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

Youth Camp

So what's going on? Well, this month sees the completion of 4 years of marriage for us. It's a bit strange to realize that nearly 40% of our married lives have been spent overseas. That's 2½ years living back home in the States and 1½ years in our current home in the Philippines. I wonder what it would feel like if the day comes when more of our married years have been outside of US borders than within its borders?

In celebration of this momentous occasion (our 4 years of marriage), last week we spent a few days away from the city. We stayed at the same place we did last year on our anniversary. It rained one day, but we really didn't care. It was just really nice to get away and unwind a bit.

So are you starting to wonder what this has to do with the title of this post? Well, nothing. I just felt like writing a little bit about the most exciting of our recent endeavors.

Do you want to know why I this post mentions a youth camp and what in the world I have to do with it? Well, keep on reading!

When God's blessing exceeds our worth

Ya'll must think I've fallen off the face of the planet.

Well I am 13 hours of ahead of the States, but somehow manage to stay behind in proper communication. I've still got Christmas thank you cards I'm waiting to make.

But this post isn't meant to be full of excuses. Let me 'show' you some of my recent life happenings.

Happy New Year!

So it's the new year, and it's time for a new blog post. Yes, it has been a long time. Life has been a little out of sorts for me recently, meaning that I've been knocked out of my routine. I'm still trying to get back into the groove. So here's a brief rundown of what's happened in recent weeks.

We celebrated our birthdays in October because Christina had a busy schedule in November. We stayed at a resort on Samal Island for one night. The water was just okay, but the surroundings on land were nice. So then in November, we had two special Thanksgiving meals. The first was with the other girls at the clinic. Christina was in charge of games, so we did bobbing for apples. Some of the girls had never heard of it. Others, like myself, had not seen it done in years. I think I'd last done it when I was like 12 or something. But most of these girls are in their 20s. Honestly, I didn't think it would go over well. But I was wrong. I think only two people did not participate. It was a hit. So much so, that two days later, when we had a meal with the families, we did it again for the kids.

Typhoon and Flooding

So it's been a while since we have said anything on here. Well, not much is happening (at least that feels worthy of a blog entry). We are back into the daily grind. Christina is busy with the clinic. She had a few busy days with a catch in two or three consecutive days. But it is going really well.

And now begins "Year 2"

Our return trip to the Philippines began with a hurricane named Irene. What's the relation? Well, let me tell you.

It began with the simple fact that our initial flight was to depart from the Newark airport in New Jersey around noon on Sunday, August 28. A few days prior to the flight, someone told me that there might be a hurricane off the New Jersey coast mid-day Sunday. I'll admit my first thoughts were, "Oh that's nice. Now we'll get wet going in and out of the vehicle." But after three or four people said something about it, we decided to check into it.

Thursday night we heard that some airlines were waiving the fees associated with changing flights for anyone going through airports in the potentially affected area. So on Friday we looked at what other options we would have. Long story short, we decided that a 6:00 am flight on Sunday from Harrisburg, PA would be a better choice. That meant getting up by 2:00 and an 8-hour layover in Detroit, but it seemed to be the best option available.

First impressions...Back in the US on break!

Waiting in Davao airport

I'd like to think that I was one of those people who successfully documents their life in a journal. But the truth is, I only sparingly journal in a lined paper notebook sometimes. And I have an odd tendency to skip pages, so it's not even in chronological order. My one effort to be disorganized. ;)

So, since I'm back in the land of my birth I thought I would post some thoughts and reflections I've had recently. The flights...from Davao to Manila (philippine's capital) we then flew to Nagoya, Japan & then to Detroit (our longest one at about 13 hours). Our last flight was from Detroit, Michigan to Philadelphia, PA. We were greeted by Josh's parents who drove us home. Josh was quite the talkative one at that point. I had only cat-napped in our 30+ flight hours home, so I was crashing. I mostly slept the car ride home from Philly to our cozy home in Stevens, PA. It was beyond delightful to slip between the covers of our bed (yeah, I'm odd I suppose, I've been dreaming of this mattress here for awhile...but it's SO cozy). You know, it's the 'little things in life' I am starting to appreciate most. :)

