365 #47

Beauty in the dryness.
This summer has been the dryest summer in 25 years in Michigan. We don't water our grass, and I've never seen it get brown...even in the middle of winter, it's still green under the snow. Until now....now it's brown and crispy. It has been hard for the farmers....working long hours digging new wells searching for water, irrigating the dying plants. And no matter how much you irrigate, it isn't the same as rain....REAL water. It reminds me how great God is....how if He didn't provide the rain....we would cease to exist.

Then Joel picked it.

"Look mom! FWOWER!"

Update: since writing this post, it has rained....enough to maybe make things green again.

My Laugh for Today

David

Loving this song today.

Corner of the crib

Joel got up on his hands an knees (all by himself) for the first time today. He thought it was hilarious, laughed too hard, and knocked himself over. The camera was out in the car, so unfortunately I missed a picture.

We figured this out yesterday:

It kept him entertained for a long time. He loves the piano, stopping whatever he is doing and listens when someone plays.

Lately, The Hungry Caterpillar has become essential for sleeping.

I tried to get him attached to Mr. Bear, but he wasn't interested. Piglet was a close second place, but Piglet doesn't have cool antennae to hold onto while you're trying to go to sleep.

Speaking of caterpillars, did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head?? I just found that out while reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. We serve an amazing God!

And speaking of sleeping, Joel doesn't just lay there quietly falling asleep anymore for his naps. Instead, he wiggles, and rolls over, and squishes himself into the corner, then screams for help until I come and place him back in the middle of his crib. He does this multiple times before falling asleep. Also, he thinks it's hilarious when I come and "rescue" him. Very aggravating (although half the time I'm trying not to laugh at how silly he is).

I guess that's kind of like us with God though. He puts us in the right place, but we wiggle around not doing what He wants us to and pretty much forget all about Him until we trap ourselves in a corner. (I am so guilty of this!) Then we cry out for help, wanting Him to put us back in the right place (back in the middle of the crib).

Thankfully, God will "'never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Hebrews 13:5-6) Just like I would never leave Joel screaming and alone trapped in a corner (no matter how many times he manages that during a nap session).

I think of how happy Joel is when I come to save him. He stops crying, waves his arms, and laughs. When I pick him up, he wraps his chubby arms around my neck and buries his face happily into my shoulder. I know he is loving me with all his little baby love. His love is genuine.

Today I read, "'Jesus said, "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind."' (Matt. 22:37-38) The results are intimate prayer and study of His word...This is how God wants us to respond to His extravagant, unending love: not with a cursory "quiet time" plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives." ~Francis Chan

Today I'm challenged to have true genuine love like a child, like Joel. And to avoid squirming into a corner, trapped, resisting what God wants for my life.

On a side note, I've been thinking about some ways to finish the statement "you know your a mom when..."
...you carry a breastmilk pump around in your purse on date night.
...date night always seems to turn into a Meijer stop for diapers.
...you crawl into bed at night and instantly find 3 pacifiers--one under your pillow, one poking into your back, and one at your feet (this is after you spent 45 minutes before your baby's afternoon nap frantically searching for a pacifier knowing there are at least 10 pacifiers somewhere in the house).

"Resolved2Worship"

This is my very favorite blog to read right now. The author is a self-taught photographer and takes beautiful photos of her 7 beautiful kids. It has been so encouraging to me to read about her walk with God, the joys of being a mother, her photography tips, and other such things. It has been especially encouraging to read about her pregnancies. She is sick the entire time (for all 7 of her kids) but has such a good attitude about it! She recognizes that children are a blessing and that she can still have joy in life while being sick (I almost wrote "enjoy life" but that's not quite it when you're hugging a toilet for 9 months).

As Nate and I have been talking about adding another baby to our family, I find myself dreading the months and months of never-ending sickness that come along with pregnancy (if my next pregnancy is anything like Joel's). Yet Joel is SUCH a blessing to us and I want more blessings in our family! Reading her story has helped me remember that.

