Firsts

I find myself once again in a season of firsts. Every part of every day feels new. I know that it won't last forever, that this 'honeymoon stage,' as they call it, will soon become a comfortable routine, but that is a big part of its charm.
For the time being, I am relishing in the unknown, the mysterious, the unpredictable...

Yesterday was a big day in so many ways. We all woke up early with our hearts full of anticipation: we were about to perform our very first prenatal exams. Ate Gerlene, who has transformed her humble little house into a peaceful birth clinic, invites women to get examined every Saturday afternoon, beginning at 2 o'clock.

We spent our morning brainstorming creative ways to educate the expectant mothers about breastfeeding... and let me tell you that 4 midwives-in-training can get quite creative when asked to! Then, it was off to the market to pick up some fresh watermelon and bananas for an afternoon snack at the clinic. We arrived to find a dozen beautiful pregnant women quietly gathered in the smallest living room you've ever seen. Kids were running around playing with each other, dressing up, watching TV, and hanging upside-down on the single couch in the room.

I stepped into the bright blue birthing room, where there was just enough room for 2 beds, a cupboard, a scale and a few other medical supplies. My first mother was Andrea - a shy but lovely 25-year-old who was carrying her third baby. Her chart was handed to me, and I jumped right in. I was terrified. I knew I would be closely supervised, but did I really know what I was doing? I couldn't find the baby's heart beat, and even once I found it, I was so nervous that I had trouble counting it correctly. I was so frustrated with myself but grateful that the couple tears that fell down my cheeks afterwards were so easily mistaken for drops of sweat in the hot room.

A quick moment in prayer and I was off to do another exam. This one and the next were so much better - I would even venture to say they were enjoyable! Shirley, a 34-year-old mother of 2, is due July 12th and might very well be my first continuity (4 prenatals, birth, 1 post-partum). I'm so excited to be able to get to know these women, to visit them in their homes, to learn about their way of life, to share God's love with them and have the honor of bringing their little ones into the world! I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.

God has been so faithful in my first week here in Manila. The transition has been incredibly smooth, and the friendships He began forging a year ago are growing ever so deep. There is so much for me to learn, so much for me to experience, so much for me to be thankful for. I feel that my prayers of gratitude to the Lord are endless. That His provision is so abundant and His timing so perfect! I know that harder times will come, and my prayer is that I will praise Him even then, remembering His faithfulness and trusting in His promises.