Miriam's Update

Hey everyone!
 Whew! It's been over a week since my last posting and we've been busy!  Plus it's been a pain to get in and out of the property because of all the rain. 
    
This past week, in my midwife internship, we learn several different skills.  We learned how to suture on a chicken breast which was way awesome!! =)  I would love to take a more intense class of it.  We did different shots, vacuum extraction, and nasal gastric feeding tube...Probably more, but my mind isn't remembering them all! 

 One evening that I was on call at the clinic, I had to walked through the rain and knee-deep river water to get out!!  (The water wasn't moving)  Good times =)
   
I was able to be a part of 3 births this past week!!  And they all happened within 13 hours! =)  The first one was at 2PM, then 1:30AM, and 4:10AM.  I almost got baptized with amniotic fluid with one of the births. Glad I have fast reflexes =)
 
 For one of the births I was able to cut the chord, which was awesome!!  I had watched a couple be cut and explained to me and then I got to do it!
  
I'm now staying at the clinic (about a 25 min walk from the property) so I can always be around for births, prenatals, and postpartum visits.  My internship is over on July 15th when 2 other interns come in, so I want to get in as much as I can in my last two weeks.  I'll probably be able to help with some things after that, but only if the other interns aren't there for some reason.    

Three of the girls who were here for the intense two week training left yesterday and I already miss them!! They were super neat girls!  Allison is heading to Australia to do the YWAM midwife program, Nadia is headed to Thailand for 6 months of YWAM training and then to India indefinitely, and Amy is going back to Taiwan to finish up teaching English in several different schools there... Had super fun, good times with them all!
  
This next week is the last week I have with the other intern, Kelly. She's 37, has 3 kids and is very awesome to be around!  Her and her husband want to move to China and she wants to use midwifery there as a ministry.
     
A lot of our things are getting moldy out at the property because of the rain and humidity and just not being able to dry out.  I cleaned our money off yesterday cuz it got moldy. =/  But we're dealing with it =)  The washing lady either must hate us or love us for bringing her so many clothes! =) I better sign out for now!
 Miriam

News from Liz

I now define a lot of rain as not just two or three days of non stop, but six. I have never seen so much rain in my life! It has slowed all our outside construction work down a bunch, but we are able to get some things done at the other established clinic so that's good!

 The rain also provides some fun when we took a walk about three miles or so to the McDonalds one night late. We were completely drenched, but had a good time.

I have given up on clean clothes; they never stay that way so I'm just embracing the mud. :)

Mim has gotten to see several births which is awesome!! I'm sure she'll post about it later. She even got to cut the cord at one of the births.

The last couple days we've been putting tile in at the clinic, helping with other random things, and taking a wall down outside and putting a new one up.There is plenty to do, just rain slows everything down.

The river by us is super flooded. We can't take our baths there anymore because it is so flooded. The other day, when the water was very high, a 15yo boy died trying to cross ... more later

Good News from Miriam!

June 15

Hey everyone! Wow, we've been gone from KY for two weeks already! In some ways it seems really long and other ways really short!

Praise the Lord we are all doing a lot better!  John L came out of the hospital Monday night and went back to the property today. John M decided to rent an apartment in the same complex as the directors, just to have a place to shower, relax, and get on the internet. It's very cheap.  He wanted it also to be available to anyone they know who might need a place to stay but it's been the sick bay the last couple days.  =) 

I'm feeling a lot better too after pretty much sleeping all of yesterday and drinking lots.  I'm still not 100% but quickly getting there.

 They've had 3 births in the last 3 days at the clinic! All mom's and babies are doing really well! PTL.  I didn't get to witness any of them, but I'll be able to do follow up visits with them. This morning I did several prenatal check ups at the clinic. It's really cool feeling the position of the baby and hearing the heart beat!  So amazing the life God is growing in their wombs! =)

We have several women that will be giving birth soon and I hope I'll be able to be there for them!  I might go down and spend the nights at the clinic, so I don't miss them.  They had 3 moms give birth within 10 min of getting to the clinic and I couldn't get there in time. =(

The boys hut is just about done and they are glad to be getting out of their tent. Some things got wet and it hasn't been the nicest living place. =)  I'm sure we'll be building them a set of bunk beds also.

Things are kind of settling back down and hopefully we can get back to some kind of schedule.  There are still things we need to buy/do to fully settle in....

I'm super excited about this next week!  Seven other ladies have come to take an intense two  week seminar and  the other midwife intern and I will be a part of them also. I've missed several of the class room studies, but I'll be able to do more of the hands on skills this coming week.  We're going to learn several things, but two that I'm really looking forward to are suturing and starting IV's. =) =)

We've only been here a week and a half and we already can tell how spoiled we are in America.  Here if anyone goes off the property and using a "real" bathroom we go back and tell everyone what we got to do! And I love how little things like going to McDonald's or getting pizza or a soda or ice in our water is a treat now that we're here, where back home those were normal occurrences.   I pray I'll never take little things like that for granted again. =)

PS. McDonald's here is way better quality than the States.  And for a cheaper price!
    Signing out for now! Miriam

Learning to Trust

 This is Pam writing the update.

The team is having a few opportunities to learn to trust the Lord ( aka problems). We here at home are learning too. :)

One of the team, John Langham, got sick and had to go to the hospital. He evidently had an intestinal infection that required IV's and antibiotics. He is on the mend and was released from the hospital today.

