Sunday, June 27, 2010

More babies and adventures

Hey guys! It's been a while since I blogged! There's just no time! It goes by so fast over here! I hope your summer's are going well. I wish (well...kinda) that I was with you guys so I could catch up and talk to you! I had a dream about Erica last night that I got to talk to her and hug her and it hit me that I miss home. This is probly the first time that I've really missed home. But we're half way there! We've learned so much over the past month and have gotten to practice all of our skills. It's been the best experience in my life so far. There's so many differenced between the US and here. I wasn't ever mad at the limited things I got to do during clinicals at the hospital until I got here and got to do so much more. Melissa and I were talking and saying that if we both decided to not get our masters, then what we did this summer is more than we would get to do in our entire career in the US. Nurses don't catch babies, doctor's do. Here- not so much. :D We've both done our share of internal exams, pap smears and gram stains, IVs, catheters, and catching a baby when it first enters this world. We've grown in so many ways. Physically we're both probly doing better due to the mountain terrain. Emotionally we've learned to handle more than our share. We've come face to face with extreme poverty and learned to never get used to it, but also not to let our anguish show to those people. We've learned that a smile can change a day. We've learned that a picture and a hug can make a child remember your name forever. We've learned that joy is something to never take advantage of and we are privileged so that we can bless others. Spiritually we've grown so much. We've learned that prayer is the best weapon we have. We've learned that Jesus is our comforter and joy and is never, ever far away. I've come to the realization that my dad and mom raised me well and were truly great parents. They taught me how to love through actions. I can't even believe that all my kids church training has come to such great use over here! My mom and dad taught me to rely on Jesus and how to be the light to this world. They showed me through action and word what a true man and woman of God look like. They are...amazing. And while you read this, mom and dad I love you so much. And thank you. (Don't cry. I kinda am though. haha) We've seen so much and have grown because of it. This truly is a chance of a lifetime and neither of us are coming back unchanged.
With all that said, there was a recent experience that was so great. I got to solo catch a baby again. Solo meaning I was the one on the chair in front and for the most part the only hands on that mom and baby. A handsome baby boy named Daniel was born a couple days ago and I got to be the one to help him out. He was a big baby, too! A little over 8 lbs! That's huge for this culture. haha. Our bodies are...amazing. God crafted us so cool. It never amazes me that a baby that big can live inside a woman and come out so smoothly. And the nasty, gross placenta- it's a organ that our body generates to keep this baby alive. And then when it's done it just comes out. And our bodies can do this over and over. It's so awesome! It makes me proud to be a woman. lol! Babies are so much fun and each one makes me smile so big. I truly love this job!
I also went back to the dump site this week. The kids remembered me! I heard my name and had a group of kids run up and hug me. It broke my heart... This time I got to help Father Heinz with the medicine part of it all and learned a lot of cultural things when it comes to the medicine. For instance- as a nursing student we are taught that when you place a patient on antibiotics you reinforce the instruction to take it for the whole course. This is to prevent the bacteria from becoming resistant and then having to use a stronger one later to overcome the same infection. Well here they just stop it when they start feeling better. So we have tons of patients who have been sick for so long because they don't finish the course of their medicine and actually get sicker. So we got to help a bunch of people and really bless them through free meds so they can start trying to get better. I also got to play with the kids again! This time we did twirling... there was a line after like 2 minutes. But hearing the giggles and seeing the smiles was totally worth however sore I was the next day. I love those kids. I love being able to make them happy and help them through one more day. It makes my heart smile. :D
I really just feel like Jesus has been showing me the same thing over and over this trip. He's been telling me that His view is hard but it truly is beautiful. We've all seen the videos of putting on the "glasses" of Jesus and seeing all the hurt as He sees it. It definitely is like that, don't get me wrong. I've seen more hurt than I ever imagined. But when you put on those same glasses you also see amazing, perfect, unconditional love. You can't see the hurt without feeling the breaking of your heart that only happens when you are head over heels in love with someone. That tightening in your stomach and the voice in you head that says they're so beautiful it hurts. That's how I see it now. I see hurt, yes. But I also feel love. The "break my heart for what breaks yours" isn't all bad. His heart breaks with the sheer amount of love He feels for His people. I just keep hearing Him tell me to love his people. This is His highest calling for my life. To love. Love like He loved. Love them with open arms. I will love with all my heart. I want to show His love all the time. We went with a group to an outreach once and the pastor kept saying "we're doing this because it's our calling. If we were honest with ourselves we would realize that these aren't people we know. And we really don't care. But we're going to do it for Jesus." All I could think about that whole time was that he was missing the point. Action without feeling isn't enough. We are supposed to care. We are supposed to LOVE his people! I couldn't get that little pep talk out of my mind because it just felt that the whole group was doing something and not understanding how it's supposed to be. I never want to do that. I don't ever want to just not care. I don't how how to not care. Jesus has put a calling on my life and I will follow it wherever He takes me. Loving isn't exclusive to foreign countries. I can show His love wherever I go. What a great calling... :D
Well friends, I'm going back to the clinic now! I took a picture of me and Daniel and will post it as soon as possible! I love you all and thank you so much for all your encouragement and prayers! :D

1 comment:

  1. Loving you, Molls. So glad you are writing about your summer and doing something so crazy. You are crazy. And I'm glad you're into this stuff so you can catch my babies some day and convince me that it's really awesome, not terrifying and gross. Haha. :)

    One of my best friends at Cov is in the Philippines this summer, too! I keep forgetting to give you her blog so you can check out what she is doing. She's doing research for her major, helping a community figure out their assets and what they can do to improve. That sort of thing. Anyway, here is her blog! I gave her yours, too.

    Love you! Praying for you!

    Jess! Still loving reading your blogs. Love the list-making. Praying for you, too.

    I keep forgetting to tell you that one of my best friends from home is in the Philippines this summer, too! She's working in a clinic, catching babies and taking care of pregnant momies and all that kind of thing. It's pretty crazy! Here is her blog if you want to check it out. I'm going to give her the link to yours, too. Hope you don't mind. :)

    http://mollys-excursions-2010.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-babies-and-adventures.html

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