Countdown

Well, it's been a while now. We've been quite busy lately with various activities, not the least of which includes planning for our return visit to our homeland. That's right. And it's approaching rather quickly now. In 36 hours we'll be in the airport in Davao. Our flight leaves around 10:00 pm Sunday evening (which will be 10:00 am Sunday morning back home) for the 1 hour 45 minute flight to Manila. We stay there for about 6 hours, then leave on our 18 hour flight to Detroit (with one stop in Nagoya, Japan). After about 2 hours, we fly to Philadelphia, arriving a little after 3:30 in the afternoon (local time). In all, our travel time is about 30 hours. We're not really looking forward to all of that. But we are looking forward to being home for a visit.

For anyone who is interested, we have scheduled two times for sharing our stories from the past year. On August 7 we will be sharing at our home church, Blainsport Mennonite Church, during the 10:00 am service. Also, on August 24 we will be sharing at my parents' church, Ephrata United Zion Church, during their Prayer & Praise service at 6:30 pm. We are interested in sharing more, so please let us know if you have a group interested in hearing our stories.

Well, I'll try to find some time in an airport to update about our travels, but I can't promise that I'll remember, have the time or find a free wireless connection. But we'll try to keep you posted on our whereabouts.

Now, it's time to start packing! See you soon!

A coming deadline...

Thank you family, friends and caring people (I've yet to meet in person), our hearts are overflowing with gratefulness at the generous gifts of time, money and prayers on our behalf.

This post is a recap of where Josh and I have come in this journey in the Philippines, what our current needs are and more so what's pressing on our hearts right now.

Pull up a chair, grab a glass of meadow tea and sit a spell with me...oh and maybe grab some tissues.

Just found out

All I can say is God is:

Source

Mortgage payment + adequate income = no worries :)

Now, factor in quitting your job to travel many miles overseas and renting your house to cover the mortgage. A good remedy until you need to find new renters. Right?!

'tis the season

Hmm, the title sounds like it should be around Christmas.

Filipino summertime (school summer break of April & May) has just ended and a new school year is starting. At the same time, US schools are winding down their school year and our summer is upon us.

Summer = volunteer breaks.

Summer + volunteer breaks = influx of summer intern volunteers.

The opportunity to meet a whole lotta people from around the world (well this time mainly the US), it's exciting but also involves a lot of talking/teaching/sharing. And yes, overcoming my shyness. I don't particularly jump at the chance to meet a bunch of people I don't know. Actually, I kinda get nervous, dread it etc. But, in encountering Filipino women in prenatals and the birthroom it's different. I feel I have a purpose, we can small talk but I am striving to relate to them & help with their well-being & their baby.

So, if you're chuckling (that's understandable) because many people may think me as outgoing and a people person...But it's true I have these 'discomforts'. Once I know you and feel comfortable, well it's a little different.

Update

So what's new with us? Well, for starters, we have been happily married for three years now! Last week we celebrated our anniversary by spending two nights at a resort on Samal Island. After I process my many pictures from the trip, I'll post some of them and talk a little about the resort. It was really nice. It reminded us of camping more than being at a resort, which suited us just fine. It was nice to see some greenery and hear some animals again.

Where has time gone?

Wow 7 months into this journey of following the passion God has placed in my hearts~to help pregnant moms birth healthy babies. Valuing the vulnerable and underserved women and babies because they are precious!

(Click on the image to see a closer view)

The above photo mosaic is courtesy of http://bighugelabs.com/. It's free and fun for picture arranging. :)

Not in any specific order I have posted Baby catches #8 through 15. Even though getting to assist the mom as she pushes her little one into the world is crazy thrilling...I still enjoy more the 'ooo and awww' of enjoying the little bundle after they're out. At some point I hope to include short snippets of their birth stories...each one is unique and stand out in their own special way.

You've got Spring. We've got Summer!

