Into the Swing of Things

I love this school.

What do I love?
I love how the school was born, out of a pure love for God and the willingness of one lady to offer her skills as a nurse-midwife to train others.
I love that they value the integritous character of the midwife more than the skill of midwifery.
I love my fellow classmates! Each of their stories, where they come from, how they got here, each one is individually beautiful.

In one of our first lectures, we looked at what it means to be a midwife;
in its essence,
a midwife is someone who helps to bear,
who comes alongside others,
who is a delivery agent in the work of God.


“There is a desperate need for people who will nurture what is conceived by the Spirit of God,
and see it delivered.
So that we then, move into maturity.”

going from
Always needing to be delivered ---> to becoming the delivery agents
moving from self ---> to selflessness.

The Kingdom of God is fulfilled in our selflessness.



wow. That really impacted me.

This school is about LIFE, seeing the babies live. Defending the little ones, caring for them, and seeing them thrive.

The 2 main verses for this school are
Exodus 1:17:
“The midwives feared God... and let the little boys live.”

Ezekiel 16: 1-14.
God’s amazing grace extended to the Israelites, who were likened to a newborn that was despised, thrown out and left to die.
“ I said unto you, LIVE!”

This is all very exciting. I feel like so many things that I have felt strongly about are being fulfilled in this time. It’s not just about learning anatomy and the mechanisms of birth, but it is so much more than that. As children of God we have authority to speak life over the newly born. To bring the kingdom by doing all things with great love. To show a woman value, when she has been told she has no value by her culture, by her nation. To be the hands and feet of Jesus.
To be tenacious midwifes who advance the Kingdom, bind up the enemy, welcome in New Life.

“Speak up
for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up
and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8


This is us in our class,
studying,
and learning about testing urine.

Let's all raise our glass...
Just kidding.


We found out recently where we are going for our 8 month outreach:

Starting the end of September...
Tanzania, Africa for 3 1/2 months,
Back to Perth for 2 weeks, (YWAM 50th year anniversary, big celebrations)
South-central India for 2 months,
Phillipines for 2 months!!

When I found out we were going to India, I literally shrieked with excitement!
I’ve always wanted to go to India since forever,
and my desire was to be in India on the BAS, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I was preparing myself for anywhere,
but here we go! India for 2 months, baby!
And I am so, so thankful to God that He honoured that dream I had in my heart.




yay!

And now, the moment I’ve been waiting for:

From a seed that was planted early September 2007,
that grew and grew as I prayed and looked into it more,
then I finally made a decision to do it,
which meant doing a preliminary DTS course 6 months before,
which meant raising finance,
and leaving home for a year and a half,
forfeiting weddings of friends,
and the comforts of family,
but learning a skill that has always wooed me,
and discovering God’s heart for the poor and oppressed women and children of the nations.

It’s finally here.
The time is now!
It’s all happening.

The Birth Attendant School.
July 2009-June 2010

Eleven transformational months, and wow am I ready for this.
Studying the VALUE of new life,
Studying midwifery,
and using those skills to bring the love of God,
and stand in the gap, as a midwife, for women and babies who are shown and given no value.

Intense. And exciting! And spiritually very real.



We got our books! 2 thick juicy textbooks, a workbook, and Midwive’s Dictionary. I can’t wait to spend hours pouring over them all.

Looking forward to all that is ahead!

On Your Mark, Get Set, ....Malaysia?

Once back in Perth at the end of June, I had 2 weeks before the next school started.

But, with Australian Immigration and all its hoops, the only way I could stay in Aus was if I re-entered the country on a different visa.

I had found out about this earlier on,
....an unforeseen expense. But that’s what had to happen, so Lord, you knew that!

So I began to search and pray for good cheap flights to nearby countries. I found a very reasonable round-trip ticket to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, so I jumped at the chance and booked it for a 4 day journey.

Okay. So I have a ticket.
But I don’t know where I’m staying, and I’m going alone, to a foreign country I am completely unfamiliar with.

God? I need your help here.


There were a few tense days when nothing was settled, and it was a week before I flew. I didn’t really want to stay in a hostel by myself, or spend a lot of money (tight budget nowadays), I had sent the word out to a few people but still had not received any concrete answers.

Then, finally, within 24 hours everything came together. I had 5 days before I was to fly.
I got an email from a friend on base whose parents live in Kuala Lumpur and would love to have me. The immigration department in Malaysia seemed promising, and my visa application was filled out. (*visa = permit to stay in the country.... not the credit card)


Praising God, I packed my bag and flew out with now a home, a family, and transportation.

And boy, was it ever!
I stayed with the most lovely, amazing Christian family.
They considered it pure joy to have me with them, going above and beyond anything I ever expected. Asians hospitality rocks!

