august update. decreasing the numbers.

Hi Family...

One month has passed since my last email and this is shocking. It is now almost over, August, that is.

We are really in the finance push right now. FInances for outreach are due in 11 days. I just wanted to share with you a fresh story. Starting need: 230,697.45. Basically, a house.

One of the lovely girls, who has been staffing here for two years and just completed the primary health care school, felt the L*ord said to give all her outreach fees away. That is about 9,000 dollars. Obediently she did, and she came to a place where she needed the L*ord to provide again. So for two weeks she has been seeking about how to approach this and didn't feel released to ask people yet. She did send one email and got 1000 dollars last Thursday! And then today, as I am walking to the base, I am met by a teary eyed girl. She said that she felt prompted to email her dad, whom she hasn't asked for money in 20 years, who also doesn't believe in G*od. (I realize that the term "girl" may be decieving, she is just so young at heart, although she has put in more years of life than me.) She specifically felt to ask him in participating in the building of G*od's kingdom. The story comes down to her dad saying yes to giving 4800...so "yes" to building of the kingdom, but he also gave much more than that. Needless to say, her full outreach is paid for. Pr*aise the L*ord.

Another story comes from Reinette, a South African (who is sitting right here and said I could use her name) and a lovely British girl (who shall remain nameless since she is currently car-washing and inaccessible). Each morning for the staff debt, there is pra*yer time that everyone can participate in but is specifically to see the debt decreased. During a prayer time last Friday, Reinette felt led to tell the "lovely one" that she would see half of her money come in. The "lovely one" was quite shocked and she claims "doubtful". At the end of the prayer time Reinette told the "lovely one" that G*od had spoke to her about giving half of her money to her. All of Reinette's money had been paid in, and only 50 dollars of the "lovely one's" had been paid in. So now, they are neck and neck, trusting G*od together for the final push.

So in the beginning, we needed $230,697.75 and as of this morning, we need $76.548.45. So in total, we have seen the provision of $154,149.30.

Otherwise, the teaching, small groups, wor*ship times, inter*cession times, etc. have been a time of refining. I feel like G*od has been bringing personally to the surface all the ugliness. Why do I say that? What is my motivation? Why do you think that way? There is plenty more where that came from, and he is surfacing it bit by bit. It could be discouraging, but right now, being a place of dis*cipleship, this is a good time for it to be happening. Thank you L*ord that you consider us worthy for a work that is much greater than ourselves.

Okay, I think that's all. I mean I could keep going on and on...but maybe that's enough for one month. (If it isn't enough, I am still blogging at www.bekah29.blogspot.com). Please send me your thoughts, pra*yer requests, funny riddles, I love to hear from you guys.

Bekah

from the students. :)

what are they learning these days???

this one is from Cara. she is from orlando, florida, has an infectious laugh and bouncy curly hair. i love her.

Gatekeepers for women and children
The BAS... I have already been here for 5 weeks now, and I would say it's an amazing school!! Honestly it’s just been awesome learning about birth and how G*od created a woman's body for it! I stand in awe of G*od all the time as I am learning about labor and delivery, Anatomy & Physiology, antenatal care, and what it really means to be a G*od fearing midwife!! Also learning about our role as midwives how we are the gate keepers into these women and children's lives, we are there to protect and pr*ay over them; basically we are going to be inter*cessors in the lives of these women as they bring forth G*ods creation!!! How exciting is that, I love this school and we are only half way through our 3 month lecture phase!!!

this one is from Kali, a Texan...no I am not partial to the americans.

It is amazing how G*od can cleanse our eyes and give us His view of the world. One of the ways that G*od has changed me is breaking this world view of a sacred and secular divide in the kingdom of G*od. I had such a wrong view on G*od's look into health care and had no idea that He speaks and cares about so many of the details that go into health care. I always saw G*od as the healer, but never as the practical G*od that would provide preventive tools to avoid ever needing healing. He goes to the source, G*od provides the practical things to prevent us from ever getting sick,. He has such a love for us that He doesn't just rebuke all sickness, but teaches us how to raise up our lives out of it, how we can play a part in keeping ourselves well. I am in awe of G*od's love constantly and in His ability to constantly be gently bringing us into His kingdom in so many ways.


I love them.

hrmph.

twenty four hours without complaining. can you do it?
i'm in the middle of it. i will post it for you when i finish. :)

ooodles

Pra*ise the L*ord family!

This week has been massive breakthrough in the authority and unity that our school beholds. We had a speaker share with us on Tuesday night about the authority that has been given to us. Ah, so much revelation. One thing he talked about was how G*od gave authority to Adma and Eve and then they gave it back to sa*tan. Then Jesus walked the earth for 33 years, winning the authority back through dying on the cr*oss and then hands it back to us. We have all auhtoiryt on hea*ven and earth to bind and loose. G*od has given us the keys of the kingdom. That means we can unlock those who are enchained, we can release a sp*irit of freedom over strong*holds of darkness, we can he*al the sick, make decisions in parliament. Ah, incredible! All I need to do is act upon it. I did see a headache healed this week, 24 hours of pra*yer be planned in 3 days and thousands of dollars released through pra*yer for a specific ministry after I took a hold of this. This is supposed to be the norm. Signs and wonders are to follow us.

As we enter labour rooms and places beckoning for hea*ling, this is what we as G*od fearing midwives need to have mastered. We must practice our pra*yer, intercession, essentially, grow spir*itual muscles. If I’m not comfortable speaking out hea*ling—I need to get comfortable. If I am used to prayers of passivity, speaking in pleases and thank yous to the enemy, I need to recognize authority and defeat him with it. This teaching flowed into the teaching we received as a class on unity and team dynamics. I have realized how many small excuses I can make, “I just am an internal processor, I don’t like to share out loud”---the enemy is going to speak for me or to me if I don’t claim what I learned and communicate to those around me. How many times have I had a relaxed face on (which looks sometimes grumpy or uninterested) just because I was relaxing and didn’t share my thoughts because I wasn’t sure of them and before I know it, I have, without saying a word, not contributed to the unity, nor cultivated G*oddly thoughts, nor claimed what I am learning and people can easily think I don’t want to share with them, that I don’t feel comfortable sharing…i.e. not the best unity builder. And the thing is, I can become better at this, this is something I can excel at, if I just practice…I can contribute or deteriorate the unity. This is such a big deal because almost every problem in the world is a relationship problem. You can replace the word s*in with “relationship breaker”… I am beginning to recognize that G*od takes friendships/relationships just as seriously as relationship with him…we are all mini reflections of him, if he have distorted visions of each other…well…

Thoughts? Anyone? It’s still fresh…and I could keep on…

Anyway! I am amazed by the dedication and excitement of the students. The way they ask questions to the speakers and study with eagerness. I am blessed to be learning alongside them. One of my favourite parts of being in their lives as a leader is reading their journals…”G*od spoke to me about being in obstructed labour”, “G*od spoke to me about repairing the breech”, they have taken a hold of the powerful imagery of labour.

This week we have a Dr. who has specialized in tropical medicine and has been serving the needy for decades. He speaks with great convicition and as a servant leader. Really looking forward to the impartation of his wisdom.

One of my special roles as a staff is co-leading wor*ship. Shocker, possibly. Although I am not musically inclined, I get to be a part of the planning with an amazing friend of mine, becca. Today we were brainstorming about the quote “Let jus*tice and wor*ship kiss” for our wor*ship time…maybe I should get into this one later. I am still trying to figure out the extent of it (maybe the rest of my life I will) but I know they are supposed to be intricately woven together.

A lot of thoughts. A lot is happening. Please send me some questions via comments or some things that you would like to know about, etc. I love to hear from you guys.

Oh, staff debt is down to 160,000! That’s 141,000 in!

thanks for the read guys!

MY G*OD IS THE GOD WHO PROVIDES.
HE IS LIMITLESS IN HIS CREATIVITY.
HE IS OMNI-RESOURCEFUL.
HIS WELL OF PROVISION WILL NEVER RUN DRY.
I have seen $225 come in this week for outreach. :)

wizzy wizzerton.

who would've known how full on staffing a school would be? i was warned...and didn't really take it to heart.

man, G*od has been surpassingly fai*thful and present.
through multiple people, G*od is speaking the legitimacy of my work in establishing the kingdom here on earth through correcting assessments, cleaning guest flats and listening during one on one sessions (accountability times).
I am a worker worth my wages.
I need to keep pressing in, with fa*ith and great expectancy over my finances.
this is a season of great excitement and joy and exceeding discomfort.

the kingdom of G*od belongs to those who will move forward violently, with authority, claiming truth and life in his name. sometimes the cultural/social awkwardness seems not worth it and that's a lie. i cancel that, in the name of j*esus. amen.

love you guys.
more of a detailed post coming soon.




almost all 16 of the students (missing one on a visa run) and 5 of the current staff



this one is even better. true colours.

Jovial July's Update...and tomorrow is my birthday.

Hello my friends.