Resolved2Worship

Dress like the 90's

Man, time flies by! Nate and I both had birthdays in the past couple of weeks. I know 21 and 22 aren't very old, but it's starting to feel old. Somewhere around 21, my thinking changed from: "why can't time just hurry up (so I can be in high school, or go to college, or get married)?" to: "time is going TOO fast!"

Nate took me to a hockey game for my birthday, and the theme for the game was "Dress Like the 90's." Whoah...hang on one little second! Whatever happened to "Dress like the 70's or the 80's?????" You know, like the way our parents dressed? Like the way they dressed so funny WAY BACK THEN?? Good grief, we remember the 90's. Nate and I just looked at each other thinking, "this must mean we're getting OLD."

Then today, I was watching Nate play with Joel, and I can't believe how much he has grown! It feels like just yesterday, I was looking at a positive pregnancy test, barely able to breath from the shock: "AAAAAAH I'M PREGNANT!??!" Now he's rolling over, almost sitting on his own, eating rice cereal, and scooting across the floor. And I know that I'll just blink, and he'll be walking down the aisle with the girl of his dreams, and before I know it, he'll be staring at her positive pregnancy test, shocked and filled with awe. And I'll be thinking, "WHERE did the time go??"

I'm reminded of a post I wrote 4 years ago "Don't Waste Your Life" Although I'm not overseas doing missions or practicing midwifery saving mamas and babies 3rd world, God has me in this "waiting place" right now, at home, taking care of my husband and baby. But because it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything amazing or courageous (as I clean spit up, it certainly doesn't feel like I'm saving the world), it's easy to get in a rut, thinking, "I'll glorify God later....when I'm on the mission field." But I need to remind myself that God has a purpose for me HERE. I can glorify Him right now, even while cleaning spit up.

Am I content with where God has me? Am I cheerful when my husband gets home from work? Am I being his help with a quiet and contented spirit? Am I using this time to glorify God, or am I wasting it? Am I letting this time God has given me fly by?

Life is a vapor that quickly disappears. Don't waste it!

Contentment

Watch this:

Charity Water
http://www.charitywater.org/blog/liberia-equip/

This is the dad of one of my good friends from school. It just amazes me that something most Americans don't even think about--clean water--is so incredibly precious in other parts of the world.

Now read this:

Water
http://hollisramblings.blogspot.com/2008/06/notes-from-edge-liberia-today.html

Now think about this:

"...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.."

Why?

This is why I do what I do....why I want to be a midwife.

Childbirth in Tanzania

Evangelism or Medicine?

A good friend gave me the link to this blog: Word and Deed --a group of 3 families on their way to medical missions in Africa. One of their posts asks a question I've been asked several times,

"Are you first a missionary and second a [midwife], or is it the other way around?" In other words, "Is proselytizing (a.k.a. evangelizing) or medicine your primary goal?"

Should you combine the two? How do you find a healthy balance between medicine and evangelism? The writers state,

"For many years, Christians have chosen between the categories of Word and Deed. One group chose to spread the message of Jesus, and the other to do the works he commanded. But these are inseparable. The Gospel (which simply means "good news") is to be in Word and Deed. The good news is that Jesus is your salvation for all of time and that His kingdom is bringing you medical care here and now. Word without Deed would be an incomplete Gospel. Deed without Word would also."

Healing and witnessing go hand in hand; you cannot separate the two. People know us as Christians by our deeds and actions. One of the ways Jesus reached out to others was through acts of service. If you can reach out in physical ways that people can recognize and appreciate, you can open doors to evangelism that wouldn't otherwise be opened. Jesus was our example of service. He came to serve us, and we need to serve others. This doesn't mean medicine is the only way to reach out to others (there are many acts of service)--medicine is just one of the things that can be used as a tool for evangelism.

At last year's commencement speech, Matt McNeil, one of our directors, said:

"God affords a midwife the opportunity to preserve life. They are given the power to help turn a possibly negative experience into a positive one. They instruct novices, educate the disadvantaged and gain respect in the community. By ‘missiologically’ I mean that midwives have the ability to transcend all religious, cultural and political barriers to the Gospel message."

There needs to be a balance between medicine and evangelism:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

James 2:14-18
So, evangelism or medicine? I say, evangelism and medicine.

