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What lies ahead

I sit here the day before my midwife licensing exam. Yes, in my right mind I should be stressing and not on here writing. :)

But I've never been in my right mind. If I was--I would not have left my nursing job and uprooted half-way across the globe. Two years ago I left the US to follow my God-given passion of helping pregnant women.

In the Philippines, I witnessed miracles...the first cry of a baby...priceless memories etched into my mind forever.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to take a licensing exam. There's lots of money and emotions tied into this event. It's like the end of my two year journey to become a midwife. And yet, I remind myself...pass or fail...this examination does NOT define my worth.

It does NOT define my competence as a midwife.

It merely serves to reinforce the skills that have been taught to me at Newlife. I have been surrounded by women the past 2 years who possess amazing knowledge and skills, but more so reliance on the Great Physician. They have faithfully served women in circumstances when others would label them as 'too complicated' or 'not worth the effort'.

At Yosemite...Tunnel view in background.
Looks like a studio backdrop. I assure it's all REAL and God-breathed! :)

Today, as I sit on California's rocky shoreline—waves from the Pacific ocean crash mightily against the rocks. The power of God's design is undeniable. I do NOT know what my future holds....but that is ok because GOD holds my future. I cannot really think of a safer or better place to be. :)

Josh took this photo...love it!
Asilomar, CA

Here's a portion of a powerful poem from my Varney's textbook:

Holy Births and Howling Babies

I pray for all my babies, Be good to your mama.

Baby girl Althea {at birth}

I pray for all my mothers, Be strong, be good to this baby.

I pray secretly and I pray slowly.

I pray for us, the midwives and almost-midwives.

I pray that we make the right decisions.

And I pray for those of us who make bad decisions.

Decisions we regret with outcomes we can't change.

I pray that we learn from our mistakes.

That with age comes wisdom.

I pray deeply and I pray completely.

For all of the hands and all of the bellies.

I pray for holy births and howling babies.

~Dana Quealy, CNM, MSN

California

Well, we made it to California. And I can sum up my initial reaction with one word: COLD! I'm sure it's just typical September weather on the West coast. And honestly the mercury isn't down all that far. But it's easily the coldest weather I've experienced in a very long time. The low temps are in the 60s, which is easily 20 degrees cooler than the morning temp in Davao. Weather.com says today's high was 94 in mid-afternoon and I'd say it felt good. It was hot, but it felt good. You almost start sweating, but then that's normal for me now. But it's so dry here. The fire hazard is high as it's been a bit dry lately. But just the air itself is dry to me. Weather.com says the humidity now is 32%. The humidity right now in Davao is 84! With a light rain. That would have to be the next word I'd use: dry. My skin, my eyes, my nose all feel very dry. Never thought I'd say it, but I miss the weather in Davao. Although, I do not miss the random, frequent storms after nightfall. It's nice to not have to worry about being caught out in the rain.

It comes down to this

Oh my. Time sure has flown by. Here it is, September 17, 2012. My last day in Davao. In fact, our flight is scheduled to leave from Davao in less than 4 hours. Wow! Has it been two years already?

Well, just to inform you all, here is a rough outline of our upcoming travels:

• Leaving Davao around 9:00pm (9:00am EDT Monday morning)
• Going to Manila and "sleeping" in the airport before leaving Tuesday morning around 7:30am (7:30pm EDT Monday evening)
• Then on to Japan with a layover of a few hours (I don't even know what time it will be there)
• Then to Seattle where we go through customs (it will be Tuesday morning there, not sure about the exact time)
• Then from Seattle we fly to San Francisco, arriving about 2:00pm Pacific time (5:00pm EDT)

We'll be there for about three weeks before returning to PA in early October.

Well, time for one last shower in the Philippines (and the last one for quite a few hours!).

Ayo ayo Davao! Until we meet again. It's been a wonderful time. But for now...

Leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again!

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One week ago today...Part 5

The following is taken from my journal of our experience in Tabuk, Kalinga province in the northern Philippines. Here are a few things you'll need to know:

Tabuk - a city in Kalinga province, northern Philippines, a few hours north of Manila

Bugnay - a remote tribal village in the mountains a few hours away from Tabuk

Sagada - a city in Mountain province that attracts international tourists

Achao & Georgia Macad - husband and wife who started a maternity clinic in Tabuk (Achao is from Bugnay)

Crystal Meeks - a midwife who started a maternity clinic in Bugnay, a remote village in the mountains

Sara & Fonda - friends from the clinic in Davao

Sagada to Tabuk

July 11, 2012

We woke up around 5:00am and finished packing all of our clothing and gear. Sara made pancakes and the strawberry preserves we had bought were a great complement to them. So we grabbed all of our stuff and headed down to the multicab. Kuya Ligaya then drove us into town to the jeepneys.

One week ago today...Part 4

The following is taken from my journal of our experience in Tabuk, Kalinga province in the northern Philippines. Here are a few things you'll need to know:

Tabuk - a city in Kalinga province, northern Philippines, a few hours north of Manila

Bugnay - a remote tribal village in the mountains a few hours away from Tabuk

Sagada - a city in Mountain province that attracts international tourists

Achao & Georgia Macad - husband and wife who started a maternity clinic in Tabuk (Achao is from Bugnay)

Crystal Meeks - a midwife who started a maternity clinic in Bugnay, a remote village in the mountains

Sara & Fonda - friends from the clinic in Davao

Sagada – cave and town

July 10, 2012

We woke up in the cool mountain air of Sagada (still about 70°F inside). We made a breakfast of eggs and hot drinks. Around 9:00am we met Kuya Ligaya to take us to Sumaging Cave. We stopped in town to register as foreign tourists and pay a small fee. Then we picked up a guide recommended by the Ligayas. We stopped again so Jayson, our guide, could pick up his supplies, including a large gas lantern, which proved to be much better than using flashlights and headlamps (which we personally had with us).