I feel like I have not updated you all in so long. Actually, I am on time though. Maybe things are just moving at accelerated speeds here in Perth. 16 students. 7 nations. So many visions growing. So much radical, concentrated development of character.

Although we are the Birth Attendant School (BAS), we are only the eyeball of a much larger body. Currently there several happenings, including a music and mis*sions school, 2 entry-level disc*ipleship schools, a Bib*lical core course, English for mis*sions, teaching English and then us. Not to mention many separate mini*stries cultivating at the same base. We are one small piece of the mosaic.

This week launched a vision that G*od has been speaking to our base leader about. Perth's base has been here almost 25 years and she and her husband were the ones to pioneer it. Shirley is our leader's name, and on Monday presented us with the debt that the base's staff owes. 306,708 dollars. G*od has been leading us as a base into greater things, and part of it is corporately trusting G*od for the provision of the staff debt. Not everyone at the base has monthly supporters, we all come from different countries involved in different ministries, but we're all expected to make monthly payments like the rest of human beings on this earth. Anyway, the base has grace on those who can't pay their monthly fees and always is discipling in finances, but Shirley felt that this season is specifically to see the accumulated debt erased. The strategies for this begin every morning at 7am until 8am for those in debt to pr*ay together. Then each day at 3:15 for 15 minutes, no matter what we are in the middle of, everyone stops to pr*ay for the staff debt. In accordance to the action, we are receiving a number of teachings on fa*ith and finances.

On Monday, 7000 dollars came in. Tuesday 14,000 dollars. By Friday the number was down to 250,000 dollars. Thank you Lo*rd.
I think that these are the mountains Je*sus is talking about moving when we have the fa*ith of a mustard seed.

As I have arrived on staff, it is required that I do the basic leadership school (BLS...we love acronyms). Each Monday I receive teaching, really applicable teachings about being involved in staffing a school. I am learning to fuel my gifts into places of leadership and developing the weaker skills. Turns out, you don't naturally become a leader after you complete a school :).

Last week we had a speaker on the character and nature of G*od. If you don't know G*od, your whole life is going to be based on skewed perspectives. You must view the world through the nature of G*od and then peer into your circumstances. The moment we look through our circumstances into G*od's character, we become confused, bitter, dazed, apathetic (you name it) followers or non-followers of Jesus. This is such a necessary principle for life.
To look at the situation of a baby dying at birth... Is G*od unloving? So, I can look at G*od through the situation, which would mean, Yeah, G*od is unloving. But, if I look at "G*od is love" and then view this situation I can recognize, there is evil in this world, there is improper transport for women to get to a local hospital, there isn't always resussitation equiptment, etc. A lot of time, we are the cause of the pain, SIN is the cause of the pain... NOT G*od. I repeat NOT G*od.
We have to know G*od personally. Reading the B*ible isn't going to cut it. Hearing people's stories isn't going to be enough. Talk to him. Know who he is in these real-life tough situations.

Other than that, I am absolutely enjoying my responsibilities of leading the students, caring for guest speakers, learning from my leaders, participating in the life of the base.

Yesterday we shared with the students about outreach locations. In September we will depart for Tanzania until January, from there we will return to Perth for the 25th Anniversary of our base. We will be here for some days before we depart for India (YAY! Megan) and then to the Phillipines in April and back to Perth for our debrief.

Through all the teachings we are receiving, I feel excited for this time of fund raising. You can be including it in pra*yers, for strategy and boldness.

Thank you for reading this months update. Of course feel free to shoot back some questions or comments, I love to hear from you.

As usual, still blogging at www.bekah29.blogspot.com

Bekah

week one and two.

Hi everyone. It is the end of week and I'm so glad for the Saturday rest.
Last Monday I arrived and from the airport, we came to lunch and orientation for the students began after that. At one point during orientation the students came up and pra*yed over their staff...They possibly were thinking that I was a lunatic who needed pra*yer...at least I was in the right place to have pra*yer. Hehehe...

Anyway, it has been such an incredible experience hearing the stories of each students battle to get to Perth. To hear where they have come from and the vision they are with G*od for. For such a time as this, G*od has brought this amazing group together. Last week we learned about anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system, the pelvis and the fetal skull. The girls have dove into the the lectures and homework, they are a group of go-getters. These weeks have been laying a foundation for the next eleven months. We have spent time learning about becoming a G*od-fearing midwife along with the character and nature of G*od.

Along with helping the students along, I am so blessed to be in the lectures again. There is so much I have forgotten or was on overload last year and couldn't take in, but now, I am fresh and ready to take in...

My responsibilities are in hospitality (preparing cakes, cards and tables for the birthday people, three so far... and getting drinks and snacks and preparing/maintaining the guest flat) making a guest speaker book with info about each student, facilitating assignments, correcting homework, being in class and leading out in inter*cession and wor*ship times. We as staff found out about outreach locations this week, but we are still pra*ying throuh details, so I think by next week I will be able to share with you. Let's just say, I am having a hard time not leaking the locations through this blog.

Yeah, I really want to share about this week lectures. Give me some time to pull some stuff together. It has been an intense little week.

Love you guys. Thanks for reading. I would really love your pra*yers over my finances and the finances for the school. We are gearing up for fundraising. I'll keep you posted.

here i am.

Guys! I made it to Perth. It was a nice trek and I have hit the ground running. So excited to be here, still feeling quite homesick. Somehow stuck in the middle but pra*ying to jump the gap soon. I will post a more detailed update soon, I still don't have internet access, but I did want to let you know I am alive and very well.

my 100th post.

This is my June update. For those of you reading my blog who would like to have my monthly updates sent to your email, feel free to leave your email in a comment or email it to me at bekah29@yahoo.com or keep reading them here each month!

First things first everyone, I got my visa! Thank you for your support. It has been an awesome time of seeing G*od's power. So many people have told me they are pra*ying for me or they are waiting to hear what is going to happen and because of that I have again seen how being in need brings people to their knees and brings them closer to each other and G*od. So lovely, G*od knows what he's doing. So, I will return to Australia on Saturday.

Over the month, I have shared with the missions board at Northlake, shared in the ch*urch services, shared in the youth service and an inter*cession time in the junior high. G*od has been faithful (as always) to provide opportunities and brought gl*ory to himself through the stories of miracles and healings and through seeds that have been planted.

Well, this past month has been absolutely incredible. I have been able to see many of you and hear about your families and what has been changing over the year first hand. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see your faces, store away what everyone looks (some people have changed) and refill my tank of new memories.

Thank you to everyone who came over to the Dinneen house. It is beautiful to see community here in Everett...loving together, eating together, sharing together. I hope that it was a time for you to look again at who our G*od is and how he is moving through the nations.

So there isn't too much to share about this month, my family has been relaxing together--Mariners games and days at the beach, but actually more like me relaxing and everyone else finishing school, working and vbs... I was able to meet Wisdom, our exchange student from Ghana, which was excellent because he helped me to adjust back to the culture :) ... and Dad and I got to share our first experience of jumping out of a plane.

Just a brief message about what's next...
I leave on Saturday to return to the new Birth Attendant School (BAS) of 18 students. I will be staffing for the next two years, which for the next three months look like: covering the school in pra*yer each morning, holding discussions for the students, leading small groups, correcting homework/tests, planning for outreach.
I also will be taking a leadership school while I am in Perth, that will continue as independent study on outreach. I am looking forward to stepping out into leadership and bridging the gap of once being a student to leading in the school. Once a week we meet in class and have a speaker and outside of class have weekly requirements to meet. Once our eight month outreach is upon us again, roles will look a little different.

I am still looking to cover my monthly living fees in Australia. I am about halfway there! In our organization, Y*outh with a M*ission, we are all volunteers, from base leaders to new staff like myself. If you are interested in donating monthly or a one time donation, you can reply to this email and let me know.

I am also interested in starting some kind of fundraiser to involve a wider group of people, extending the word of what G*od is doing from people in the chu*rch to those in our neighborhoods. If anyone has some ideas about this, I am anxious to hear!

Thank you guys for your continual support. I am grateful to know each of you and have been blessed to connect with you all over this month. Please feel free to respond because I love to hear from you!

Bekah

And as always, I am still blogging at www.bekah29.blogspot.com atleast once a week.

june 26, 2009---a day to remember

i went skydiving just hours ago. since i won't be able to say that again tomorrow, i thought this called for an urgent blog.

for my dad's christmas gift and my birthday gift (he patiently waited and surprised me), we headed down to snohomish's harvey field and did it. we climbed in about 10 minutes to 3000 feet (3962.4 meters) and free-fell for over a minute. when my instructor pulled the parachute, we dangled in the air waiting for my dad and his instructor. there we were, hang time, talking about how beautiful our city is...mountains...clear sky...cruise ships...farm land...gorgeous.

never before has my mouth been so dry, my face so cold or my mind so boggled. while free falling my instructor grabbed my arms and cranked them to the left and right and we spun around and around. he would give me thumbs up and i would give him two back. i never knew you could control the parachute, but sure enough he let me pull it left and right and swoop us around. amazing. better than any amusement park ride.

i think this could be addicting.

definitely the best 15 minutes of the day.

hey guys it has been a while since i have written. this time at home has been sheer bliss. i wanted to ask for your pra*yers. this week has been a hurried week of visa finales...and now i anxiously await approval by my flight on saturday. i cannot leave without my visa. so if we could together trust and fight for this one to see G*od's power. thanks all.

open house

Hey Guys, I would like to invite you to the Dinneen Household on this Sunday, the 14th of June at 3pm. It is an open house, so you can feel free to stop by for a short time or stay until your little heart desires. We will check out some photos and eat and talk together. Let me know if you need some more information. toodles.