So spring has sprung in the US. I hope you are all looking forward to warmer days. You can put away the snow tires and get ready for spring cleaning. The windows will soon be open. New life will arise from the previously frozen soil. And I really don't know where I am going with this line of thought. Other than I really miss that last part. Yes there is green plant life here all year, but I miss spring. I miss the freshness and newness of flowers growing in gardens. The only greenery we see on a regular basis is large trees. Yes, the trees are tropical (lots of palm, coconut and banana trees), but there is not much change to them. I want to see and smell flowers. Earlier this month when we stopped at a resort while on Samal Island, I actually made the comment, "Wow! Grass!" I never thought that I'd miss grass so much. I don't think I'd be too surprised if I actually hug a lawn when we come home. Yeah, that's a weird mental picture.

Just to let you know...

A few people have asked how we are doing following last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We have had no effects here in Davao City that I am aware of. I read from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology that the largest unusual wave recorded on Friday was only 70cm. So as far as I can tell there wasn't much impact on the Philippines. The city here is very protected. The mountains protect it from bad typhoons (usually only affected by lots of rain, not the fierce winds). Samal and Talikud Islands protect the waterfront from significant waves and such. There is some flooding with any heavy rains, but not anything like what has happened in Japan.

So here's a quote I heard at church on Sunday that defines love, from the senior pastor of the church (I believe he is in Manila):

"Love is a commitment directed towards imperfect people to seek their highest good which often requires sacrifice."

Life in Davao

Well, first of all, our internet connection seems to be rather unreliable at present. We've come to the conclusion that it works for about an hour a day. I just now got connected, so I want to type this quickly.

We've been kind of busy the last three weeks. That's right. Three weeks ago today we left Oregon. This Wednesday it will be three full weeks that we've been here in Davao. It actually feels like it's been longer. Christina has been busy with orientation and meetings. She is also spending lots of time in her books. I have been going shopping quite a bit, picking up all the little things we need around here. I've also been doing most of the cooking. I actually enjoy it. We bought a rice cooker, so cooking rice is such a breeze!

Day 3

Today is our third day in Davao. We arrived early Wednesday morning, and it's now Friday morning. We've slept well the past two nights. It really does help to have small aircon unit to help us sleep. It cuts down the humidity and also the noises of the city. Hopefully we'll adjust to the heat and won't need the aircon every night, but for now in this adjustment period it's a great blessing.

Update

So yesterday we hiked up Mt. Neahkanie along the Oregon coast. The weather was less than ideal as it was cool and a bit rainy. There was no view from the top because of fog and a good mist blowing up the mountain. But it was interesting looking at some of the vegetation that is quite different from being on a damp coastline. But now I can say that I've seen the Pacific Ocean. We walked out to the beach but we didn't walk out to the water itself (it was cool and we had hiking boots on). Then we had supper and hung out at Gary and Lynn's house. We were all rather exhausted so we went to bed kind of early.

Clatskanie, Oregon

Well, we made it to Oregon. We got up around 3:00 a.m. EDT and my parents and two friends dropped us off at the Philadelphia airport. We got through security and everything with no problems and our flight was leaving at 7:10. I heard a flight attendant comment while we waited to take off that something must be wrong as they normally don't wait that long. Not a good thing to hear! But soon the pilot told us that a plane had experienced a "bird strike" while taking off and they had to check things out to make sure it was safe to take off. So, we soon were in the air. We couldn't sleep much, but we got to Salt Lake City about 10:00 CDT (about 12:00 at home). Our next flight left about an hour later and we arrived in Portland, OR about 12:00 PDT (about 3:00 at home).

Winding down to gear up!

Just a quick update:

We are leaving on Aug. 6th-right now that seems to be approaching way too fast compared to my laundry list of to-dos.

Please keep Joshua & I in your prayers as we pack-up and head-off to the Philippines so soon. We need prayer for safety, sanity (don't let stress & tense emotions get the best of us) and unity in forming friendships with these other wonderful ladies I will be training alongside.

Thanks for your interest in God's work in this corner of the vast globe-it's quite exciting to see how God can use us when we are willing to be open & vulnerable.

Below is a picture of our lovely home stateside that we need rented out. Hopefully we will soon find someone-we've had some people who were interested!