we think so... And I was there with her alone. I had visions of another baby that small, needing that much help, coming out. Or hemorrhage and me by myself, not really knowing what to do... And then I heard it... Krys' voice. I have never been so happy to hear someone... The day shift supervisor had arrived. It wasn't twins, there was no excess blood, no problems at all, except this new mommy was here without her baby. It was then, when Krys got there, that I learned the baby was only 35 weeks... that made a lot more sense...

So we went along, business as usual, being extra supportive for the mom cause her baby wasn't there... and she had no other companions... She told me they were going to name the baby Denver.I was chatting with her. Our conversation was somewhat limited, due to the language thing... but it was going ok. And she said to me, loosely translated: "My baby was small, huh?" And I was like"yeah, really small." She said, "Why Ate Sarah, my belly was so big?" And I told her that the baby wasn't ready to come out yet, but it did, and that is why it is so small. But she shouldn't worry, because there are good doctors at DMC (hoping...) and God is the one holding her baby right now, and He is the best doctor. And she (probably only understanding half of that) smiled at me and nodded...

The baby was born at 5:50am and then at 8:30 am her husband came running in with food and a bag. She started to eat it, and was just hanging out. Her husband told us they were running tests on the baby, but didn't tell his wife. At 9 o'clock he came running in, followed by a woman carrying a bundle of baby. I was like... wait a second, what is that baby doing here??? At the hospital they had run some tests on the baby and found that he did not have an anus, his lungs and heart were smashed up too high, and his intestines were up in his chest cavity, and all mangled up. They told the father and aunt that he would not live longer than a day, and he could stay at the hospital if they wanted, or they could take him home. So Denver had come back to Mercy to see his mother for the first, and probably last time. We got him dressed, because he was still naked from birth, wrapped in the blanket we sent him in, although now with bandages all over his little body. We dressed him, and re-wrapped him and put him next to his sobbing mother. She wouldn't look at him. Finally, I got her to hold him, and she held him and cried and cried. And he died in her arms at 9:45. We were holding him together. I was sitting on the bed, holding both of them, my left hand under Denver and my right hand supporting his mom. She didn't realize he had died. But I knew. I just let her hold on to him for a while longer, oblivious to the fact that her baby son had died. The supervisor came in and asked if he was still breathing, and I said no. and she handed me the stethoscope. I listened long and hard, all over his tiny little chest, lest I miss something. But there was nothing to miss. I shook my head, but she still didn't realize. I looked at her, and she looked at me, and she asked me how his heart beat was. And I told her no more. And she cried and held him tightly, tighter than she had before. And I cried with her, and we just sat there for a while.

The funeral... or viewing, or wake... or something, where they have the dead person out and they stay there with them, for a week... I am going to go tomorrow, I think.

I'm sorry this post isn't more upbeat... I promise more exciting nice stories soon.

Happy Birthday to me!!! Baby number 10!!

2008-01-20T21:07:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone!!
I just wanted to tell you about my super swell birthday celebration!!! I had a wonderful morning, I got 3 package slips!!! SO I went over to the post office and picked them all up!!! What a wonderful surprise! Packages on my birthday!!! They were supposed to be for Christmas, but they came right on my birthday, which makes it a whole bunch cooler!!! They were filled with candy, and baby stuff, CD's, and a whole bunch of other really great stuff!!! So if you were a part of that birthday (/Christmas) extravaganza... thanks so much! It really made my day!!!

Then at 2 I had to work, so I reported in for duty, I was first up... and waited... and waited... and waited... and nothing happened.... all night... I got a labor... but she was moving pretty slowly, and she was about to have her baby at shift change... but then she didn't... for a long time... so, yeah, no birthday babies for me, but here was a baby born on my birthday... His name is Arvic. :-)

It was a great shift, and in the middle of it, all the girls from the house came over and brought dinner! And we all had a party!!! It was SO much fun, just what I wanted to do!!

Last night I worked a shift with Holly. It was really great, I have gotten to see her deliver 2 babies, but she hasn't seen me catch any. So I was really hoping this would be the shift. We got there, and there were two labors! Perfect! I was first up, so I got the first one and Holly was second up, so she got the other. My girl had a bit of a difficult story. She had her first baby when she was 13. She was raped at 12 and delivered at 13.... she kept that baby for a few months and put it up for adoption. Then this baby. 4 years later... and she didn't feel like she could keep it either, for various reasons. So we talked about what she wanted to do when the baby came out, if she wanted to hold it or feed it, or whatever. And she said she did. So then, at 2:49p she delivered a little boy. So perfect, very cute, and very healthy. A while later Holly's girl delivered, as well as Tiffany's (another girl on shift with us).... and then we did the birth certificate, and got her all ready to go, and we went to the orphanage together. It was really hard for me, because of my Africa experiences... And after quite a few tears, all from the baby and me we dropped him off, and it went ok, and one of the Mercy girls is going to take the baby out for a while until he gets a bit older, a couple months, i think. Please pray for that little boy, if you think about it, and his mother too, who now has two children that she has put up for adoption.

So, she decided to name her son Loyd Jhon Tender.... Tender is not the last name... it's the third name... they were very excited about his little name... :-) even though the spelling and the "tender" are a bit... funny... not as funny as this... Holly's patient named her baby... ready for this? "Princess Holly" he he he, it really added some humor to my not so fun shift. :-)

Now I am off to work on my assignment some more! But here is a picture of little Loyd, my 10th baby (in a pink towel...), and one of me and Loyd and Holly and... princess Holly! ;-)

Christmas, New Year, and Such...

2008-01-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

Happy late.... everything.... oh man, what a crazy couple of weeks!!! I picked up a couple of shifts for some girls in my class, and I was scheduled a bunch, and I worked almost every day of the Christmas break! It was insane, I was exhausted. But it was good. Here are some pictures of random things from the past few weeks! Real blogging coming soon, I promise! :-)

Ricky Jr. Pepito
December 19, 2007

Anjilie and Dioson
I worked swing shift (from 2-10) and then went home to sleep, only to get a text from my continuity that she was in labor! I slept for about 3 hours, and was back at the birth room. I had 2 babies in 7 hours!! AND then went over to Natalie's baptism! Yikes! Anjilie, the little girl born on swing is on the left, and Dioson, Jemma's second little boy, born at 3:29am~ and one tired midwife!

Later that morning at Cindy's... obviously more than a little tired! :-)

Christmas Gaisano style! In the middle of the mall, there is this HUGE christmas shop... this isn't even half of it! :-) It's seriously insane!!