This week has been strange, coming back to a western country, re-entering a place that once was so familiar when I was here earlier, communicating with my family regularly, doing everything inside as opposed to life under a tree. I am enjoying the amenities of instant hot water, warm showers and new (well, it's been in a suitcase for 8months) clothing. I have been processing things with my team and inwardly about who I have become, what I have achieved and what I am still setting goals for. Thoughts of Uganda and Lingira are in and out of my head, knowing that life is continuing the same way there as when I left it and for now I am on a different path. I have learned a lot about the school to come as the staff have accepted new students (18 accepted by the way, biggest school ever), where my new house will be and the new min*istries running at the base. It has been a week of reflecting and being informed. I feel a little backed up, like someone dipped the funnel in water before putting sugar into the shaker and the level of the sugar just keeps growing in the funnel. So slowly I am processing this reverse culture shock and the changes that have occurred. At certain moments I think I have just had to say "G*od, you are good". I know his character, I know there is nothing but good in his heart and I can stand on that, even when I am swaying in different directions wondering what is happening all around me and who I am in it all. It has been a challenging week. I am dreading the goodbye to Sarah, one of the students who is returning to Peru, for almost everyday of the last 11 months, she has been by my side. She has taught me to be resourceful; patch the worn out thighs of my jeans, make crepes out of onions and kill a chicken with a dull knife and most of all, she has taught me to love. It will only be one year until we see eachother, but until then, we part in the physical.

Here I come Seattle.

afhkajvodhonefoihcjlnf

YIP YOP HOORAY (can I even say that?)! Photos for all to see! I have put eight from Uganda and the last two are from Cameroon. It is looking like we will have an open house on the 14th, where we will look at gazillions of photos, until then there are these. I will send more info on the open house when I have talked to my mom about it more.


studious and eager students from our mother and child healthcare seminar in uganda.

teaching about sterile technique. should i touch my hair if it is itching me with my sterile gloves?

a snap from the top of the mountain on lingira island. not really doing it justice.

and a nighttime snap.

the women listening to a teaching on tetanus under a tree and waiting patiently to be injected.

from the shore of lingira to other islands.

the dreadful day of bikeriding to a distant clinic for anc. the anc was great, the biking however...

riding in style on the way to ministry.

"this is a song for women everywhere, let it ring around the world and never never cease..."March 8, International Women's Day!

Mommie Mary! and if you call her anything else it is disrespectful.

just a little something to nibble on...

hi family.

hello everyone. from uganda to kenya to bangkok and now back at the base in perth. here we are! all set for a week of debrief. it's been alright transitioning...just missing our friends that are now so far away. i will update with some photos shortly.

home again, home again, jiggity-jig

Guys! I am back from Lingira to Hopeland in Jinja. The time on the island was one of testing and challenges. I am proud of my team. These last couple days that we are in Uganda will be spent debriefing, saying good-byes and packing. The thought of leaving this continent soon is sad and realistic but the joy that awaits me is attractively close...Here is a short testimony to give glory to our G*od from the island...

Last week we were speaking at a neighboring camp in a Sunday service. While having lunch with the pa*stors we were told about a labouring woman next door. We had been in fai*th for some deliveries and immediately I felt a hug from G*od as we heard this news, all that I, and the others, had been pra*ying for, had amounted to this answer. Strategically, we divided up who would stay with the mom, who would go back to our camp to get the birth bag and found the meeting point. Once we were all united, we learned that the mom’s name was Joy, that this was her seventh delivery and she had already been labouring for 20 hours. We began to monitor Joy and her baby closely. Hour after hour we thought that surely the baby was coming soon. In the third hour of monitoring her, meconium stained waters came, a sign of fetal distress. In the hospitals we wouldn’t worry so much because if anything went seriously wrong, they are in the right place. But here, on an island, almost two hours away from the mainland, we wanted the baby to come quick! We thought the baby was coming because the mother was pushing so feverishly with each contraction, but when we checked internally she was only 6cm dilated. We invited the presence of G*od and spoke life over the distressed baby. We needed G*od’s wisdom in what to do if the baby didn’t come shortly. At this point she was now reaching 24 hours of labour and we spoke to the family about the need to take her into Jinja, they cooperated and understood the severity and fragility of the baby. Quicker than expected, a boat was in order and we were ready to sail in the night. The mother had been told by a neighbor that she should continue to push with each of the pains that came, and each time we told her to stop she would only keep pushing, even as we began sailing on Lake Victoria. Wanting to be cautious, with each contraction we would shine a light, just to make sure the baby wasn’t coming. Robyn sat closely to Joy, rubbing her back when the pain would come and Hollie led us in some wor*ship songs to comfort the mom. The majesty of the L*ord was evident; he was there with us the boat and all around us in the lightning storm, with the fisherman and in the reflection of the moon on the water. I cannot deny the feeling of G*od there with us. On a routine push, Hollie shined the light and there was the baby’s head. I couldn’t believe it. We shouted at the driver, but he didn’t stop. We continued driving and the baby kept coming. Once the head was out, I had a difficult time not only with leverage but also the head did not want to come. Then I felt the cord was tightly twice around the neck. Finally we were able to yell loud enough to stop and I clamped and cut the cord and quickly delivered the body. The baby boy was flaccid and not crying. Bulb suction, stimulation, bag and mask, all of us rescussed anyway we could. Slowly his heart rate picked up and his eyes opened. The whole time Joy was calling out for Je*sus, she said nothing but his name. After about a half hour and a somewhat stabilized baby, it was decided that we would return to Kyoya camp to Joy’s house. Pra*yers of thanksgiving were endless as we rode back to the island. G*od’s hand had surely been in the difficult delivery. Although the baby wasn’t in great condition, we pra*yed and trusted the L*ord to keep him through the night and told the family to come and get us if need be. I am blessed to share with you that the next morning when we came back, we heard the baby before we saw him. He let out a cry that we had been pra*ying for the night before. G*od heard our pra*yers and the cries of his mother and brought full health to this baby boy. As we were rocking in the boat, pra*ying over the weak, deflexed newborn, G*od spoke the name Moses to me, “saved from the water” is what it means. Joy giggled when she heard this the day after and called her boy just that. Man, my G*od is a mighty G*od. All that he ordained happened that day and to him is the glory. I consider myself blessed to know the name of Je*sus and be a part of a team who serves him together.

Woot! Woot!

Yes, it is in fact May, and I am in fact updating you, my ever faithful pra*yer warriors and moral supporters.

I bid everyone greeting from the distant island of Lingira, where monkeys roam free, the air smells of drying fish constantly and everything you could ever imagine is only a 3 hour boat ride away. Here I didn’t think that I would be able to update you for the past month, and I have been blessed with the chance to come back to mainland and share with you about the last three weeks we have been here on the Island.

If all goes as planned, I will have left Lingira by 9, arrived in Jinja (mainland) by 12 and had three hours in town until the boat leaves between 3 and 5, you cannot be too sure when it will sail.

These last weeks we have been rowing to the surrounding islands, villages and camps to immunize babies and children and child bearing women. Yes, I was kidding about the rowing part, we do have a motor. I am feeling more and more comfortable with making the kids cry when I give injections and I am growing in my technique as well. The most exciting part of our Monday, Wednesday and Friday outings, is that we have been able to begin giving antenatal care to the pregnant mothers. There are two faithful staff here at the base that know the local language and are committed to training in antenatal care. G*od has been so faithful in bringing rare cases, teaching opportunities, etc. I love seeing them learn something new, loving on the women, bringing justice where it is due through health care. We will leave the clinic and base here, knowing that there are people better trained in mother and child healthcare, and that’s what we like to see.

Life here is slower paced, making for creative evenings, plenty of chances to hear G*od speak and blessed time to relax. I wish I could depict the beauty that surrounds us. We are greeted each morning with an orange sunrise that stains the clouds a deep pink and fades into a cool morning. The thick, “safari” shaped trees fill what little space has been allotted, while the tall grass makes for a stunning streak to the striking views of Lake Victoria. It takes about 1.5 hours to walk through each camp (settlement of people) and it is worth each step.

