Another baby safely brought into this world! Thank you Jesus!
This mom delivered so fast. She had felt like pushing in the tricy on the way to the clinic. Baby was out before I had time to put my second glove on all the way!! I got to name him too!! I named him Josiah!! He was so small but so very cute!!!
This was my first official catch from last Nov 14th!! So nice to see them again but they both have really bad coughs right now:(
I really like going to see the families for the postpartum visits to their home. Such a priveledge to see how they live. So poor!
Doing the new born exam.

Things have been busy here at the clinic! The first week we were having lots of births and the next week we had to do a lot of transports to the hospital! I've been learning lots through every experience. I've now delivered 8 babies as the primary midwife. One was just last night. But this week has been hard too. An older man came in the clinic who had been bitten by a poisonous snake. I was helping the doctor and we did all we could but the man passed away:( I was doing chest compressions and we were giving him blows of oxygen but we did not have the anti venom for the snake bite:( So sad!! I want to get some!! This did not help the fear I already have for snkakes!! Some of the women we live far up the mountains and we have to hike up there are visit them!! I'm going to need extra prayer for peace and no fear! There is one woman who lives in the area the man got bite and we might have to hike to her house in the dark if she goes into labor in the middle of the night!!! Ah!!! But overall I'm really liking being back here. Terri, Vicki's sister is teaching a 6 week course on childbirth education on our prenatal days and that is going great! The women, and me and the Filipino midwives, are learning so much and its fun too:) We are having more and more come every week!
I am just about done with my application for school. I'm applying to the National College of Midwifery so that I can become an official midwife! All that's left is to send in a cheque for the tution. This will be an online program. Most of the textbooks are here from schools that Vicki has run so I'm so priveledged to be able to make use of them!! I'm really excited to start studying:) Lots of Love to all of you!!! <3 <3 <3

Feels like home :)

It's home here now!! I'm loving it!! This week there were 4 births! Some were a bit complicated but when I whispered the name of Jesus, I could feel His calming presence and all the babies and moms are alive and doing good!! I'm learning a lot! Not just about midwifery, but also about ushering God's presence into my daily life! There could be the most complicated situation, but when you feel God right there with you, He takes away your fear and fills you with His love and peace! It's amazing!! I know this is the place and the time that God has called me to! Thank you to all for your continued support, prayers and encouragements!! There is a definite battle and I need your help to keep fighting! Fighting for my quiet time, fighting for the women, fighting for the things that are on God's heart!! I love you all!! Happy Valentines Day!! I hope God's love is so real to you this week!!! <3 <3 <3

My first week back in Puerto Galera

My very first day back to the island I went straight to the clinic to help with all the prenatals and that night there was a birth and I delivered the baby. A beautiful baby girl named Jenelyn. I went to the home a few days later to check on the mom, Arlyn and baby and both were doing well. I was able to give Arlyn some help with breastfeeding and I can’t wait to visit her again to see how she’s doing with that! Breastfeeding is the absolute best thing you could ever do for your baby!!!
Thursday is the day we go to Sabang and do prenatals for the women living in that area. It happened that I had to go alone there and do all the prenatals!! I found out when I was finished that there had been 15!! Which was a lot for me and it was my first time doing prenatals by myself. I was a bit nervous and had to use my broken Tagalog a lot!! But I was amazed that I could understand most of what they told me!
Thursday night we had to transport a mom in labor to the hospital in Calapan, which is 2 hours away. We had been monitoring the FHT for a few hours but they were decreasing and bright green poo particles coming out in the fluid were telling us that the baby was in distress. The parents were very concerned for their baby but also extremely worried about how they would pay for the transportation and hospital fees!! The look on their faces broke my heart and I gave them some of the last of my pesos!! They were so grateful!! The mom, Anna, had tears in her eyes! I heard this morning that she was able to have a natural deliver and so far the baby is doing fine. When they are back from Calapan, I will go visit them and do a check up. I’m praying that God will provide the money for the fees that they will have to pay to the hospital. The burden of that often weighs on families for years as they struggle to somehow pay down the debt. Last year there was an article in the Manila newspaper about 4 babies who were held at the hospital until they were 8 months old because their families had no money to pay for delivery!!!! Things like this just should not happen!!!!

This morning I got to see baby Louie. He was born last November and has a bilateral cleft lip. He was only 2000grams, about 4.4lbs when he was born. His deformity makes it hard for him to nurse properly. We have a surgery lined up for him thru Operation Smile, but he needs to gain a certain amount of weight. This morning his weight was up to 4100grams. But he still has a ways to go!! It was so fun to hold him and see him laughing and smiling at me. I could tell that he has some other developmental delays as he’s 3 months but still cannot hold his head up on his own.
This afternoon I went to 2 pregnant girls homes to check on them. It was so fun to visit with them and their families. I had been having a lonely, rainy, sad day afternoon and it was good to get out and hang out with a fun family. One of the girls lived half way up the mountain. It was quite the hike in sandals in the rain up the slippery, muddy terrain!! On the way back down I was so sure that I would end up sliding down the mountain on my bum!!
It’s so good to be back here and I know this is where I am to be for this time, but I have been struggling with loneliness and today I spent a few hours crying. I would love pray for God’s joy and just for friendship, someone I can talk to and share how I’m really feeling and pray with! I’m missing all my friends and family back home and all the love and support you all are to me!!
Lots of Love to you all!!!

Back in Manila

God’s definitely prepared the way for me to come back to the Philippines. From a compassionate lady, working for Korea Air, letting me take an additional third bag for only $60 when it would have cost $240, to the customs officials in Manila waving me thru with a smile, even though I had been really honest and checked that I had goods to declare!! Some of my friends, Jonas and Rachelle and a few others from the Baptist Church picked me up from the airport. It was so nice not to have to haggle with a taxi driver and worry that he wouldn’t know where I was staying here in Manila!!

The kids here in Manila were SO excited to see me!!! They missed me even more than I thought!! The screaming welcome that I got was so loud that I’m sure everyone in the area heard it!! Good thing they didn’t know I was here til the next day cuz I arrived at the clinic at 2am!! I don’t think the neighbors would have been very happy if they screamed then! Ha ha

So thank you all so much for your prayers and all the items that were donated!!

I love and miss you all already!! And I’m missing the cold weather too! It’s still so hot here!! Ha ha

Lots of Love, <3>

Sherina