Then yesterday Miriam got sick . Here is what she says:

"I woke up at 3 a having horrible diarrhea and nausea. I was super weak and kinda achy. The rest of the group went to midwife class at 7:30 and I went to sleep for a little while. My diarrhea stopped around 10AM but still had other symptoms. Levi brought Liz around 12 and I took some charcoal and my nausea was better. They stayed and entertained me for about 3 hours then went back. They got me water and soft drinks and crackers. I was able to eat some crackers( they have some super amazing ones here) I went back to Scott and Vicki's apartment around 5PM with one of the midwives and have been in and out of sleep since then." I chatted with her this morning( which is night over there) and she is doing OK .She is still having stomach cramps and is weak but she didn't need IV's. She is staying at the director's house and Liz will be her nurse for the night.

 The team purchased a scooter to get around on the island . Yesterday Levi and Liz were on it and this is what Liz said happened:"On way home we hit a tricycle. Sorta like motorcycle with a side car. It was turning stupidly in  the street.It was wet and we couldn't stop,so we hit it. But it's a huge praise because there were no major injuries!! Just a sore neck for me with  a bruise on my side.Levi's knee and ankle are  scrapped a bit. But we were good and so was the  bike. So praise God!!"

So praises with prayer request and lots of opportunities to learn to trust our heavenly Father!

Miriam's Update

I'll try not to repeat what Liz has already told everyone. :) We made it here after a long time of traveling.I am so thankful I have a straight flight home! Everyone was super tired and jet lagged. Our bamboo huts never looked so good! :)

Yesterday we finished Liz and my bunk beds and those are nice to have :). We put bamboo across to put the mattress on. I wanted one of the Filipino guys to show me how to strip the bamboo, but from what I got out of his gesturing, he wouldn’t let me because he thought I'd cut a finger off:)

The Filipino guys working on the guy’s hut (the guys are in a tent right now) are really nice! Two days ago, after we got a bad storm and everything was slippery, Liz slipped getting up onto our porch. Well, just like that they all stopped what they were doing and built a step up to our porch! (Nicer than some American guys :))

So far, I haven't seen a birth, although there have been a couple at the clinic since we've been here (the clinic is about a 5 min drive from where were staying). I did get to do several prenatal checkups. We went to the city dump yesterday and checked on a newborn and did several prenatals (checks on pregnant women). The newborn and mom were fine.(2 days old). They lived in a small house made out of cardboard and wood.

Then we went to a lady's house and used it to so prenatals. We had to ask the ladies several questions, take their blood pressure, hemoglobin, pulse, listen to the baby's heart beat, and feel the position of the baby. It was so weird doing prenatals across from a huge garbage dump. You kinda forget where you are while you're doing them.

We live on the side of a big hill with Jason and Theresa and their 4 girls and Jen and Jokes and their 2 boys. Jen and Jokes are Filipino. Oh, and Jen and Theresa are midwives. They are very nice families!

Jason and Theresa live above us in a concrete and bamboo house and Jen and Jokes below us.

The bathroom is at the bottom on the hill and quite a walk! But at least we have running water,sort of! The toilet you just have to pour water down for it to flush. It is not like in the states where you'd pour it in the back thingy. You have to pour it in the actual bowl. It works. :) Baths are in the community water hole in the river :)

I have to sign out now!
Miriam

Updates from Elizabeth

Day 1 --- So we just left Houston and praise God I am not sick and I pray it stays that way!! But even though it is hard God showed me how much I just gotta trust Him and nothing else because He's all I need. Completely all I need. I was nervous and anxious but just prayed and prayed and He gave me peace that passes any understanding I'll ever have :)
Really excited about what God can do on this trip and how He can use, even me, if He wants to. Well, got on the plane and wanted to go to the bathroom. I got back to it and was looking around cuz I had no clue how to get in!! A man was standing there so I was like "uh, Liz, don't look like a hick!" I figured it out:) Liz

Day 2---- ( on flight to China) So I'm not even sure what day it is.. I sat and thought for a while but in-between almost throwing up I can't think of it. Surrounded by Chinese people who can't understand me when I say, "I need stomach sick pill"  is not so fun... But they've faithfully delivered Sprite to me so I won't complain. :) but I think I'll kiss the ground when I get off!!:) I have been having to pray a BUNCH to stay with it and  not throw up or fear this whole newness  --So that part is good! I've done a ton a bunch of things in last 24 I've never done... Flying, new states.. And seeing more Chinese people then ever :)

 June 8th

Hey everyone! 

 Mim and I have arrived in the Philippines and are finally where we will be staying! :) PTL!! I have never been on such a long trip!!! Was NEVER so happy to arrive and sleep sleep sleep..

The weather here is crazy hot, just like we knew it'd be. I never knew how amazing a fan was until we got one... after the first couple nights, it was a dream. :)

   We're living on the side of a hill in a bamboo hut.  The bathroom has no roof, and the shower is aka the river. It's a bit different than home. :)

The first day here we walked to a tribe up the river from us and they did a small medical clinic for them. Then yesterday I helped put my first nipa (sorta like a palm/pineapple tree leaf) roof on! :) We sewed it on with something like fishing line. They were "shingles" about a foot wide and two foot long. It was pretty hot work and we didn't last quite as long as the Filipino's did. :) But the boys will be thankful for a nice roof that doesn't leak as soon as it's done! :)  So I can add that to my resume.. :)

Today it has been raining some and the boys are making bunk beds for Mim’s and my hut. Jake and I dug out some steps from the hill we have to climb. I'll be in shape just from walking up and down the hill to the bathroom and river!

Please be praying for Mim and John Langham. Mim is sick with a sore throat and headache and John has been sleeping most of day with a bad headache and feeling bad (maybe from too much sun).

 I was able to come to one of the family’s houses today to get on the internet. So far it's been a good trip... if you skip the 3 days of travel I wanted to die on. :) I'm looking forward to what God can do with me the rest of the time I'm here! :)

 I pray you all are doing GREAT and loving Jesus more every day. :)  The Philippines is a great trip to come help, and it makes America look like heaven. :)

   Love you all!!! Liz