I always have to leave out so many details. Plain, Times New Roman black font, cannot do justice to all the mighty works our Fa*ther is doing in accordance to his plan with and through our team. Thank you for reading my little letter. I would like to say, that it is quite possible that next time I write one to you, I will no longer be on this continent. On the 27th of May, we will begin the journey home to Australia, where we will debrief the last eight months for about 10 days. On June 6, I will go from down-under, to the Happiest Place on Earth, Seatac airport (people will try and tell you it’s Disneyland, you can send them my way and I can correct them). I am so looking forward to the reunion and transfusion of life that will happen between me and all of you. I will keep you posted on an open house and any other events for us to meet up at. Bless you friends!

maybe on facebook?

i tried again to upload phots and it is not working. blogger, you fail today.

let it be redeemed.

Well guys, our amazing leaders gave us half the day off the come to town and wrap things up before we leave for the island tomorrow! Which means (drummroll), I can post my old post after all! Redeeming internet visit. I also will post my update letter that I sent out via email on Saturday! Bless you guyssssssss!

We all have my parents to thank for no update last week. I got to videochat with them! For the first time since November, I got to see their faces. Even when I call them at ungodly hours that would give them reason to pretend like the phone never rang, they rejoice at my calling. Thanks mom and dad. So due to the Skype call, everything else was pushed aside and my internet time was finished before my updating was…

Anyway, last week, well, as we waited on the L*ord to speak to us about the day and what we should be doing, we felt to serve the base. We had been sensing that it would be a large part of our time here, but felt on Tuesday specifically to do physical work. After an hour of scrubbing bathroom walls, a man barged into the room and asked if we were the Australian team. When he received a positive response, he rushed into the news of a woman labouring in the village. After rushing around we gathered all the necessary belongings and ran, yes, ran to the home of her mother, a traditional birth attendant. Jane, the mom and TBA, had sent for us to be a part of the delivery. We gathered all the info we could while she was writhing with labour pains in the dark mud hut. After an examination we found that she was 8cm dilated and within 20 minutes, Sarah assisted in the delivery of a screaming baby girl. Praise the L*ord. Since then, we have been checking on baby Sarah Joy and mum Rebecca. After she was delivered I was able to swaddle her up and sing over her. G*od spoke “Joy” over her and he had spoke the same thing to Sarah, I love when that happens. They asked for a name for her and we shared what we had received.

Here is a more “formal testimony” I wrote to send to the base in Perth from last week’s seminar…

All during the week we had a group of women trekking, in order to attend our seminar on mother and child healthcare. In the beginning, we planned on just the Traditional Birth Attendants coming, but as news grew, we ended up going from the expected seven to a room cramping 31. As childbirth and homebirths are much more common and normal here, many more women get their hands in on labour and delivery than we would see in the west. Quite of few of the women conduct their deliveries alone; from the contractions up to the cutting of the cord, they are independent. What struck me during the week about the women was the heart that they had to learn and willingness to come each day, even though that meant sacrifice towards their family and income. Purely by the eagerness of drawing their reproductive systems, the questions they would keep on with for hours if we let them and daily attendance, I understood that these women want to give of themselves for something greater then their own knowledge. True fasting is to expend yourself on behalf of others, truly, they have taken this burden on in how they committed to actively taking part in the seminar.

And back to the present… Yesterday I geared up with two of my teammates, Melisa and Paula. Retro Mariner’s cap, Molly’s old black tank top and inherited brown stripe bag, billowing Steve and Barry’s hot pink skirt, Jakartan Jelly Sandals (that have seen better days) and aviators, to pull the outfit together. A rock-like bike seat and skirt eating chain awaited me. The three of us took off, biking in the morning sun to a “local” clinic to do antenatal care. One hour later, we arrived with sore bottoms and sweaty faces to palpate bellies and pr*ay for life. There is only one nurse on duty so she gladly accepted the pre-arranged help we offered. It was just like G*od to bring in several absurd cases for us to learn from. One women showing signs of eclampsia whom we got to share about the L*ord’s provision with, another whom we diagnosed with a twin pregnancy, another who was pregnant with her ninth at the age of 32 and another twin pregnancy. It was a lovely day. We rode home and appreciated the views of sugar cane lining Lake Victoria while slowly pushing our bikes up unconquerable hills.

This Thursday we will be leaving for the Bavuma Islands on Lake Victoria. There is one clinic on the island of 100 families that is run by the base that we will be staying with. It is the final 6 weeks of our outreach once we arrive and I think they will be adventuresome. We will be helping with immunizations, antenatal and maybe some more seminars. The boat ride there will take three hours, and quite possibly will be without internet access. They were optimistic that there would be some way to connect, but I don’t know for sure. This could quite possibly be one of my final blog updates. Frightening, hey? I promise though, I will journal and update you on it all. A fun fact about the island is that there is no fresh fruit. Hrmph. The monkeys get it all. Katherine, one woman who established the clinic, is trying to get permission to shoot them if they are on her property. I think she is fed up with them.

Okay guys, thanks for following along. I will try and attach some photos, I hope it works!

UPDATE-

Hi Everyone,

It is the 11th of April, which means someone is late sending out their update. As I said in my blog, we all have my parents to thank for no update last week. I got to videochat with them! For the first time since November, I got to see their faces. Even when I call them at ungodly hours that would give them reason to pretend like the phone never rang, they rejoice at my calling. Thanks mom and dad. So due to the Skype call, everything else was pushed aside and my internet time was finished before my updating was…

If you have been following my blog you may know upon leaving for Sudan, we found out that the situation became too unstable. Aussies were unable to be covered by their insurance, the LRA was lurking in nearby villages and soon after we arrived in Uganda the borders closed. Although I faced difficulties in my heart with not going where I expected to go, G*od has been faithful in the time here in Uganda!

Since we had no plans when we arrived, it took many days of inter*cession and asking and waiting to see what we would do for our time here. The first week we made contacts with a local village and met the traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and planned for a seminar for the following week. Last week we had our four-day seminar and this week our graduation for the 33 students who attended. G*od has been encouraging us to plug into the base from day one. We have been blessed and challenged by life here on the Jinja base, we have had the chance to lead inter*cession and next week we’ll have a fun night for everyone.

In about five days we will leave for Bavuma Island on Lake Victoria. There we will support a couple that is running the only clinic on the island. I am anticipating this time to bless them with whatever we are capable of doing for them. It is however, quite secluded, so I do not think I will be sending out a May update on time.

All in all, thank you for your continued support and pr*ayers my friends, great is your reward in hea*ven. Enjoy this Easter Sunday…

Bekah

who has two thumbs and is forgetful? this girl.

I am literally banging my head on the keyboard right now. I typed a wonderful and witty update up at home and now here at the cafe, I never put it on my USB stick. Guys, I'm bummed.

I want to let you know that things are going wonderful here in Jinja. OUr seminar was incredible, complete with a graduation. We did a homebirth in a mudhut last week and this week we are leaving for the island where there is one clinic that provides healthcare.

G*od is good and my mind is somewhere else right now.

Thank you for your pra*yers. I don't know if I will be able to update the next 5 weeks since we will be secluded in the middle of Lake Victoria. I will do my best.

Thanks guys!

rumbly in my tummy

I think everytime this week that I got the gurgly-oh-no-what-are-we-going-to-do-feeling in my belly from having to talk about our schedule, G*od came through. Can I just say, that he always does. Not how I expect, but he does. Oh man, we had about 47 amazing inter*cession times this week about how G*od was leading us for this time and in the end, we don't have our full 9 weeks planned out, but he keeps ushering me and our team into his promises and faithfulness. I love him.

This week we met some TBAs (Traditional Birth Attendants) who help with the deliveries in their villages. We also met several woman who deliver their own babies. Sarah, it's what you have always wanted. One woman has done it seven times. Anyway, we have planned a seminar with them to teach about the things that they are longing to learn more about. We are hoping for it to be more like a discussion and then we pitch in some new info. I'm looking forward, these women are wise and experienced.They are passionate about good care for their women, I think we will learn a lot from them.

Some deep impressions that we got were to serve the base. They are growing in their inter*cession and community and we are enjoying partnering alongside them for this time. It feels like every country we land in, there are amazing people, pushing to bring in the presence of our G*od, while using their passion and joy. Ahh, I am greatly encouraged and enjoy making new friends here. This week we joined in with their prison ministry and I was able to share about the reproductive system and the uniqueness of women to the women who are on death row. I was scared to speak a word to them, but the moment they greeted us at the gate with a hug, I knew I had heard from the H*oly Spirit about what to speak on. They were giggly and loved asking questions about the body and my life.

We have been blessed to be a blessing my friends and through that G*od blesses us, a cycle of abundance.

Thank you for your pra*yers. I am enjoying this new home in Jinja.

so i'm not in sudan...

On the Monday before we left for Sudan we found out the situation was getting rougher with a couple attacks in villages near the base assumed to be the LRA. Anyway, our leaders in Perth sent us word that it was not safe for us to go at this time. The Australian government also is not covering any Aussies that are in Sudan right now. This was all taken into consideration including our inter*cession times and their prayer times and experience. On wednesday we found out we would be going to Jinja, Uganda. So here we are, in Uganda.