At the Christmas party we played a game with red tissue paper and cotton balls... which team could make the best santa! Our team won! The santas are (from L-R) Ate An An, Josie, Me, Medea.

Rose at the Christmas party!!

Me and Hol at the Christmas party!

Holly's Birthday Part 2.

2007-12-20T20:56:00.000-05:00

So... for Holly's real birthday surprise.... the one the bowling was covering up... :-)

So the plan was... the bowling was a decoy... the real surprise was a weekend (ok, well, sunday and monday) getaway to another island where we spent a lot of time in the water, and swimming, and eating, and riding on the back of some super swell motorbikes.

Here's how it went down.....

Holly was working day shift (6am-2pm) an I was "working" Night shift (10pm-6am)... So Holly was at work, and I was at home frantically getting together a bag of stuff, clothes, snorkel stuff, food (cause there is no food at the place for sleeping), etc, etc... So I told her that if she caught a baby (which she did, by the way, her first one!!) that we would go to the pool, and then go for a really stellar 3 dollar massage... That was my excuse to get the bags... and so she got home, and I was trying to get her to hurry... but we didn't get out of the house until after three... sigh... It works much to my benefit that Holly has no idea how to get around Davao; and we got on a Jeep and started riding... for a long way... well, not long, but MUCH longer than it would have taken to get to the pool... and we go to the ferry. The whole time Holly is like, what pool are we going to, Sar? And I was like, oh this new pool the big girls told me about... and she was like, hmmm, ok. And we get to the port... and she's like... ummm, Sar, are we going to the beach or the pool? and I was like... yeah... So we get our tickets onto the ferry... and she's all excited. and I was like, well, it's like 3:30 now, so we don't have THAT much time... sorry friend, I thought you wouldn't take so long to get ready... So we hire two motor bikes to take us around, and we went to this sweet waterfall, but we didn't have that much time there, cause it was already getting late. So we left there an traveled across the island to Canibad, the place we were staying.

We got there at a little after 6 and it was definitely well on the way to darkness, the whole time we were on the bikes, Holly was thinking... why are we going here? It's getting so late... So my driver, who I had been talking to the entire time, was like, Ok, you will just text me in the morning when you are ready to leave, and Holly looked at me and was like "WHAT???" It was hilarious! And all the questions about my night shift, and had I thought about ___ or ____... :-) It was grand. So we got a little open hut on the beach for about 4 dollars and slept there right on the beach, and had some wonderful food (that had gotten a little smushed up in my backpack... oops... and slept early and woke up early, and played in the water until about 9:30. We snorkeled and picked up some really cool shells and stones for our fish tank. Our next stop was a cool bat cave. It houses one of the biggest bat colonies in the world. it was seriously HUGE. And really smelly. And also loud... Kinda gross. But it was cool. Then our drivers took us to Paradise resort and we spent the rest of the afternoon eating and swimmin g there, and got home about 4:30. It was SO grand, and she was so surprised! It was a wonderful day!! And because we did the "local" stuff, it was crazy cheap too! Yay for 1/4 century birthday surprises that aren't expensive!! Waa hoo!!!

Love you guys! Have a great Christmas!

~Sarah

Holly's birthday surprise...

2007-12-14T18:45:00.000-05:00

Soooo... Holly's birthday! It was great fun! It was a good day, we just did some stuff around the island and had a really good day. So I worked clinic in the morning, and then came back and picked up Holly, and we went to this massage place :-) It was really fun. It was a at this Thai place and it was more muscle pressure and stretching and pretzling and stuff! :-) It was So amazing. Then we went over to the mall, and we walked around and shopped a bit... and while we were there... in the department store... this song came on, and every sales associate in the store started doing this pre-choreographed dance... It was a little bit crazy... and hilarious!

Then we went bowling with a couple of girls from the house, and had some dinner at the food court. and went home and watched a movie... and Holly went to work! :-) It was a great day!! Oh as a birthday "cake" we got a fresh coconut with fruit salad in it... and it was SO yummy! It was really a good day, and Holly had fun, phew! :-) Have a great weekend, friends!!

~Sarah

Happy Birthday Holly!!

2007-12-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Holly!!! I hope your day is GRAND!!!

Wow wow wow!!!!

2007-12-05T17:46:00.000-05:00

So it finally happened!!! I caught my first baby!! It was very exciting!! I will spare you all the details (unless you want them, in which case, e-mail me and I'd be happy to tell you about it!!!). It was great! The mom's name is Jo, and the baby's name is Jana Prex.

It was pretty much amazing! Me and Holly went to get smoothies and we watched a movie last night instead of homework! Grand!! Anyway, I just wanted to send out a quick update, but I'll update more later! I have to go to work!! Love you guys!! Thanks for praying!

update....

2007-12-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

So, I had a labor... and I checked her all out, and it turned out... she wasn't ready to stay at the clinic... so I sent her home! It was really cool and I was terrified. Thanks everyone for praying.

Prayer requests

2007-12-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, so honestly, the title of this post was going to be yikes!.... but... Prayer requests is maybe better...

So I am sitting here, on the cusp of handling... ok, maybe not really. I am at 8 births, and the supervisor said if there were 2 the third would be mine... and I was not expecting it today. I wasn't expecting it until Wednesday... SO I, with a look of terror, I'm sure, said... umm... ok. So yeah, If you look at this on the morning of December 3rd before 9 o'clock... I could be... yikes... a real live midwife, sorta... Actually, if I handle, I'll probably be there for longer than that... so if you could be praying for me, that'd make a TON of difference....

also... my great friend Cindy.... texted me the other day... and she is having some SERIOUS familial problems, I think. And she is confiding in me. I am very worried about her, because she was texting me a lot, and then she said something about her uncle coming over (who, I think is the source of the problem), and she hasn't texted me back since then... please pray for her, and her family. And for me, and the other mercy girls that may be called on to try to work out this problem for her.

Alright, thanks so much! Love you guys!!

~Sarah

Natalie Bolcan!

2007-12-02T08:11:00.000-05:00

So I had Cindy and Natalie's 6 week check. It's the last post partum check we do here at mercy... it was kind of bitter sweet... however!! We went out for breakfast/lunch after and they invited me over to their house... which was kind of far, and I didn't really tell anyone I was going... but it was crazy fun.