Hmmm...

Last month, Timesonline.co.uk put out a super interesting article, written by an atheist, about why Africa does need God. If you don't have time to read the whole article, at least read the first 6 and the last 2 paragraphs.

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

"Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset"

*Don't want to forget Uncle Scott Nelsen who always sends us the best links :)

Ginhawa Lang

September has been a whirlwind of assignment, studying, semester exam, new class of girls, birth room shifts, prenatals, continuities, etc. The cat aptly pictures how I feel. :) I often find myself thinking "Ginhawa lang--Just breath. Just get through the next step". Today is the first day in awhile that I've been able to sit back. And, although I love busyness, I find that I don't always take the time to "Be still and know that [He is] God." To remember that He is the one giving me the breath that is carrying me through each day.

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 'I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind...'

Isaiah 42:5-7

SO.....ginhawa lang.

Wondrous Works

Last week, Carmen (one of my house moms) and I got up before 5 and ran to the Santa Anna wharf a couple miles away. We wanted to see the sunrise, and although it was too cloudy for a colorful sunrise, it was still gorgeous.

When we arrived:
The tide was flowing up and over the wharf.

"Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God." ~Job 37:14

Shocker of the Year

Last week, after delivering her baby, my patient coughed up and spit out this 8" worm. And if there is one worm, there are many, many more. And the worst part is that she said she coughed up a worm with her last baby (which was over three years ago!), so she has had them for quite some time.

We agreed to pay for her and her family to be treated, but she has completely disappeared and has not come back for any checkups.

Please pray for Mer and her family--that she will show up at Mercy Clinic again sometime soon and that these worms do not lead to any other complications.

"A Million a Month Dying without God"

I just finished reading a great book about Hudson Taylor and some of his work in China (definitely a must read!) Riveting from the very first page till the end, the author tells of Hudson's trust in Christ, his dedication to doing God's will, his devotion to prayer, and incredible will to win lives in China for Christ.

So, I'm sort of a "facts and statistics" person, and one section in the book (mostly taken from a pamphlet written by Hudson) especially interested me:

The Chinese Empire extended to 44 times that of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; 104 times that of England. Its population: 400 million. 'What mind can grasp it?' [Hudson] imagined them walking past him, hour after hour, day after day, month after month, taking, he reckoned, over 23 years. And the total number of Protestant converts-say 3,000-would pass by in as little as an hour and a half. The daily mortality was estimated at 33,000, or more than the population of Leeds; in 3 months deaths outnumbered the population of London. And almost all died, in St. Paul's phrase, 'having no hope and without God'. Indeed, Taylor loosely summed up his findings by coining a slogan, 'A million a month dying without God', a slogan which hammered on his mind, bore down on his sleep, domninated his prayers. He found that in the seven provinces with mission stations a total of 185 million souls were at present 'utterly and completely beyond the reach of the Gospel'. Eleven provinces inland, totaling in population 197.5 millions, had not one single missionary.

Ok. Wow. But that was over a hundred years ago. What are the statistics today? I did a little research (mostly using the Joshua Project), and here's what I came up with:

-The Chinese Empire's population today totals 1,301,101,000. (More than 8.5 times that of the population of America.)
-The estimated daily mortality rate is 25,610. (This is more than the 3 times the population of Sandpoint, ID. And in less than 2 months more than the population of Idaho.)
-Over 83% of the groups of people in China are unreached*. (There are NO "unreached" people groups in the U.S.)
-SO, if 83% of the estimated daily mortality rate are unreached, that means that approximately 21,250 people die every day"having no hope and without God".

I can understand why Hudson said, "A million a month dying in that land, dying without God. This was burned into my very soul. I scarcely slept night or day for more than an hour. I feared I should lose my reason. Yet I did not give in. The voice of God: 'I intend to do it through you.'"

"For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all the nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations...to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations." ~Isaiah 66:18-19

"For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' ~Romans 10:13-15

Hmmmmm, Tibet anyone?


*Note: According to the Joshua Project, an unreached people group is: "A people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group."