I wanted to update you all, but we really don't know for sure what we will be doing here yet. This is a land crying out with need and so with Go*d's hand, we will take part.

On Friday, another team memeber, Anna flew home to Sweden. We have almost lost all our Scandinavians. It was a sad day. She has been battling with her health for months and clearly G*od spoke about her leaving the school. She is planning to return next year (when I will be her staff, hehehe).

Thanks guys for your Pra*yer and support. You can continue to lift up this time of following his lead.

the big one. keep out of reach of children. cool.

I don’t have so much time to update you all this week. Our time is almost to a close here and the week and weekend is packed. It is our last free day to get all that we need to do done and the house is buzzing with people and their to-do lists.

The highlight of my week in the delivery room would be the birth of a 6kg/13.2 pound baby. For those of you who have birthed a child, you are probably aware of the massive size of this baby. She came out looking like a three month old. No, the mother did not have gestational diabetes, just a history of large babies, the last being 4.5kg/9.9lbs. I am grateful for the experience to learn how to extract a child who is seemingly “stuck” and what my role is in that. The mom was very happy following the delivery and the father just as excited, if not more.

Yesterday, a mother who my friend delivered, came to visit us at the hospital. She had made some of us dresses and we immediately tried them on once we were home from the hospital. I wore mine the whole night, and probably will be wearing it as I am uploading this at the internet. I have received nothing but ill comments about the dress. I think you guys would like it. I have been likened to wearing a pumpkin costume, Raggedy Anne and Cinderella, a cow milker and a cowgirl.

On Thursday, we depart for Douala and then we will fly out in route to Sudan. Maybe you have heard about the issues in Sudan this week, and we are considering them all. Our base leaders, school leader and Hollie and Paula have been pra*ying and communicating about the problems and risks. I am feeling at peace and have received a word from the L*ord about going. I must walk where he is leading. Please pr*ay for the leading of our team and our leadership. I am greatly expectant of the time we are going to spend there.

Ten points to the person (besides my family)who knows what movie the "title" for the blog is from.

yes!!!! it worked!

see, we do blend in.

obama. baby obama.

a lovely mum. same age as me, baby number two.

mommy mary. you will be rebuked if you don't call her mommy.







Recently I have been seeing a lot of white men (meaning white people in general). Guys, I feel so awkward when I see them. It’s absolutely ridiculous. It must stop (at least before June).

It is Saturday morning, I am sitting in my dark room, typing on the top bunk before I head to the internet with Paula at 11, listening to some German music from a good pal at home, craving a crunch wrap supreme with one fire sauce.

So I know that some of you who are reading my blog are not receiving my updates. A couple of times I have posted them on my blog for this reason, but not always. I have decided this is the best way to keep everyone in the loop, post it on the World Wide Web, thanks Al Gore. So here is my update for the month of March…brace yourself---

Never before have I experienced such a short February! We have one and a half weeks left in Cameroon until we begin to make our way to Sudan. We will take a bus to Douala on the 19th and then fly out on the 20th to Kenya, then from Nairobi to Entebbe, Uganda. We will take a bus to the north and then stay at the Arua base for two days in Uganda. From there we will take another bus to the south of Sudan. As much as I am dreading the farewells, I anxiously anticipate the people and landscape of Sudan, a different beauty awaits our team.

During this month I saw G*od fulfill the experiences that we as a team needed. The previous schools have spent their clinical time in Hyderabad, India where there are about 60 augmented births a day and had no problem with deliveries. As a team, individually and corporately we have been pushing for deliveries to gain the necessary experience. The thing that I have loved about this is the breakthrough times we have seen, a dry season and then a day with four deliveries. Even though we still don’t have piles of deliveries, each experience is deeply valued. The time we spend with the woman is cherished. We have all learned how to monitor a labouring woman and when it is time to refer. Slowly we are completing the standards of the school. In the slow times in the labour room, we have met many women in different wards, completed our interviews with women and searched for case studies, all leading to relationships that we wouldn’t have been able to build otherwise. As much as I have seen G*od provide the experience, this has been an equally difficult time. Our schedule stays tight with breakfast at 7 and then finishing the day at about 8-9. Wanting to meet G*od in the hospital with the suffering and then trying to process that at the house. I am still trying to learn about drawing from G*od’s strength and investing into others when I feel absolutely empty. For the long-term, I need to learn this; I cannot simply brush this off my shoulder as an optional lesson. G*od has promised this strength to us, he intends for me to live this way.

I wanted to quickly share about my friend Judith. Melisa and I went to visit her and her family again yesterday. She was overjoyed to see us walk through her door and was afraid that we had changed our minds since we were late. She embraced us and welcomed us into her home and introduced us to her friends. After she served us a heaping bowl of rice and fish sauce prepared by her eight year old daughter, she went into a monologue of gratefulness to G*od for her friends. She shared with us something we didn’t know about her pregnancy. She went into labour four days before she actually delivered. She was pra*ying for people who loved G*od and would care for the baby to deliver the baby. When she arrived at the hospital, the contractions stopped after the initial exam and she left. She said she was so grateful, the way she was received and the relief that was on the midwives face when she told her that the pains were stopping made her feel like they didn’t want her to deliver. Another time, the day before she actually delivered, the pains began again and when she arrived to the hospital, the midwives were ridiculing someone for not having a toilet roll and pads creating a hostile environment, again Judith’s pains stopped. The next day, she arrived with some small pains, and we delivered her within an hour. She shared the testimony that G*od gives us the desires of our heart and she wanted someone who would care for her and her baby. Oh, how he uses everything to work together for the best. I am amazed at his provision.

Thank you all for faithfully reading my updates and praying for me. We will continue to grow together through pra*ying for each other. May the Spi*rit of G*od lead you all. ---

Okay, so next Saturday will be my last in Cameroon. In Sudan it will be a 4 ½ mile walk to the internet and it apparently costs 6$ per hour. I am not sure how it will all pan out, but I am going to do my best in keeping you all update via my blog and monthly email updates.

Eat some Taco Bell for me.

i am constant. i am near. i am peace that shatters all your secret fears.

Hello Everyone…

There are only two and a half weeks left here in Cameroon until we will travel to Sudan. My heart is growing more and more for the city of Bamenda. I feel comfortable with the people, working with the midwives, shopping in the market and soon we will leave for a new country. There is something so melancholy about leaving a culture and I am feeling like; I just haven’t had enough time here. It makes me believe that in the new creation we will be able to constantly enjoy one another’s cultures, we are made for something eternal.

I have made a new friend named Constance. About two weeks ago while we are the hospital, one of our doctor friends, a gynaecologist, told us that he was performing a c/s. We read up on the indications and found out this 22-week pregnant woman was eclamptic. I don’t know how many of us are familiar with this term, so let’s have a brief tutorial. Pre-eclampsia is a conditon that pertains only to pregnancy. The symptoms are high blood pressure, protein in the urine, swelling-especially pertaining to the feet/face/abdomen. This is why it is essential for women to receive regular antenatal care, so things like eclampsia can be recognized. Pre-eclampsia transitions to eclampsia at the point where the blood pressure raises even higher, there is more protein in the urine and fitting occurs. By “fitting”, I mean “convulsions”. (I don’t know if we use “fitting” as a medical term in the US, the first time I heard it, I envisioned Claire throwing a tantrum on our hardwood floor.) The thing about eclampsia is, at this point, you can’t just take medicine for it to go away, you can only recognize it and then treat it. The only way to treat it is for the baby to be delivered. So, now that we are all on the same page…

We prepped for theatre and entered to see Constance ready for her c/s. Once the baby was extracted, the staff were shocked that baby was alive. They had not been able to find a fetal heart and therefore assumed the baby was dead. We quickly rushed to the nursery and resuscitated the baby for an hour. Eventually, the baby was breathing normally and her heart was beating regularly. She was only 22-25 weeks old though, and the odds were against her. We pra*yed for a miracle and returned the next day to find that she had died a couple hours after we had left. I met Constance for the first time that day but with sky-high blood pressure and a recent operation, she wasn’t so responsive. These past couple weeks I have been able to hear her story.

Constance is a soldier. She has two jewels glued to her teeth, I don’t know what for, but she makes them look nice. She smiles as bright as the sun and loves to talk about her country and ask you questions about yours. She has one daughter named Roseline and wants so badly to have a sibling for her. Her second pregnancy was an ectopic pregnancy (to avoid another tutorial, maybe you can google that one) and this was the third pregnancy. She had never been to antenatal care and did not understand why she needed to. Her blood pressure slowly has been going down these past couple weeks since the delivery, but since then, we have been able to share with her about our lives. No one told her about her baby, so we got to tell her how much she weighed, that is was a girl and when she died. We were able to share that she is no longer suffering and that we believe she will get to meet her one day. Constance could answer any question you have about Je*sus dying for her, but I don’t know if she knows him yet. I feel blessed to know this woman of great strength and burdened for her to know the living and breathing, ever-present G*od. She shares that her heart is hurting but she knows that she must get over it. In the places where culture interferes, it can sometimes be difficult to explain and even relate how G*od wants to heal these hurting places, and that grieving is so much a part of it. It just isn’t culturally acceptable to speak of your feelings and cry.