This family did not have much, (and they did not even know me beforehand!), but they were so steadfast in their devotion to care for me, and with such a sincere heart!
Their love for God obviously shone through their attitudes, actions, and willingness to serve others. They inspired me so much, and I kept thinking about what Jesus said,

“Freely you have recieved, freely give.” Matthew 10:8


from my journal upon arrival there:
“... Thank you Jesus.
Thank you that you are fully aware of my needs and you supply all of them.
Thank you that even amidst my feelings, you are still strong and reigning.”


I was so touched by their hospitality.

It was a wonderful stay. This is us at the tallest twin towers in the world.
Yes, they are in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

I got a ride to the Embassy to get a new Australian Visa (which worked out very smoothly and was granted in half the usual time!), and then we got to go a lot of places as a family and see the special things about Kuala Lumpur. The two teenage daughters thought I was really cool, and I had a lot of fun with them.

At the pewter museum, with historic Malaysian labourer dress-up clothes on.
With the mining-boat in the background of course.

What I anticipated to be a dry, all-business, all alone, uneasy, unenjoyable trip to Malaysia,
turned out to be a full, safe, warm, hospitable, loving family, fun trip to Malaysia.

“I am come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly.” -John 10:10

Life is so worth it with Jesus.

Final Words for Cambodia

(Pre-Bangkok)

Back in Poipet, we packed up our things, said our goodbyes, and sped off (very slowly) in our little tuk-tuk to take us to the Thai border.


Outreach was coming to an end. I was scared to come back to Australia because I didn’t know how I would cope in a successful western nation. I know myself all too well and knew there was the temptation of becoming judgmental or critical, just not knowing how to make sense of these two worlds I’ve experienced. Guess I just gotta take each day as it comes, and trust God for revelation while I process the last three months.



Moments to Remember
with love from Cambodia:

* putting lotion on the hands of a 28 year old mum (looks like she’s 15), who’s wearing a pyjama set, has a gold tooth, and is simultaneously breastfeeding her baby.

* after a monsoon rain, walking barefoot home through the sludgy roads, dodging animal dung.

* getting caught in a downpour, and being invited in to a family’s warm hut with bamboo floors. Then getting offered to take their horse back to our house.

* cutting my hair one impulsive night in the stagnant, humid bathroom. I now have bangs.

* sitting on a wood bed with an HIV patient, helping her drink from a coconut.

* throwing reeds across a lush bank with the village kids.

* praying for an HIV+ woman and her 20-day old newborn baby.

* eating boiled, salted snails and watermelon with the pastor’s family after teaching English.

* getting splattered with mud while digging the trench.

* drinking lots and lots of water, and lots and lots more.

* dancing for 3 hours solid with the kids behind our house.

* helping to fly a kite on a tropical dirt road.

Cultures Contrasted

It's just a 4 hour drive away, but the differences between
Poipet, Cambodia and Bangkok, Thailand
were enough to put me into culture shock.... again.
I walked around in a daze for 3 days in this major world city Bangkok,
trying to quickly adjust to fast trains, big Asian malls, and hot pink taxis.


Let's explore...


THE ROADS:

Poipet










Bangkok

THE STREET LIFE:

Poipet










Bangkok

TRANSPORT:

Poipet








Bangkok

THE LOOK:

Poipet













Bangkok

Portraits of Poipet

Cambodians are beautiful.

a few snapshots along the way...

Siem Reap

June 7th 2009




Siem Reap is the touristy, more developed town surrounding the only tourist attraction in Cambodia: Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is the historic, famous temple that is now ancient ruins. It is the three- pointed building that is on Cambodia’s flag!
And yes, I did get the t-shirt.

We stayed in a beautiful guesthouse: dark wood staircases, white marble floors, and orange silk accents. Mom, you’d appreciate it. It’s a great and surprising change from dusty Poipet.

We stayed in Siem Reap for 2 days; we enjoyed the change of scenery, the air conditioning, the temple, and the lively night market.



I had such a fun time doing photography at the ruins.

But it’s kinda weird because it’s this big palace-temple, and even though it’s more historic than religious, they still do shrines to Buddha, etc. They dress a stone Buddha up in orange, offer him food and shiny things.
There are still monks wrapped up in their saffron robes, going about their monkly duties, lighting incense and overseeing offerings and such.

The whole place leaves you with a very empty feeling, kind of like the decaying stone around you.
However, I liked how nothing is really blocked off, you can walk and sit everywhere. (except the balustrades).
But yeah, idol worship is pretty sickening.