So we get in the Jeep outside of the shopping center, and they told me it was far.... but I didn't really believe them. It was pretty far. So we rode, and I was holding Natalie, and we got all sorts of funny looks from the other passengers who were thinking how did this white girl get this baby... Then we got to the stop, and jumped out. Cindy's mom took the baby and got on one form of transportation, and me and Cindy were going to ride on a motorcycle together... well... she told me to get on, and I said "that one?" and she said "yeah" and I said, "now?" and she told me yes... so I did... and the driver started freaking out, and I was like... uh, what? and everyone started laughing... and I had no idea what I did... so cindy was like "Get off!!" and I jumped off so fast... and I tried to get her to tell me what... but she was laughing so hard she couldn't get it out... great... I start off by totally embarrassing myself... So it turned out that the guy just wanted to turn his bike around... I was the talk of the bus station for the rest of the day (at least).

So we got to her house and I had a LOT of coke, and some peanut butter sandwich thing, and anything else they could find in their house to get me... which I tried not to eat, but really, there was no refusing them. It was a grand visit and while I was there, Cindy asked me to be Natalie's godmother. which basically involves buying a bunch of presents and going to her baptism and stuff like that. she also invited me to their family reunion on Jan 1... so, it's going to be great fun!! So I made it home in one piece, I didn't even get lost (which is kind of a miracle, because I get lost all the time)! It is SO wonderful to have relationships with these girls! And I really hope I can continue to build good relationships even when the work schedule gets crazy.
I hope you all are well, and I pray for you regularly~

Shift with Holly

2007-11-28T05:29:00.000-05:00

It was a very exciting shift... it started out kind of slow, but it held a lot of action! :-) Holly was first up to assist so we had a pushy girl who was giving birth to her first baby. She was doing pretty good... but then the baby wasn't coming out.... for a long time... so we ended up transporting her to the hospital, and she had a C-section. It was kind of sad, but I think it was ok. Then after a little while another girl came in, and she was SO beautiful! She was very tall, like, REALLY tall. It was grand. She had come with her young daughter and son and husband. They didn't have anyone to watch the kids except a little boy, who they also brought with them. Crazy. So, the mom was pushing out her third little baby, while the husband ran back and forth between her and the kids outside! :-) And then, since there was nobody else there, the kids came in and were hanging out and inspecting their new baby! Holly did amazingly and it was a pretty good shift. (so the pictures are of the new little family, and Holly finishing up the newborn exam)

In other very exciting news... we are deep into our new assignment (which isn't so new anymore...) it is Intrapartum (labor/birth). It's really great and relevant to what we are learning right now. The girls in my year are starting to deliver the babies instead of just assist, and it's exciting to see. I still have 7 assists... I only need 3 more... I have been "stuck" there for about 2 1/2 weeks. It's a little bit discouraging, but I know that I am not going to handle until God wants me to do it, and I have learned SO SO SO much in this past 2 1/2 weeks. I have gotten the women from admission and sat with them, basically, until the head was about to come out, and then a supervisor comes in and catches it. So I feel more like I am... I don't want to say ready, because there is still SO much to learn. I will never get it all. But I know way more than I would have if I would have just finished my assists 2 weeks ago. And it gives me more time to build relationships with these girls, which, is so important to me. Anyway, thats all for now. I should get back to homework. I am on cooking this week, which leaves me not as much time for homework! :-) Have a wonderful last half of the week, and weekend, friends!!

P.S. Shout out to Jes L.'s Mom!!! She rocks! ;-)

:-)

2007-11-22T18:29:00.000-05:00

Wow it's been a long time... The assignment was due, and then the internet out for a whole week! It was crazy times! :-) But now it's settled down just a bit, and we are back to just the regular amount of craziness! :-) I am very excited because this aftenoon I get to work with Holly! And I PROMISE that there will be pictures and stories from that later. But for now, it's laundry and homework until 2 when its time for work... until then :-)

sigh

2007-11-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

Wow! I finally finished my assignment. that one was a killer. It wasn't exactly hard... just long and time consuming. So after malaria set me back about 6 days, I finally finished Sunday night (definitely 6 days after I wanted to). It was due monday afternoon, so it turned out ok. God is SO faithful. I just have to take the test on... tomorrow, and then on to the next assignment, which, I hear, is a real whopper... so yikes!

In other news me and Holly got to work together yesterday!! It was prenatals, so we really didn't see each other at all. BUT our cubicles were right next to each other, and it was so great to be able to hear her with the women, and to listen to them joke and laugh together. It made my heart smile. She however, did not hear my initial prenatal karaoke joke... In the Philippines karaoke is HUGE!!! Like, really, a karaoke machine on every corner! so on the day of initial prenatals sometimes the girls have no clue what is going to happen, so we tell them... "Here at mercy..." so I always talk about the fetoscope (like a stethoscope, but different...) to hear the heart beat, but then I also tell them about the doppler I tell them it's like a microphone, for their baby to do karaoke! and they always laugh so hard at my very funny joke... actually, a lady responded yesterday with, "Oh yes, I know this baby is going to be a karaoke star, this is practice!" HA HA HA, it was hilarious! Well, anyway, here are some pictures of Holly and I doing prenatals... not yesterday... but recently... :-) Have a great week everyone!

Oy!

2007-11-05T20:58:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting... I have been very sick for the past... week ish... I've had malaria and basically not moved from my bedroom for about 6 days, not eating/drinking, etc... But God is faithful, and He was taking care of me, and Holly was taking care of my physical needs (which, is kind of difficult, I'm not the best sick person... I'm not very compliant...). I am so blessed by her. But anyway...
Today I had a three week check with Cindy and Natalie. Natalie is getting SO big! She was over 7 lbs! yay! She was still kind of jaundice, which should have probably gone away by now, but her grandmother was giving her this "vitamin" supplement and thought that was enough, and she didn't need to follow our instructions. But I told her to stop giving her the vitamins, and sun her a little... and keep feeding a lot. Cindy is so grand, she texts me all the time! :-) And nice ones, too, not just forwards (in the Philippines they send a lot of forwards to people, they are kind of silly, but ... yeah). Last night she sent me a message saying that she was so excited to see me tomorrow (today), and that she misses me, and Natalie does too! :-) And today they brought me some mangos! my favorite! I've decided that Natalie looks just like her mom! They are both so cute!

So on the school front... Our teacher for this assignment graciously extended the due date from Friday at 12 to Monday at 2! I was SO glad, because when I was sick, I couldn't do any of it... I couldn't think well... So that left me about 4 days to do about half of the assignment that we had 3 weeks to do! yikes! I was SO excited about the extension, so now, I can do a bit of a better job with it. Speaking of "it." I should probably go work on it some more! Have a wonderful week! I will update again sooner! :-)

Life...

2007-10-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give an update on Cindy and Natalie... they are both doing GREAT! Cindy is such a great mom! I'm so proud of her! She is pretty much amazing! And her mother comes to every single visit she has, and brings every piece of paper I have ever given to her! ;-) It's so cute. Here are a couple of pictures from Natalie's check ups!