Constance will be discharged on Monday and we are hoping to visit her village next week. Even in these times of pain, in times when the outcome isn’t the will of G*od, he can bring redemption, bring healing. This is my cry for her. I guess I am just learning how strong these woman are, when they lose a child, they are sad, but they shout for joy…even when I fully believe there is a place for grieving, they know joy and no one can deny it. I can’t ever deny that G*od will teach us through other people and their trials, when we allow our judgements or our “group” we are missing whole groups of people, we miss these small opportunities that turn into great lessons. I cannot deny that G*od is ever present in each of our lives. Oh how much I have to learn.

a brief one.

Last Wednesday we shared as a team about the case studies we had been working on. Mine personally was about large blood loss after delivery of the baby, and following the presentation I was asked about what I had learned. I felt like I really took a hold of the importance of education, that in my particular case, this woman would have bled to death had she not returned for us to withdraw the remaining blood clots.

The next day I was in antenatal care and was given the chance to do the teaching. I felt immediately prompted to teach about the stage of labour when the placenta is delivered even though this is an uncommon topic to be taught to the pregnant mums. I shared with the women the steps that would happen after they delivered their babies, we talked about the shots they would receive, the procedures that would occur, how much blood could possibly be lost. That day as I checked each women, they were inquisitive, asking questions about their antenatal cards, what each category meant, etc. They were taking hold of the education they had been given and felt like there was space to ask and receive answers.

The following Monday, one of the women delivered her baby and lost too much blood. She knew exactly what to do and she was prepared. When I found this out, I had such peace of mind. I felt such gratitude to G*od that before she experienced what could have been a scary situation, she was prepared by knowing how much blood was too much and she could expect what needed to happen. When I followed up with her case, she was so happy and grateful for the safe delivery of her baby girl. I believe that education is the beginning of empowering women and transforming nations and a piece of that occurred on this day of caring for pregnant mums.

someone has a case of the mondays.

Not a spare moment was there this weekend to write or head to the internet. So here I am on the evening of my father’s birthday, oceans away from him, awaiting the fancy surprise Valentine’s meal that Sarah is preparing for our team. We decided that we would celebrate the holiday weekend by serving the team in some fashion. After our dinner, I will unveil a little video/slideshow that I have been working on for them. This weekend our second case study was due and I was on “afternoon” chopping, which lasted until the evening on Saturday. I am wondering where the weekend went.

This morning at church I had the chance to share a testimony with the people. It is customary to have a song, testimony and introductions prepared when you visit a church, unless you can successfully wing it ten times out of ten. It was my turn today. So after we embarrassed ourselves with a rendition of “Cannot Hide My Love” (which I laughed the whole way through because it was too low for anyone to sing along to and a man from the church thought it was a good idea to play along with the keyboard which sounded horrible). With little time to recover, I giggled my way up to the microphone to share a story from the week.

On Friday in the labour room, a woman walked in with her belongings and sat down at the desk with the midwives. I peered in briefly and thought she must be visiting the midwives and went back to helping Melisa monitor her labouring mom. The next thing I know, she is being examined in the first stage room. I walked in, confused, and decided in my head that she wasn’t dilated, she was an inexperienced primi who was having Braxton Hicks contractions because there is no way a labouring woman could be so calm, cool and collected. The midwife finished and I asked her findings, 5 cm dilated. Absolutely astonished by this peppy third time mother, I read up on her antenatal care and introduced myself to her. She insisted on wearing the outfit she had on, fetching her own cannula and drugs and sitting up. There was nothing the midwives could really say to a woman completely in her right mind, as relaxed as someone who was on their lunch break. I began to monitor her and was able to fully engage in conversation. She shared about herself, past pregnancies and that she used to be a missionary but had to stop because her husband didn’t like it. I asked her more about her husband and she said that he wasn’t living with her at the time, that he had left her and her two children and that she had no family that lived close by. We spent some time in pra*yer for this sitation and then we timed her contractions (four contraction 20-40 seconds long for those of you moms who are completely disgusted by her composure at this point). Shortly after, Melisa’s mom pushed out her baby and I left my mom. About a half hour later, I returned to continue monitoring. She was looking more distressed and having four, 60 second contractions which clued me in that she was progressing quickly. She had told me previously that the moment her waters broke, she had her babies. After the monitoring of contractions, she became a bit on edge and said that something was coming out. I asked Paula to get a birth kit and for a student nurse to grab a nappy. Within five minutes, her baby was out. I lifted the baby up for mom to see and as we do, said, “What do you have mommy?” She started crying and said “a girl”. She cried out for Go*d to have mercy and said “My husband will not accept this”. I handed the lovely, screaming girl to Melisa and turned back to the mom. She shared that her husband said he would return to her if she had a boy, otherwise she was on her own. She sobbed while I delivered the placenta and we cleaned her up. We spent some time praying with her, asking for wisdom. Later we were able to break off rejection and pray for the baby to be a unifying factor in the family.

Usually, at the earliest, a mom will leave 1 ½ hours after they deliver from the maternity ward. Within 20 minutes of delivering, she was breast feeding, within 30 minutes, she had showered and paid her fees. We asked her if anyone was coming to help her, since usually there are at least four people per labouring mom in the waiting area, she said that her friend was coming. We offered to make up a bed for her in postnatal and she said she would come along, so the three of us, plus baby wandered down to postnatal and she chose a bed. I looked at all the moms who were laying in pajamas relaxing or sleeping or reclining while conversing, as they should be, and here is this lovely abnormal woman, prancing in, comparing the quality of the beds and has delivered an hour ago.

The day closed by her asking us to call her husband so that he could come and pay the remaining bills and him refusing when he found out it was a girl. Anyway, the story doesn't have a happy ending yet. I guess I just felt like sometimes Je*sus can be disguised as anyone. She was fully capable and still needing a lot of help. G*od really takes seriously the call to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsy. The women here have a great sense of community, when they saw the white men were helping her make her bed and she had no one with her, they gave her some food and welcomed her and her baby. It all seems so unfair. She doesn't deserve to suffer this burden. We left her around 5:30 and have continued to pr*ay for her while the thought of sheep and goats and suffering continue to dance through my head.

Anyway, now it is Monday afternoon and I am able to update you! If I could ask you to pr*ay for Robyn, she is sick with salmonella paratyphoid. Anna, she has been sick for the past month and is still not getting her energy back. Overall, for the team we have been fighting for more deliveries and not seeing an increase, if you join us in prayer for this, so we learn the necessary skills to becoming a G*od fearing midwife. Thank you all. Blessings to you!

newsletter/exciting news :)

I feel settled here in Cameroon. There are those daily lulls where I wonder what I should be doing like you have when you are at home, there are the days when I come home beat from the hospital and think I would like to have a little holiday and some days I think, what could be better than this?

Each Friday, depending on if it is your turn, you are allowed the chance to visit the moms that you have delivered. Yesterday was my first home visit day. Sarah and I began by visiting a woman who had her baby at four months and the baby girl lived for 1 ½ hours. She had looked so sickly the first two times that we saw her due to malaria, but yesterday she had a glow of joy and health. She was talking with us and served us white beans and plantains. We parted after a short visit and encouraged her to come and visit us soon.

Later we headed to Mercy’s house, the mother of five who delivered a brow presentation (impossible according to the books) baby with the cord twice around the neck. She was so happy the see us and quickly handed me Ransem, the baby boy when we sat down. I think they had intended for us to stay all night long. When we first arrived Mercy came out briefly but then showered herself and came and got Ransem and bathed him, not exactly what my culture would do when guests arrive. They then served us a meal of bitter leaf greens (Jama Jama), fried fish and fufu corn (consistency of cooling cream of wheat, but made from corn) while her husband went to purchase drinks. He arrived back with 24 bottled drinks and said that we would be full by the time we left. Already feeling full, I laughed and then realized, they might be planning on us staying a little longer than we were. This also confirmed that I still have so much to learn about etiquette. Later, Mercy lead us down to their water source and also showed us to their farm/garden. The community has plots of land that they farm and then sell the vegetables, herbs and goods in the market. She was disappointed when we told that we needed to leave but at the possibility of us coming again she seemed comforted. Sarah and I rode home through the dusty roads on a motorbike in our African outfits and talked about how amazing the day had been.

Our time in Cameroon so far has been difficult and exciting. Culturally, I am seeing there is so much more to learn. I am blessed by the sense of community, it is the only option here; community antenatal care, delivering in a room of two other labouring women, 20 women in the same postnatal room, everyone caring for another, learning from one another. It brings me back to the unity that God intends for us.