“But their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but they cannot smell;
they have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but they cannot walk;
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
-Psalm 115: 4-8

here are some pics from the day...

The Texas twins. The sweetest sisters you'll ever meet.

Us three.

Siem Reap was fun.

Welcome to the Kingdom

Well hello,
I have been in the Kingdom of Cambodia for almost two weeks,
and boy is it different than Thailand and Nepal.

We are in Poipet,
dusty,
poor,
corrupt,
a smattering of random shops,
shanty slum houses,
and casinos.

Poipet is a town right on the border of Thailand, and gambling is illegal in Thailand, so when you cross the border are these mega-buildings for casinos, and the rest of the city is just shambles. Also, Poipet is a place where many, many Cambodian children get trafficked (smuggled across the border into Thailand for prostitution).

Cambodia is also, in a sense, a "new country", because in 1979, a rebel group called the Khmer Rouge did a mass genicide and killed millions of people out of paranoia and control. Anyone who was educated, a doctor, school teacher, even if you had glasses (because you looked smart), were killed because they might be a threat to the Khmer Rouge.
So now, when you walk the streets, there are no old people here. They died in the massacre.
80% of the population of Cambodia is under 35 years old.
So its a very different atmosphere here spiritually.... lots going on.

But in the midst of all this,
the people are still beautiful,
and the children still manage to have fun, like flying a kite out of a garbage bag they found.

It is ridiculously hot here,
and ridiculously humid!
There is no airconditioning for relief,
and we pretty much have wet, dripping faces, and our clothes soaked in our own sweat.
All the time! Yummy.

But Cambodia is still awesome.
It is the beginning of the rainy season, so around lunchtime everyday, there is a torrential downpour that deafens the ears and makes me stand in awe of how big God is.
Then everything that was dusty, now becomes sludgy mud, and we slip and slide our way back home.

We got caught in the downpour today, it monumentally soaked me through, but I loved it!
We were walking to the internet place, which is 1.5 km away, roughly a 25 minute walk. (There are no taxis in Poipet....you walk.)

We are staying with a cool Christian woman who lives here now, but she's from Australia.
She lives in a house with many rooms and many floors, so it accomdates our team of 9 well.
We eat delicious Cambodian food everyday.... every meal is my favorite meal! I've never experienced so many good flavours, consecutively!

For the last week and a half we have been working under CHO, Cambodian Hope Organization, a Christian non-profit that branches out to help all areas of society here.
We are working hard in the mornings digging an uber-long ditch for homes they are building to house rescued children from the trafficking industry.
This week we'll be helping in an HIV patient hospice. In the afternoons we chill with the families we've met in the slum communities around, and teach English at a nearby church. I really like the hands-on type of ministry we're doing here... its a different pace than Nepal, and really touching.

I still don't think I've grasped the depth of the poverty here, or how dire the corruption is and how poor the majority really is. One sweet lady we met yesterday, asked us to pray that God would provide for her and her 5 children... because sometimes she doesnt have rice to feed them.
What does one do with that reality?

We only have 12 days left, it has been amazing so far,
I am thankful for this place,
and how God is growing me, and softening my heart when I try to keep it shielded.

One Night in Bangkok

Yesterday I was in Kathmandu, Nepal
Today I am in Bangkok, Thailand
Tomorrow I will be in Poipet, Cambodia.

We got in to Bangkok last night, and driving from the spectacular airport to the YWAM Thailand Base, I was having culture shock.


We were driving on freeways
with dotted lines on the roads
the electricity was still on at night!
People were using their turn signals!
the billboards were lighted,
and the highways were paved.
There was no garbage, no starving/dead dogs,
no car horns used!


It felt like we could be in a big American city.
So strange.

I'm having culture shock in Thailand.

Today we spend in Bangkok and tomorrow we're taking a bus ride to Cambodia (about 4-ish hours).
The last days in Nepal were great, we had a SAFE car ride home from Pokhara, and we managed to pack our hiking backpacks closed (sit on them and do the zipper at the same time!), even with all our little things accumulated along the way.

I have sweet memories of Nepal, and much to look forward to in Cambodia.
But today we're going to experience Thailand (on a $7 budget) and all its hotness and humidity!
It is so hot here, the humidity hits you like a wall everytime you come out of somewhere air conditioned.

I'll make sure I eat some good cheap Thai food (lime, coconut, chili.... mmm...)
and maybe bartyr for something at the downtown market
and also listen to the song "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head, at least once today.

Thanks for all the comments and emails,
it is so good to hear from all of you.

Saying goodbye from an internet place with leather chairs, fast internet, a Thai rocker with a mullet passed out in his chair beside me, and air conditioning... all for 40 cents an hour.

This is so different than Nepal.