Critter Control

I thought I should let you know that the dreadful spider did not go away as I had hoped, (and chosen to believe). The other day as I stepped out to start a shift next door, there it was on the outside wall, all huge and leggy and terrifyingly horrible!! I cried. And then worked up the courage to walk down the stairs and out the gate. And now I have no idea where it is. Every entry and exit is a gigantic leap of bravery as I search for it (do I want to see it or not?) and then quickly hit the stairs.
In another critter news, last night the guard-on-duty decided to do away with a bat that's been eating off our little half-tree. So he clipped it, David and Goliath style (though he is much bigger than the bat). I left work this morning to be shown the nasty carcass of the poor thing, what a great start to the day!
Killing bats, cutting down trees with kitchen knives, all in a days work for the guards at Glory Reborn!

Manila Bombing

On Friday afternoon a bomb went off in a busy Manila mall and killed 8 people, injuring over a 100. Its pretty sad, and a bit scary. (Especially as I write this to you from the main mall of the entire Visayas region.)
This comes in the midst of impeachments bids against GMA the country's president and continuing conflict between the government and muslim extremist groups.
Read more HERE and please keep the peace of this country in your prayers!

The Least

You might expect that being a midwife at a clinic that serves poor families in a 3rd world country, would just be a very rewarding experience. You might think that one would feel like they were were doing amazing ministry everyday. But for me, for the most part I overlook those things. I usually feel like I'm at work, it's good work, but still just work. But every once and a while, I catch a glimpse of the ministry being performed by my hands even when I'm "just working".
A woman labours through the night and as I take my shift in "labour watching", sitting with her, rubbing her back, breathing with her through each contraction, wiping hair and sweat from her face. I feel a moment of realization, I'm labour watching over Jesus. Wiping His brow, speaking encouragement to Him.
And on another night as I gently wash the dried blood off a new mother's body, my mind sees for a second that I am washing the legs and feet of Jesus. And I really truely know it, to the point that in that moment I can only pray, and that even writing this brings me tears.
I'm not writing this because I'm proud of these little things I've done. People do far greater things each and every day. I'm only writing because His words are true, "Whatever we do for the least of these, we do it for Him." And I can go to work and not expect to do or be or find any great thing. I can stare neediness in the face and not respond correctly, caringly and Christianly. That's me, I can do that. But sometimes God grabs ahold of my heart, and opens my eyes and I catch a glimpse of glory. Of worship. Of a God who chooses to be found "in the least of these."

Needle and Thread

I finished another 24hr shift this morning. Two catches in one shift!
And very exciting for me, I finally got to suture for the first time! I fixed up a 2 degree tear on a new 17-year-old mom. I know you midi friends of mine, have mostly all done this and even become quite the experts. And hopefully I'll get there too. But this was my first time with my hands responsible, and man - I really enjoyed it!
It was so rewarding to see everything coming together just right! Very cool.
And if any of you think this has been too much information, sorry, but this is the blog of a midwife.

Bye Bye Spider

Much to my delight it appears my big-nasty-spider problem has been solved! You remember the wonderful, kind security guards I've told you about? Well this morning I asked the guard on duty if there wasn't something that could be done about the spider-above-the-gate. And he was very certain, "Oh yes, Ma'am." So I thanked him and went away pleased, thinking he was obviously very brave and would come over later to spray it with pesticide or knock it down with a stick and squish it. I was happy.
About an hour later I'm in my apartment and I hear this racquet outside the window, so I turn around to see what is going on. And there, out of my 2nd storey window I see our wonderful, dear, little security guard, in the tree, at my eye level. He's climbed up the tree, wearing his dress pants, shoes and barong, and with kitchen knife in hand is chopping down the tree! I'm not kidding you!
There's now half a tree outside my house, growing up from the concrete.

Babies n Boys, Roaches n Worse!

I don't have the energy for a full out blog entry, but I do have a few comments I've been saving up:

• The other night my roomie and I came home from a night shift to find 8 mostly-dead cockroach carcasses scattered around the house. Usually every week or two we have one roach in the morning and just do away with them. But to have 8 in one night?! I'm just glad I wasn't there, and glad to have a cat to deal with them!
• On Friday one of my patients delivered. She's one of those women who have lightspeed labors, and she went from 7cm to crowning in 30min. We barely had time to get the gloves on and catch! Wow!
• Friday was a holiday here - for the end of Ramadan, and without school the 10-year-old boys on my block have taken up camping in the parking space in front of my home. So a dozen little boys are roaming without their folks all weekend, sleeping on cardboard and trying to saw through the drain grates to steal and sell the iron rods. They’ve taken to singing me the latest pop song and yelling up through my open windows if I want to "sex with them". They’re harmless, but my question is: Where are their parents?
• There's a big tree directly outside my front gate (growing through the concrete), and currently a giant, dreadful, very poisonous-looking spider has taken up residence in its branches, just outside my window and just over the gate. I'm pretty sure it could get in the house if it tried and everytime I enter or leave I'm so afraid it will fall on my head. I'm even more worried it will disappear, and then I won't know where it is!!

Sweet dreams folks!

She's So High

Last night I felt so alive!
Yay for me right? Ha. Cebu's not that big a city, a couple million people maybe. But last night was the first time in months that I got out of the city, if even for just a few hours! And wow, did I enjoy the fresh air, dirt roads, a walk in the dark, sitting by the sea, and the open-air mini bus that got us there. Simple pleasures.
Around Cebu my usual mode of transport is a taxi, the only direct way to get anywhere. Occasionally, I will take a jeepney, but not too often, not like I did in Manila. But last night my roomie, a co-friend and I hopped an open-air mini bus and headed South to where a friend of ours lives. (Side note: jeepneys and buses are the normal transport here, they're what people take day in day out, this was not meant to be an adventure!)
And as we sailed down the main highway, dodging all the other motor and pedestrian traffic, music blaring so loud my ears hurt, and the wind whipping my hair around my face - I had an amazing time! It was a highlight moment.
I've taken buses before, here in the Phils, and in other Asian countries, sometimes I've enjoyed them, sometimes I've hated them. The ride wasn't new. But somehow it was a moment of feeling really present, it was an excitement and high that I haven't had a lot of this year.
I realize that most of life is just life, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes it just is. I don't think life is about high experiences, or that it's all adventure. But I'll take as much adventure as will come! Last night, being on the move, with the wind all around, and the speed. The feeling of freedom (although I was squished with my knees in the seat in front and my friend pressed against me), that feeling was a high.
I'm sure everyone else on that bus was just waiting to get to their stop. Just waiting to get home, and a bus ride was just the necessary means to an end. It is probably just daily routine. But last night I had a great bus ride! It was blissful. I love the open road, I love the windows down, I love good music. And I guess that a busy highway, no windows and loud music is close enough to fill those loves!

Sonja, Pedro and I

Welcome to Fort San Pedro!
This is my friend Sonja, we were roomies way back in Malaysia.

And we're hanging out again in the Phils!

If I wasn't wearing the sunnies, you'd see that my eyes were squinted shut. Apparently somethings you never outgrow!
Look at us and our monkey friend! This isn't the first time we've tangoed with monkeys together!
So Sonja is on her way to Bacolod City for 2 years with YWAM! I'm totally impressed with her commitment, and her monkey taming skills.

Hmmm...

This is the only green and pretty place I've found in Cebu!

Apparently in German this means, San Pedro's Fart. I'm guessing the Spanish didn't know that.

September's Baby Party

Best Hat Ever,
Best Name Ever (mine),
Best Hair Ever!