This week was an especially difficult one, we found out that Connie, one of my roommates/classmates/hospital mates for the past seven months had decided to go home. She felt God was leading her in a different direction and that her new ministry was to bring the church into her Norwegian home. We said farewell with much pain yesterday morning.

Thank you all for you constant support and encouragement that you give. As you have supported me greatly, I want to share with you my commitment to come back to Perth in July to staff the Birth Attendant School for two years. I see G*od’s great calling for justice through our school and want to continue being a part of training and raising up G*od-fearing midwives to transform the nations. I will keep sharing more as the updates continue.

Bless you!

G*od is moving mightily through our team and I am blessed to be a part.

a short day, but still 24 hours.

I wasn't able to update on Saturday but due to slow time at the hospital today was able to steal away for a some internet time.

Yesterday morning I received a phone call from my family. Oh, it was wonderful. Today the midwives asked me, "Have you heard from mommy and daddy?" Then I told them how I cried because I was so happy when the phone was for me. They don't really encouraging crying here, but understood, well maybe.

It was also yesterday that the death of the owl was announced. Later that day I was taking the trash to the burn pile and he was face down in rubbish. Wa wa waaaa. I think he was sick.

After our Bi*ble study on Sunday, Hollie, our leader and Connie shared that Connie will not be going to Sudan with us when we leave in March. I hardly have processed this as I share it with you. It is disappointing most of all and I don't really understand it. With time and Go*d's help, I expect to be more at rest with the idea than I am now. I can't imagine a day without one of the girls.

Anyway...bless you friends. I miss you guys. Cameroon is slowly getting colder in the mornings and warmer in the afternoon. Weird.

birds and babies.

Since I have arrived here we have acquired four new pet birds. I am not so much a fan of birds. Jean really is though. For Christmas he received lovebirds, then when he returned from a speaking engagement he purchased a guinea fowl that runs rampant around the compound and yesterday Ivette bought an owl. I feel like I am in Christopher Robin’s neighborhood. Last night I was trying to fall asleep as the owl was just beginning his day. I hope that I have grown in liking birds by the time I leave. I did have a brilliant idea though as I listened to his hooting that doesn’t at all sound like hooting while trying to fall asleep; we have a mouse problem, and I am thinking one night, Mr. Owl can swoop into our room and rescue us from the noisy shuffling of our mouse/mice.

I wanted to take some time to honour all my friends and family who faithfully read, comment, email and encourage me. We all need one another’s pra*yers and I appreciate all the pra*yers you have faithfully spoken on my behalf. We have been experiencing G*od often and I know that the pra*yers around the world are saving lives and giving us strength to enter the situations we are in. Thank you.

I also wanted to tell everyone that the women I wrote about last week died on Monday. She had meningitis but also was weakened greatly due to progressing AIDS. I didn’t get to meet with her family again; I think maybe I had just missed them. I find myself in these situations wondering, was this your will G*od? How has sin intervened with what you intended? Yet knowing, she was suffering, greatly, and it is G*od’s grace that she isn’t here anymore. I still have a lot to learn about death.

Yesterday in the labour room, there was one woman who had been there for two hours by the time we had arrived. The girls began to monitor her while I went to antenatal care. She had a previous caesarean section and then miscarried twice. We call these cases “precious babies” when the family has come up against many challenges and is absolutely fighting for this baby. When I returned around lunchtime, I noticed how close the family wanted to be to her. They were by her side and didn’t want to leave and moaned when the midwives forced them out. I think they were grateful to have us staying with her. The baby’s head was not descending well, and at any moment, we were ready for her to go to Theater. At one point, Helen, a midwife, grabbed Paula and the family and Paula prayed over the situation. Although we often are praying for the baby and mom, it is rare when we are able to publicly speak out a pra*yer. After 8 hours of labouring spiritually and physically, Melisa and Helen delivered a lovely boy. The family was peeking their heads into the labour room and started singing and dancing. It was such a beautiful site. The mama was singing along until the midwives hushed her and told her to rest, “G*od knows you are grateful”. She stayed silent but raised her hands and praised the Lo*rd. They especially love babies here in Cameroon. It is so special to be a part of, the families are always saying “thank you plenty” when you come out with the baby swaddled and hand it to them.

Okay guys, just a little piece of life here…Bless you all. I am missing Washington state this week. Oh and don’t worry, I watched the presidential inauguration. Can I just say that Cameroon may love Obama more than the US? It is a common site to see Obama’s face or name on homemade shirts, hats and watches, yes watches. I was telling a Cameroonian about a doctor at a different hospital that had a picture of the “first family” on his watch, she replied by shoving her arm in my face and saying “like this?” While we were watching the TV and I was explaining who everyone was, what they did, etc. everyone on my team was wondering, “Why don’t you sound like these people? They have such a strong accent.” It’s official, I don’t sound American anymore.

this week was.

The labour room was especially slow this week. A word had been spoken about spying and taking the land and we felt to practically take that into our hands yesterday when there were no women labouring. We split into pairs and went pra*yer walking.

Anna and I wandered past the female surgical ward and noticed a ch*urch-like building. We asked a boy nearby what it was and he said “that is the mortuary ch*urch”. I had never heard of such a thing. Curious like a couple cats, we wandered down and found out it was from the Lyons Club of the USA. Hahaha. People apparently have funerals there after the bodies are embalmed. To the left and separated from the hospital was the morgue itself. We were fortunate enough to be invited in to see what was happening in the morgue. It looked a little different than “My Girl”.

Our pra*yer walking continued by meeting several hospital staff, being scared by a foot-long lizard running across our path, breaking strongholds we were sensing, trying not to interrupt people’s “private” showers and greeting the patients scattered across the property. I have learned that pra*yer walking is just as much about reaching out and loving as it is pra*ying. I think Anna and I would have missed a lot if we had kept our heads down and talked to G*od.

Towards the end of it all, a woman called out to us near the gynaecology ward. We responded and walked closer to understand her Pidgin. She was a warm woman and we did our best to communicate. My pidgin stops after “We for work here-o” but I can grab the context if someone continues to speak to me, the problem is I look like a deer in headlights when it is my turn to respond. She ended up taking me by the hand after a conversation about where we live and bringing me into the ward. Her sister was curled up and moaning under piles of covers. Anna and I offered to pr*ay after we guessed a diagnosis (which was wrong). I fully sensed the peace of G*od after we pr*ayed over Marcella. Her other sister picked up my hand after I finished praying and said something about her having a wound. I told her it was okay and that I didn’t need to see it. Before I was understood I was staring at some awful bedsores, quickly my eyes were directed to a three inch deep puddle of urine that was immersing her thigh. I had seen an order for a urinary catheter but she obvisouly didn’t have it in. We encouraged the sister to “Ask, seek and knock” to get the nurses attention. She responded, “and the door will be opened”.

After we cleaned Marcella up we regrouped and shared about this lovely family who doesn’t understand how to care for their sick sister and the medical staff isn’t helping matters. We took Paula, our leader back and prepared to insert the catheter ourselves. Before we made it to the bed, there was a Dr. whom we had connected with the day before over a patient who had miscarried. We had been able to share about compassion and felt like his heart began to soften. He was happy to see us there and invited us to come in whenever the ward was slow...open doors! He assisted Paula as she installed the catheter and invited us to see a Pulmonary Tap in the bed next to our new-found friend.

It was an incredible experience yesterday. I was so happy to see Marcella get the attention she needed and to teach the family about how to care for bedsores and how the Dr. is learning compassion extends beyond our “daily duties”…and all of it starting from a pr*ayer walk. Praise the L*ord.

oh blogger...

Today I was called "white woman" for the first time. Usually it is just "white man" or "white". I stopped in my tracks. I think that was what he wanted me to do anyway. He had a very lovely collection of yellow-cube soaps and non-antiperspirant deodorant, none of which I purchased.

We have been collecting data by interviewing the mothers of Cameroon and feel like slowly we are grasping one straw at a time what kind of culture we are living in. One of my favourite responses to the question "Is there anything you should know when you become pregnant?" is: "Do not stand in front of a door, a baby may come and change it's mind and then go back inside." Another one in the running is "A woman who is pregnant should not rest her head on her fist for too long (see Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite during the photo shoot with Deb.) for the baby will be born that way if she does."

Jean, the base leader has given us a wealth of information as we speak with him about the experiences at the hospital. He shared yesterday about the inferiority complex that exists because of slavery. When Cameroonians see white people they feel inclined to respect and greet us but within our superiority lies their inability to trust us. This made me examine all the women we have been spending time with and how they feel towards us "truly". I have to believe that there is the possibility for us to alter this complex in at least a few women while I am here. Melisa shared "Maybe initially they feel inferior, but when the pain comes, and we are rubbing their waist and catching their projectile puke, they have to at least have a glimpse of who we truly are."