In other news... our new assignment is newborn exams... and it is very long, and very interesting. And, I am so easily distracted by the information in those text books... when I am doing my assignment, I find something interesting, and then I just start researching it... it's good, I'm learning a lot... but it's not very productive.

True to our agreement... Holly and I have celebrated our test with a McDonalds meal... :-) Ok, don't worry, sometimes it's not a whole meal, just ice cream.... but this time it was a whole meal... oh man, and I'd just like to say... the chicken nuggets were heavenly this last time. They weren't over cooked... I was SO excited!!

I am on shift right now, and it's been dead since we got here... we had 3 girls to discharge, but they were completely done, only to pay. and they were out... and we haven't had anyone since then! :-) maybe it'll pick up a bit, because I didn't bring any of my text books over here... :-)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!!

~Sarah

wow, 6 of them!

2007-10-21T17:45:00.000-05:00

So you have your slow shifts, and your mild shifts, and your busy shifts.. but then there are there are the crazy shifts that people talk about for days after... well I was on one of those on Saturday morning... our shifts are only 8 hours, and usually we have 1-2 babies on a shift, 3 would be busy... well, saturday morning we had 6!!! That's right, 6. The team was Ate Ermie, Jenny, Medea, and Ghang ghang... and me... and Medea's friend from Switzerland... thankfully everyone can catch except me (and Elizabeth, Medea's friend). We were endorsed 3 labors, one of them pushing, one of them about to be pushing, and another one in early labor who refused to go home. So the first one delivered at 6:23 right after shift change, we actually did endorsments right outside of her cubicle. So I charted for her birth. The second went at 6:53 and I charted for her birth as well (it was really fast). Then we had another girl come in who was active... and she had her baby at 8:04, I charted that one too, meanwhile there was another girl pushing in bed 5... so after the placenta and checks and stuff, I ran down to that one... but it turned out that she wasn't ready to be pushing... so they made her stop...then some time... another girl came in (I think when I was with Ate Ermie at that 8:04 birth), and she was pushy... so, her baby was born at 8:40... and that was Medea's second catch of the day! yikes! So then we had a little break... and that girl who was pushing but had to stop wanted to push again... and this time she was ready. But if you will recall the order of things... 10 observes, 5 charts, then assist... and I had charted 5... so I was up for assisting... holy cow... SO my first birth as the assist... it was a boy, and he was born at 10:38... I didn't feel like I was too incredibly helpful, I didn't really know what I was doing.... AND he needed deep suction... and I definitely didn't know how to do that... so, I'm not counting it toward my 10... but I was the official assist on birth 5 of the day... so sometime in there... on of the other girl's continuity came in (that means, you do her prenatals, and then when she comes in to deliver you are the midwife, and you do all her checks and stuff after the baby). SO that was her girl, and she delivered at 1:23... and I helped with that one, it was a pretty tough birth, and there were some complications and such, so they needed me to do some stuff (stimulating the baby and such). So that was my day of 6 babies in 7 hours... There are only 5 in the pictures, because that last girl didn't go until a bit before endorsements, and then the baby needed deep suctioning, and then he needed deep suctioning again a while afterthe birth (I actually did that one, so now, next time it's needed I can do it... yikes!).

Me-Medea-Jenny-Ghang-Ate Ermie and 5 of the 6 babies of the morning.

Natalie Bolcan

2007-10-17T17:44:00.000-05:00

In prenatals for the past few weeks, I have had the great pleasure of checking Cindy, a first time mother who is 18 years old! She is the sweetest girl, ever, and she just has the best attitude, and the sweetest spirit (I know i just said sweetest twice... but it's true). So she came in last night, at around 8:30 and they called me over, and I was really excited, but trying not to be, because she is having her first baby, and it was her due date... and she's young. So I went over... and she was still early. So she went home. And so did I cause I was not working. SO, then around 1:30, I got another message... and she was back, and she was further along, so I jumped out of bed, and pulled on clothes, and was over there SO fast... So she labored, and she was incredible. She followed every instruction we gave her, and the birth was amazing. A baby girl was born at 3:34. Her name is Natalie, and she is SO pretty. Cindy did an amazing job, and she's going to be a great mom! I'm so proud of her!!!

Solomae

2007-10-16T22:37:00.000-05:00

It happens sometimes, at mercy, that a mom will need to be transported to the hospital after she gives birth to her baby. This is ok, although sometimes crazy to facilitate. The problem is, however, that if we transport the mom after the baby is out, they won't accept the baby at the hospital. If we transport the mom when the baby is still in, the baby can stay... SO, this happened the other day... I came on shift and at endorsements there was a baby in one of the beds. And no mom. But, as far as I could see he wasn't alone (they said it was a boy). So I figured they had a helper was there and everything, and I had another patient I was helping to take care of, so I didn't even see the little guy until later... when he started fussing... So I went in to the crowded postpartum area to see who was making noise and to encourage their mother to feed them (because that is my solution for everything...). And I noticed this poor little guy laying on the bed alone... and it was him... the transported mother baby, who, it turns out wasn't a boy after all... :-) In the Philippines, the word for he/she is the same... so... it sometimes makes it confusing, and when some people say he or she... it's not always he or she in the strictest sense... :-D So I made it my personal mission to take care of her... and I named her Solomae (her mom doesn't know, though... ) cause I wanted Solome but, they pronounce it differently than I wanted to here... Anyway, so my little girl was hungry... and I needed to find some way of fixing that... It just happened that it was a crazy busy early shift in the birth room, and we had quite a few postpartums. So I brought little Solomae around to all of those new mothers and asked if they would share... I even got some of the women coming in for baby check ups to nurse her too... I was very creative. So Solomae and I hung out all night, and I kept her warm and clean and did cord care every two hours... and brought her around to the new mamas every time she needed.... And then, right before shift change, our supervisor decided to try to bring the baby to the hospital to see if they would let her in... and they did! Praise the Lord!!! They let her stay there with her mom!! It was truly a God thing!!!
Thanks for praying for me this week. I am doing really good. I'm a little tired today, because I worked last night, but I had a big nap, and I'll go to bed early! I'm just about finished with the assignment that is due on friday, we have class today, and I'll find out if there is anything I need to add, and if not, to the presses! I have a little creative stuff left... which... is always interesting given my creative talents... yikes! and then I have a free weekend! Yay! Maybe we'll find something fun to do... I hope you are all having a wonderful week, and God is continuing to bless you in ways you wouldn't even think to ask for!!!

~Sarah

hmmm....

2007-10-12T06:39:00.000-05:00

So.... Jenny soooo kindly pointed out that I haven't blogged in a long time... I was trying to think of a remarkable occasion in my life on which to blog... but it seems as though mostly it's work and school... Holly hasn't been feeling the greatest this week, so in order not to spread germs to tiny people... I took her shifts... which leaves me with 11 shifts in 14 days... yikes! and we are only supposed to have 3 shifts a week... so it's been pretty crazy for me. In between the working, I have been getting some much needed homework done. Yesterday, Holly and I went to McDonalds to do some homework, because they have air conditioning... and we bought lunch, and worked for several hours... McDonalds isn't the MOST conducive place ever to do homework... but we both got a bunch of stuff done... :-)

For birthroom news... I have all my observations done, and next I will be charting the events of the birth. Thats pretty cool! After charting, assisting, and then handling... oh my! Ok, back to the homework! I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

~Sarah

The week in review...

2007-10-02T00:36:00.000-05:00

So this has been a pretty eventful week for me... I have finished my assignment, saw a bunch of babies be born, worked my first night shift... transported my first baby (that was not so fun)... we went to that high ropes course, and that was pretty much great fun.

Friday night Michelle and I had a swing shift and we had two little girls born and I got to do SO much. I got to do the footprints and weight and bath and cutting the cord, and so much stuff! It was SO great! I felt like I was actually doing stuff, like making a useful contribution to the shift... So the footprints... they are not as easy as you would think... the baby has her little foot out, and she is crinkling up the toes, and trying to pull her foot away, and wiggle her toes around... so, she kinda looks like she has 12 toes on one foot... but no fear, it's actually only 5 on each foot! :-)

Outland Adventure (the ropes course) was great! There was a lot of really scary stuff, but I did it all and at the end, I was really happy with myself, and also rather sore... :-) There were lots of team building activities, and we really learned a lot about each other. And we only had one small accident when we were there... there was this girl, actually it's Michelle (the one I always work with), and she was going down the zip line, and there was a problem with the brakes, so she didn't stop and she kept flying by until she rammed into the emergency stoppers right before the tree. So she slammed into the ground and the wire pulled her up and smashed her down a couple of times before she finally stopped... She was hurt pretty a lot, but not seriously, thank God. She has a HUGE bruise on her upper thigh where she landed the first time, and a slight concussion, and a bunch of other bruises, but God was so merciful, because if she would have gone even 3 feet further, she would have slammed right into the pole that was holding the zip line, and been in a much worse situation.

It's been a good weekend of hard work and lots of fun. And this week is going to be great too! Friday we have our first test... we turned in our assignment today... so ikes, now it's starting.. :-) I hope you all have a wonderful week!

~Sarah

think breaks, comfort food, and chicken nuggets

2007-09-30T18:49:00.000-05:00

I am not sure how many of you know about my undying relationship with chicken nuggets... I love them. They are my favorite form of fast food. And when I go into a third world country, I just say goodbye to my beautiful chicken nugget friends. Well, I was prepared to go for a whole year (until my holiday) without my dear nuggets, but I stumbled into a McDo (McDonalds), actually only wanting to go to the bathroom (cause they have toilet paper (most of the time), and soap!!). All I had heard about was the fried chicken, spaghetti, and rice they have at McDo here... I walked in, and to my utter delight there on the menu was something that looked very similar to my good friends, chicken nuggets!!! So I decided that in addition to the potty break, I would sample a Philippines McDonalds meal... And, people, besides being slightly overcooked... it tasted like home!! I was jubilant!!! So, yesterday, when I was doing massive finishing of the assignment (which is due tomorrow, and 98 % done) I needed to have some chicken nuggets.... so me and Holly walked to McDonalds and I got a big old honking order of nuggets and Holly had a quarter pounder with cheese... it was a wonderful think break, and I came home and was ready to work again!!! I'm really excited to have this little "taste of home" in this crazy different culture. I feel like it's just another way I am being blessed here (who ever thought I'd be blessed by McDonalds??).

I hope you all are well. I am praying for you.

~Sarah

First time Moms!

2007-09-26T22:48:00.000-05:00

So... prenatals today, they went great! I only couldn't find one baby's heart beat, but no worries, it was there, I just couldn't find it... The baby was kicking me like mad, it was just in a different position than I was expecting... oops! :-) But I had 2 first time moms, and they were pretty early, like 22 weeks and 25 weeks. And I found the heart beat, and I asked if they had heard it before, and they said no, and I asked if they wanted to hear, and they both grinned and nodded... so I took off the ear thingys of the fetoscope, and she popped them on... and, I can't describe it. The incredible joy that comes on the faces of these mothers when they hear their baby's heart beating for the first time. It's so amazing. All the women are happy, all the women grin to hear their baby's heart beats, first, second, however many times... but the first time moms who haven't ever heard... wow, their faces, I just love to watch their faces... I go pretty slowly, with mine... I love to watch the moms as I am palpating their baby and the baby kicks me. They are so funny. I wish I had some pictures to show you, maybe next week! Prenatals are great, and they are getting less scary (english speaking mothers help a lot, though! ) and I just love the moms, I really hope that I can take enough time with each one to really show them the love of Jesus.

~Sarah

Random stuff

2007-09-26T06:12:00.000-05:00

Here are some random pictures from fun stuff these past few weeks!!

I am trying to eat some icky thing for an eating relay race. Actually, coming in to this item... my team was behind, and then we caught up and passed the other teams, AND two teams were eliminated on this thing, cause they couldn't eat it! yay!!

We went on a boat trip last weekend, and here are some pictures from that... I was trying to avoid sunburn... it didn't work.

Yeah, how could I get sunburned with all coverage, you might ask?? I have no idea, really. I put on sun screen 4 times... and I definitely burned... oh well....

We were going exploring! :-)

So this picture... It was kinda a problem... I was sitting on the bar thingy of the boat, and my legs were hanging off, which was my first mistake... I look calm and relaxed in this picture, but the reality was that my legs were flapping against that bar under water, and I definitely have the bruises to prove it now! I couldn't get my legs back up, the water was too strong, so I was stuck like that... and by the time we got there, I had slid (and pushed Holly), all the way to the end of the pole, where there was another support thingy, so we couldn't go any further. Just so you know, the goggles really helped! :-)

But really, Homework is going well... I think... I am almost done with my assignment, it's due tuesday... I have still only seen 2 babies, but I have had lots of other experiences. And last week I started doing prenatals by myself, well... with the supervisor doing prenatals at the next table with the curtain open... And I am officially in charge of taking everyones vitals... :-) And re-making beds, and cleaning stuff up.