And so I have reached the conclusion that this city, this country, this continent, this world, we need the love of Je*sus. Without it we have a record of rights and wrongs and we will miss the beauty of whole groups of people.

thimbly bimbles

Hi Everyone…

December has come to a close and January was there to open a beautiful new year. On the evening of the 31st our two new staff, Paula and Hollie arrived along with our seventh student, Sarah (we were having a shortage of Sarahs). Becca and I met them by running along their bus and greeted them with an embrace. We spent the evening reconnecting and hearing what had been apart of everyone’s lives for the past three months. Paula has been busy serving in accommodations at the base, Hollie and her boyfriend were engaged last week (!) and Sarah completed her Psychology degree in November. The rest of us shared stories of adventures in Indonesia and our joy to have completed the applied lecture phase. Most of our travelers were ready for bed for the new year came in but the troopers stayed up and brought in 2009 with “Charade”, an Audrey Hepburn movie, it might be the last time I watch that one. After the Haring family went to bed, Connie, Sarah and I anxiously awaited one last person. Connie and Sindre were engaged last December before Sindre left for Perth, where he met up with his team to go to China for two years. Connie visited him before the BAS began. In 2008 she saw him for nine days. Finally at four am, the three of us heard the gate rattle and watched as they hugged for the first time. I cried. They have been so obedient and it was a joyful night for Sarah and I to watch them hug. There have been many tearful nights of them being separated…it felt so worth it when we saw them making eye contact for the first time. On the Fourth of July they will marry in Norway, Connie is completely American at heart.

As for the weeks leading up to our night of reunion, it has been challenging. Melisa and I have been joking that the word “flexible” has never meant this much “going with the flow” in our lives. From our two weeks travel time to the adjusting here, we all have had to battle for the curtains that have been hung.

Personally, I have been completely blessed as we all sing together, reflect and joke around. Yesterday, we had a “handing over” from Becca, Rachel and Sarah to Hollie and Paula. We would hug the leaders and then were sent over to the other leaders. I was ready to be blindfolded and tossed into the new leaders arms and I was among the minority. Afterwards, the three leaders had time to pack their bags and the rest of us spent time getting to know one another’s learning styles and our hospital expectations. I loved hearing the excitement in our new leader’s voices, completely refreshing, so eager to enter the hospital. There is wisdom that lies deep in their questions and experiences that build expectation for the next five months.

The three were set to go at nine pm last night. We had our final communion together. Rachel received the word to read from Nehemiah where a new law is in place and the people weep, but Nehemiah tells them to go and enjoy, “the joy of the Lo*rd is your strength”. She shared that tonight was to be like this, “yes, it is out of context, but there are changes in place, let the joy of the Lo*rd be your strength.” We closed by praying and sobbing over our leaders and soon they left through the abyss of darkness that lies outside the compound. The quiet awaited us inside. We stood and cried in one of those awkward hugging positions that seem to comfort you the most when you need to be embraced. The silence was broken after who knows how long by, “Chris is staring at us”. Becca left a picture of her comrade lover as the gatekeeper of our room.

I remember how Steve said, “When one person enter or leaves a community, it changes the whole community”. Today is our day off; we just finished our first meal without people who have been a part of our lives for the past six months. I have felt optimistic and excited for the past week about the change and I think I still am. In the moment though as I sit on my bunk, I feel melancholy, I am grieving the changes. It is through suffering that fulfillment comes. I am hopeful for the time to come. The joy of the Lo*rd is my strength today.

update

Hello Everyone…

Week two, I think, yes, from Bamenda. We have spent the last week working in the hospital, taking assessments nearly every night and of course preparing for our nearing holidays. It has not been an easy transition here. As I shared last week, we really feel like Go*d has something incredible for us if we are facing so much difficulty.

During inter*cession this week, we spent some time “warming our engines”. We received a picture of lubricating an engine, de-icing a car, waiting before we hit the freeway for our team. As we pra*yed into this, I understood more. We cannot just begin spending full days at the hospital. I will not immediately understand how things work at the base and what I can help out with or immediately be in great relationship with the staff. Someone described this time as “plowing the fields”. This time is imperative and will play into the harvesting. I need to be flexible and working hard at observing, asking questions and observing some more. I am so anxious to dive right into it all, but I think that would be a recipe for disaster, like the Booklets Baking Boo-Boo.

A couple of the team experienced what is happening this week in the spiritual realms during birth. A woman and her baby were rushed through an augmented labour and the baby was hardly breathing when he was born. Immediately our staff lead out in resuscitating the wee-one. The hospital had no equipment except for a bulb suction. We carry stuff with us in case these things happen. After 45 minutes of fighting in pra*yer and action, the baby was taking 8 breathes per minute, not ideal, but they were able to transfer him somewhere that they could give him oxygen. I do wonder what would have happened to the child if we had not been there to fight for him. Some of the staff shared that sometimes the midwives haven’t seen someone fight for a baby in pra*yer and that is something we can bring.

This next week will include two times at the hospital and then our Christmas break. Yay! This will be our first break since we arrived in Perth . I don’t know what I will do with myself!

Bless you all. I hope you are all enjoying the snow! I can’t imagine what it looks like! Merry Christmas everyone!

i am in cameroon!

Hello everyone! My team is alive and together in Cameroon. I am SO happy to share this with you. After the weeks of trials and testing, we have found deep encouragement in words from family and friends praying over us. We know that the enemy would love to keep us out this place where we are going to impact the spirits of darkness.

Just yesterday, our team had our first two deliveries. What a beautiful day it was...

We are staying with a Y-base here and they are an amazing family a staff, primarily from South America, what a nice twist!

This is quite short, but it will take me about ten minutes to upload it, so I need to save time for that! Thank you for all your prayers. I am asking that you continue to lift up our team's unity and we face a staff transition in the next couple weeks. Thank you guys!

from Kenya

Hi friends. The past week has not been smooth travel at all. Hahaha. I laugh at the adventure that we have had. One night in the airport here, one washed passport there, one asthma attack here, another cancelled flight there. We are almost to Cameroon and I cannot wait. We are however, separated from some people on our team. Three girls stayed back in Hong Kong because one of the students has bronchitis. It is a great need to be reunited and we know that as soon as she is healthy enough and cleared to travel she will come. A week of traveling is rapidly coming to a close and we continue to see God's provision in it and we will continue to guard ourselves with the Armour of God. Thank you for all your prayers, may they continue for the remainder of our travel time (which will end on Friday...we hope).

hrmph...

Hi Friends. Just a quick update. Today we were supposed to fly to Bangkok. Due to a little uprising and air control towers being taken over that won't be possible. Tomorrow we will fly to Kuala Lampur for a couple hour layover, then to Hong Kong for a couple of nights and then to Nairobi for a while and then to Duola for a a bumpy busride to the north.

These last couple days have been sheer pandemonium for our wise leaders. I am expectant of smooth travel. When you think of us, feel free to pray.

Happy Thanksgiving America!

a hard day.

We wandered off the street and ushered ourselves down sandbag stairs until we lost sight of the road and had a clear view of the murky river carrying trash to it's next unwanted destination. I saw the bridge. I put one foot in front of the other and made my way into the "under-the-bridge-slum". Two stories. Darkness. Random light bulbs. And this is their home. A complete community whose life is embodied by the cars' safe transport over the river.

I felt overwhelmed. I was done seeing suffering. No more injustice.

And we were invited into someone's house before I soak in anymore anger.

We stared at the women sitting across from us. She began telling us about the friends they had made with a previous wave of "buleh". We inquired about who was related to who, shared about our time here and stared some more. We learned that the young woman had moved here temporarily because her house is flooded. She smiled at us meekly as she shrugged off the weather of the city, accepting that these are the conditions she lives in, and that is that.

Soon we began to ask if they knew Jesus. They shared that they had heard about him and were beginning to know him through a Bible that the mother of the young woman had. She is forboden to read it by her husband. She smiled as she shared she is reading through the book of John. Shortly a man appeared in the corner. Our local friend told us we could no longer talk about Jesus because he was a Muslim.

As we invited him into the circle we asked about his life. He is 36 and lives with his mother. He hasn't left the house lately but needs to get a job. We started to share about a Provider that we know of. Little by little we told the story of a Jesus who loves us and only has good in his heart. The man seemed puzzled and uniterested. We piped up about the vastness of his grace. "I am a sinner and you are too. He died for you. He died for me." No convincing is necessary, we could tell he was waiting for more though. When we asked him if we could stop and pray for God to open his heart to recieve he said that he wanted to know Jesus today. One prayer after the other, he met Jesus. I will not easily forget the questioning in his voice when he closed the prayer and said "I feel...free?...It is like the dark has been wiped off my eyes."

The story goes on...some of it I am still working through.

This much I wanted to share though. Earlier, I felt that the world had abandoned this corner of the city. How could we have let such a quaint city build itself up under the bridge? Surely this isn't where God has intended for people to live? And I believe that still. However, it was through this man, his release of dullness and embracing of freedom that brought forth the kingdom that day, it has brought to this lost city. Bit by bit, Jesus is breaking through.

Salvation bears hope.