I hope you are all well! I hope I have some good action to report to you soon!!!

~Sarah

Yay!

2007-09-19T02:28:00.000-05:00

Oh wow! I finally saw a baby!! It was a great shift. Lots of interesting stuff.

The first girl we had was only 30 weeks (I think) and her water broke, and she was having contractions. And we had to transport her because she was so early. And it was really sad, because when we got to the hospital, they checked to see how she was progressing, and she was pretty far along. She was only 18 and it was her first baby. She had only another girl with her, which I took to be her big sister, but it could be someone else. When they said how far she was, she didn't really understand, but when we told her helper, the helper started crying, and she said, please pray for us, please pray for us. We aren't ready. We don't have anything ready. And she was just sobbing right there in the middle of the hospital, and that is not normal for this culture... I just about lost it right there. I didn't cry, but I came dangerously close.

We had a couple other patients but the one who really got me was this girl Inday. She was 20 years old and was on her 2nd baby. Her labor was SO fast, she was really amazing. There was some craziness involved, but she handled it wonderfully. She gave birth to a little girl, and if I understood right, she wants to name her Ella Mae. She was 7lbs and 5 oz. :-) She is beautiful, and I'm so proud of her mom. Here are some pictures!!!

Praise to the Lord who holds the power of life and death in His hands! Pray for the girl this morning that her baby and her will be ok, and that they will find the money to pay for the hospital.

~Sarah

shifts

2007-09-14T03:39:00.000-05:00

Well... I had my first clinic shift and my first birth room shift... they were amazing, and eye opening, and emotional, and wonderful.

Thursday was my prenatal day, and it started at 7:45 with a staff devotional. While we were there, we could see the ladies already sitting in the waiting room so they could get in early. Cause the earlier you get in, the earlier you get in... or seen, it just made me laugh to say that... I'm kinda tired. So then, we have praise and worship with the ladies, and a short devotional and teaching. Then they start filing in. They all have their blood pressures checked, and are weighed and stuff like that, and some of them have their iron levels checked as well. I was with another new student, Michelle (we are on the same team, so we always work together), and we were assigned to BP's and iron checking. I was on the blood pressures and I did about 40, she had done some while I was watching something else. And a then I did about 12 hematocrits. Then all 70 women were finished and we went into the exam room. We got to feel some babies and find some heart tones. It was wonderful to see the joy of the moms' faces when they got to listen to the fetoscope and hear their baby's heart beat, maybe for the first time ever.

Today (friday), I had my first shift in the birth room, and it was... well... interesting. I didn't see any births. But I saw different stages of labor. When we got there they were about to transport a lady because of high blood pressure. We had another lady in there from that poor village I talked about going to last time, and her water had broken early. Her labor wasn't moving, and we ended up transporting her, as well, because it had been too long. And then our last labor was active, and we discovered that she had never had her hepatitis screening. So we ran her to the lab, real quick (which was a short ambulance ride away), and she was back. The lab phoned the results over, and she tested positive for hepatitis B... so we transported her too, because we aren't allowed to deliver moms who have tested positive for hep. Transporting was really hard because of the conditions of the hospital. It was really bad. When I was in the hospital in Africa it was really bad in the general ward, but I had to go to the pediatrics ward so it wasn't THAT bad, this time I was in the general ward, and it was awful. There were people laying everywhere in various stages of sickness and dying. It was really terrible. And I understand why the women don't want to be transported, it's not only about the money, it's about the whole situation there. And how the women are treated, and how the whole atmosphere is there... it's a hard situation.

And that brings us to now. I just had a great dinner. The girls at this place are amazing cooks... and it's time to start on the homework again. So, here we go! Have a great weekend!!
~Sarah

Isla Verde, Balut, and Durian

2007-09-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

Wow, it seems like forever since I've blogged... it's only been 3 days. So much has happened and I'm trying to process everything I'm seeing... We got our first assignment... it is going to be good, I think. It's due at the end of the month... the assignments are pretty intense so, please keep me in your prayers.

Yesterday we went on an outing with the national midwives... it was AMAZING. They took us all over the place and we got to see so many locations of the economic spectrum. First they took us to this place called Isla Verde, it is the place where the lowest class lives. They are actually squatters, their houses are built on stilts and they sit over the sewage and trash of the city that pours out and sits there. But to see these people, you wouldn't know they were such social rejects. They have such joy, and such beautiful hearts. I really want to go back there. These are really the people I love to serve. Those nobody else wants to, not the ones who smell good and have pretty clothes. I had a hard time not crying when I walked through their homes. They are all stilted, so the paths from house to house are streets of shaky boards balancing across bamboo poles. I was wondering if they were designed to hold the amount of weight all of us north americans were subjecting them to. I was a little afraid, at times, that I would go toppling into the sludge below... not a good thought.

Next we went on to see some other places and got to try LOTS of local food, like young coconut, durian, and balut. Young coconut... it's good... the others... umm... not so much. Durian is this fruit thing that is all prickly outside, and then inside, you crack it open like a watermelon and you eat this pudding-ish stuff that surrounds the seed... It smells SO foul. Like NOTHING you have ever smelled... and it tastes... well, not as bad as it smells... but, definitely not good... THEN I tried Balut... if you don't know what it is.. it's probably better... um, it's partially incubated duck egg... ick. I didn't like it. Then they took us to a WONDERFUL dinner, and all the girls were impressed by my rice eating.... :-) It was a wonderful day.

Thank you all for your prayers. They are helping this time of adjustment go so much better! I hope you all are doing great! I am praying for you.

Always,

~sarah

The Philippines.... wow.

2007-09-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

Well! Here I am!!! In the Philippines, we got here Friday afternoon. I can not believe it, really. It is kind of surreal at the moment. I'm sitting here on the balcony of my new home and smelling the smells, and seeing the people, and seeing my new life... but it still seems weird. I'm in that getting used to everything phase, I guess. Things are going well, we have started orientation and we get our first assignment tuesday. Shifts start Thursday, and I have a clinical shift thursday morning, and then friday a day shift in the birthroom. I'll let you know how it goes!! :-)

Thank you guys for praying for our trip over, it went well, we had some... issues, but nothing major, and we are all here and all of our bags arrived with us, and we saw God's power again and again. For example, in Manila we had to re-weigh our baggage, and because we were making a domestic flight, even though it was from an international flight, we only got about 45 lbs, and we all had two 60-70lb bags... so they wanted us to re-weigh... The man graciously told us we could average the totals, pay a discounted rate... and they were adding the total weight of all the bags, the man accidentally hit the reset button on the counter, and the total weight disappeared, and most of our heavy bags had already made their way down the conveyor belt!! So we only ended up paying $100 US for 20 overweight bags!! Praise the Lord!!!

Things here really are going pretty well, pray for our interpersonal dynamics, 20+ girls in one house leads to some... umm... stress and hurt feelings. But pray that we will have grace for eachother, and that the new girls won't be stepping on the older girls toes too much. Also, the air is really not too clean here, and my allergies are going crazy. Please pray that they settle down too, cause in the Philippines, I've heard, it's really rude to blow your nose in public... this presents quite a problem for myself... but, I've been doing my best to only blow my nose around my North American buddies! :-)

That's it for now! I'm sure there will be more posts up here soon, as well as more pictures!! I couldn't find my camera for a while after I got here... I just found it right now... in a bag... oops! Have a wonderful day!!

~Sarah

Wow!!

2007-09-03T22:07:00.000-05:00

Wow wow wow!! I am here in Oregon doing this orientation thing. It is glorious. It is definitely just what I needed after this past... sheesh, how long? month of craziness. I met the single students and they are great. It's going to be a good year. Our host families brought us hiking on a bunch of mountains, and we saw waterfalls and God's beauty everywhere. But boy, it's cold!! It's been wonderful because we are getting to ask SO many questions to people who have been there, and there are lots of us asking, so what one person may not think to ask, someone else will. It's SO great to be here. It's so fun to be able to put faces to all of the names I have been praying for all these months! Pray for us as we get ready to go to the Philippines on Wednesday!! It's going to be a great adventure!

~Sarah

Oh boy...

2007-08-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go!!! God has been SO faithful to me as I've been getting ready to go to the Philippines! He has gone so far above and beyond anything I ever could have asked or expected. God is SO awesome!! And SO Faithful!!

I am leaving first thing in the morning (although, I kinda think that it's before first thing in the morning. When I think of first thing in the morning I think 7 ish...), at 5am to head to the airport. I'm meeting Holly there and we are flying together to Portland where we will meet up with the other single girls who aren't over there yet for some sort of orientation thing, I think. I'm not sure yet what that will be, but I'm excited! Pray for us as we fly to Portland and then as we all fly over to Davao early next week. And that we would be good examples of God's love everywhere we go.

Keep checking back for more frequent updates now that I am going! I should put stuff up here much more regularly!! Thanks so much for praying for me!

~Sarah

two weeks!?!?

2007-08-16T08:07:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's only 2 weeks left until I go to the Philippines... yikes! These past two weeks have been SO full, it's been a blur. And I'm sure that the next two weeks will be the same. The last couple of weeks have been filled with visiting people, weddings, book reports, shopping for little things to take.... and SO much more. I had the opportunity, this past weekend to go to the wedding of my best friend from childhood, Matthew Friedman. It was so great to see all the Friedman clan again... oh, and Ted, too!! I didn't know if he was going to be there, so it was a great surprise when he was. It was so much fun! I had a really good time, and I was kinda sad I didn't get to spend more time with them. God has really blessed me with SO many people who love me! I am so grateful!

And now, I'm back home again, and it's time to get serious... :-) Please pray for me in these last two weeks! I will definitely need it!!

~Sarah

Less than a month to go!!

2007-08-03T07:36:00.000-05:00

Wow!! How time is flying by!! It seems like I was just accepted to Newlife, and here I am with 27 days left until I leave! Yikes!!

I just want to thank you guys for all of your support. God is continually using you to bless me as I prepare for this amazing new step in my life. I am SO crazy excited!! He's provided lots of churches for me to speak at, and hundreds of wonderful people, to encourage me. He has provided all of the instruments I need, doppler, stethoscope, fetoscope, etc. He has already provided tuition for the first full year, with more coming in!! He is definitely working, and it's SO amazing just to sit back and see.

Here in August starts a crazy month for me. I am running all around trying to get things together, trying to say bye to people, sharing my testimony with small groups and churches. It is all a little overwhelming, but God has been faithful, and will continue to be so.

Please continue to pray for me. I can't do this on my own. I am praying for you all too. Thank you so much for your faithfulness.

~Sarah

P.S. Look for more frequent updates as I get closer to the time, and especially when I leave for the Philippines!!!

Praises and Prayer requests:

Praise the Lord for His provision!!!
Praise the Lord for His protection!!
Pray for me to have peace in these last days before it's time to go.
Pray for the last bit of finances for this year to come in before I go (visas and living expenses)
Pray for safety as I travel around the US this month, and to the Philippines!!

Africa

2007-06-15T06:56:00.000-05:00

Questions

2007-06-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!
People keep asking me if there is anything they can do to help... or to buy something that would be useful in the Philippines, for school, or later for midwifery in Africa... well... in answer to that request... here is my AMAZON.com wishlist. if you see anything on there that you are interested in purchasing, go right ahead.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1VGUX85BI1GQZ/ref=cm_reg_rd-upd/104-3827294-6893500?ie=UTF8&msgid=updated

Thank you to everyone who has been praying, or supporting me financially. God is providing. And it's so awesome to watch. I am just about where I need to be to pay for the first semester, but a ways from where I want to be, to pay for the year (and get a discounted rate on tuition). If any of you feel led to do any fund-raisers at your church, or other group, let me know, and I can help you get something organized.

Thank you again, to everyone who is praying, and giving of yourself, in whatever way. I couldn't do this without you!

~Sarah

New Every Morning

2007-05-27T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hey there, everyone!I know it's been a while since I updated... I was waiting for something remarkable to share with you. But the monotony of my life these days doesn't lend itself to much excitement... :-) I will say, however, God still proves His faithfulness to me, every day. And it just blows me away! I have 95 days until it's time to go. And that fact alternately excites me and freaks me out. On one hand, I am SOOO excited to go, and start on this new adventure God has for me. On the other hand, I have SO much to do before it's time to go. And it's crazy to think of all that getting done in time, all that money coming in in time, everything being settled in time. But once again, God proves His faithfulness, and I can just be still and watch, knowing that it has all come together again, but, once again; not because of anything I have done in my own strength. I want to thank you all for praying for me. I appreciate it more than I can say. If you are praying, and you would like some specifics...

Pray for me to trust God in this new adventure!
For the finances to come in to the point they need to before I go
For peace even among the crazy getting-it-all-together-time

Lets praise the Lord together for His faithfulness to us, even when we prove ourselves time and time again unfaithful to Him.

God's Faithfulness!

2007-04-15T14:32:00.000-05:00

I am SO excited about how GOD is providing, even my ridiculous needs!!! This week, I have been really worried about finances... And, Tuesday morning, I won a prize at work for 5 dollars! I know, it's not much... but I didn't have enough cash to put gas in my car, and that was just the amount I needed to finish filling my tank! Praise the Lord!!

Thursday I had to close at work, so I was there late, and when it came time for lunch I was STARVING. I had only brought some carrots and a granola bar, and I knew that there was no way that would carry me through the day. I decided to just walk down the parking lot to the little pizza place, the whole time kicking myself for using my money for fluffy things, such as lunch... :-) and God was like, Sarah, if you can't trust me to provide lunch for you, how are you going to trust me to make it through your whole life of mission work??? So I get to the place, and I ordered the smallest thing on the menu, it was less than 4 dollars... and I went to pay, and the lady said to me, "You are the 'show God's love' customer of the day." And my mouth dropped open, and I said, "huh?" Apparently, every day they pick a number of order and that person gets their order for free! And it was me! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness!!!

Saturday afternoon, I got a call from a lady that I haven't seen in 10 years! She said that she had a piece of equipment that I need for school... this thing costs about 600 dollars new, and she has them for 75 dollars!!! She has enough for me, and for Holly!!! Wow! God is SO awesome!

Today we had a soup lunch at church, and they took an offering, and the amount of the offering, was just a bit more than what I need for my ticket that I have to buy before the first of May!! It blows my mind, how God will provide. It's so amazing. I am in awe of His power! Praise the Lord with me!!

If you have anything extraordinary that God is doing in your life, I'd love to hear about it!! I love hearing about God's faithfulness to His children!!!

~Sarah

First Prayer Letter

2007-04-05T06:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you all from Sunny Florida! I pray all is well with you this spring, and that you see God’s faithfulness manifested in your everyday lives. God has surely been faithful to me, and ALWAYS provides for all of my needs, no matter how trivial they may be. Thank you all for your support through the years, financially, but especially through prayer. I can not even say how much your constant prayer support has meant to me and how just knowing people are praying, gives me strength during hard times.

I have some very exciting news for all of you! God has really been working in my heart for the past couple of years, since school. And this past year in Africa He has really been softening my heart, and opening it in ways I have never expected. It has always been my prayer to have a heart for missions, and to be broken by the things that break the heart of God. But I have always sort of seen myself on the “sending” side of the equation. I have now come to realize that God has a different plan for me!

The need in Africa is so great, and my heart breaks for these people whom I have come to love. There are aspects of every day life that we take for granted, such as cleanliness, hygiene, balanced diets, and women’s health issues that are overlooked or abused there. A friend in Mozambique was telling me about birth in a hospital there. She said that if the women make “noise,” the doctors and nurses beat them and make them be quiet. When the work day is over, the doctors leave for the night, and the women may still be in active labor, but the day is over, so the doctors go home for the night. The World Health Organization reports that “a woman living in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth. This compares with a 1 in 2800 risk for a woman from a developed country.” Those statistics are crazy, considering that these women are dying from things that are preventable with proper care, observation, and education. God has laid these people heavily on my heart, and I can not wait to go back to Africa and serve them in this capacity. But, first I need to be trained. And for this training I have been given the greatest opportunity, for service. There is a school in the Philippines that trains missionary midwives, on the field. This ministry is called Newlife International School of Midwifery. The students are trained in their free clinic called, Mercy Maternity Center that serves about 20,000 women a year. All of the care is provided to these women free of charge. I am one of the thirteen ladies who have been accepted to attend Newlife in the fall. This has amazing potential for ministry for me, because it will equip me to provide the needed care to these beautiful people. The program lasts for two years, during which I will attend classes, work in their birthing clinic, and also do village outreaches. I am SO excited for this opportunity, because it lets me learn midwifery while I am also out serving on the mission field!

This program comes at a major cost, but I know God is faithful to provide the means required to walk the path He has prepared for me. For the whole two year program, books, airfare, visas, medical equipment, etc. the cost is approximately $30,000. And I know that this is a lot. A lot, a lot, but God is big, and He is SO faithful. He has never given me reason to doubt that He will provide for me. I would ask you to prayerfully consider becoming a partner in this ministry opportunity that God has provided. In missions, some are called to go, and some are called to send, but there can not be missions without both of these groups of people. So I am asking you to give as God leads, but above all, please pray for me. I think these next two years are going to be SO challenging for me, emotionally, physically, spiritually, as well as academically. I can not do this alone, I need your support. For me, now, to look at these bills coming in, every day, is so overwhelming, I know there is no way I can do this on my own. It is a team effort. Please join with me in this venture.

There are several major expenses I have coming up in the next months. Here are some of the things on my “shopping list” for the next few months. Tuition for the fall and spring is $10,000. Textbooks for the fall are about $800. An electronic fetal Doppler is about $600 and other medical supplies will be about $500 additionally. Airfare is almost $2,000 dollars. And visas are going to be very expensive as well. I just wanted to give you an idea of where the money will go as it is donated. So feel free if you, or your Sunday school class, or school group, or Bible study group, want to take one of these needs and “adopt” it as your own, let me know, and I will let you know how your money is being put to good use on the field, and how God is using your gifts, and how you are affecting the lives of these women, first in the Philippines, and later in Africa. Please pray about how you can partner with me in this ministry opportunity that God has provided for us. If you are interested in me coming and sharing in your church or other group, let me know, and if it is not possible to make it, because of time or distance, I will be glad to make some other arrangements with you. Please call me, or e-mail, if you want more information about speaking to your group: smontaudo@juno.com, or
352-315-4116.

Please pray about how you can stand with me and join in this ministry opportunity first to the Philippines, and then to Africa. Thank you in advance for your consistent support, both financially, and through prayer. I covet your prayers, especially now, in this time of preparation. And please let me know if there is anything I can be praying with you about. You are all in my prayers. Thank you again for your faithfulness. May the grace of Our Lord Jesus be with you.
In Him,

Sarah Montaudo

Prayer Requests:
That I would see God’s faithfulness, even when it’s hard.
The money that I need will come in, in a timely way.
For me to get everything together before it’s time to go.
Safe travel.
Praises:
This AMAZING opportunity to go to Newlife!
God’s provision in my life, and His faithfulness.
Having the support of my family and friends.

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Hi!

2007-04-05T06:12:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,
Here is my new blog to keep you all informed on what is going on in my life as I get ready for school, and then as I am there, studying, and ministering to these women of the Philippines! Thank you all for reading! God bless!

~Sarah~