Conquest of the World... and Dirty Laundry

All week I avoided the laundry room. As the bathroom is connected to the laundry room, it was extremely difficult. Still, I tried not to notice the monstrous pile of laundry erupting into Mount Everest size. Since mom had just had Josiah, another baby brother, I was in charge of making sure that each day Dad had a clean shirt to wear to work and all the other homeschooling kids didn't look like a bunch of dirty orphans. My job was simple. Vini. Vidi. Vici. ( I came. I saw. I conquered.) But Julius Caesar had it easy. He only needed to conquer the whole world; I needed to conquer an ever evolving heap of laundry.

But each time I strode into the room to wrestle t-shirts into the washer and subdue dirty towels, I remembered that I was not the first to battle laundry. Like Julius Caesar wasn't the first to grapple with the globe, I was not the first to try my wit against laundry; Mom had done it for years before me. She had manipulated laundry long before the day I was born. Even when other circumstances impeded her efforts, she always managed to crack down on the laundry before it overwhelmed her.

In those dark moments when I struggled with the laundry, I esteemed her as a heroine. Even so, just the remembrance of a great super mom was not going to aid my spunk. In other words, simply attempting to conquer the laundry as Mom had done was not going to promote my efforts. First I needed the character it takes to cope with laundry. I needed commitment and perseverance, and only looking at the goal and ignoring the means was a sure path to failure. As we try to attain the accomplishments of our predecessors, we need to first become the person they were before we can do the things they did.

Trying to achieve our ends with this dogmatic approach is very intimidating. Kevin Smith understood this when he remarked, "More often than not, a hero's most epic battle is the one you never see; it's the battle that goes on within him or herself." Before we secure our accomplishments, we must fight where the battle is fiercest, within ourselves. The fruits of our effort will only be an afterthought of this struggle.

Prior to surmounting our nemesis, we first must conquer ourselves. Julius Caesar was not a conqueror when he subjugated the neighboring lands. On the contrary, he became a conqueror when his character defined him as some jockey who thought he could seize the world. Our accomplishments flow from who we really are on the inside.

The writer of Proverbs echoes this idea when he says, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man." Our actions and accomplishments are an outflow of who we are on the inside. When Jesus chastised the Pharisees in Matthew 12, He said, "How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil." Again, who we are dictates what we will do.

In the end it goes back to the laundry room. How can we be victorious? It begins with a refocus on the real battle on the front lines within our selves. I will never be a successful laundryman if I cannot embrace the qualities it takes to do it. The real enemy isn't the laundry, it's my self. Instead of acting like conquerors let’s be conquerors.

An Email from an Amazing Brother :)

Hey Jordan, Well, the snow has come. And lots of it. Lots and lots of it. It's not so bad as I thought it would be. Although our ice skating is ruined, the snow is actually very beautiful. It simplifies our world by making it one color, a color that reflects our hearts when we are washed by the blood of Jesus. As I was walking back from taking some pictures of Jacob's buck, I thought of two morals that can be taken from this snowfall. First, every snowflake has its purpose. If a certain snowflake hadn't been there, the snowfall wouldn't have been complete. The same is with us. We are a part of God's kingdom. Without us, His kingdom cannot be complete. We are a part of the body. Without one of us, how can the body be complete? Without a hand, how can a body be complete? I Corinthians 12:12-31 comes to mind. (Sorry, it is a little too long to type out.) Secondly, I wonder at how someone could think that this snow had come by chance. "Billions of years, and there was the snowflake." or "There was a big bang, and then there was snow." When I walk through that snow, I can only see the marvelous hand of a divine Creator. Throughout my entire life, God has shown me hundreds of reasons that He is there. I've never found a reason that showed me that He is not there. I look at the world around me and see God's glory. I know that there are people out there that see the world around them, they see the glory so plain. Yet they do not know why it's there. They do not know who created it all. And I aim to tell them. I aim to be God's workman to show them the light. I aim to be a part of God's kingdom. If God can direct a snowflake in a snowstorm, He can direct my life.

Your awed little brother,
Micah

Open Heart Surgery

The heart continuously heaves up and down as the surgeon pries at it with various tools. He delicately digs in with prickly forceps and razor sharp blades. Attentively he works, his bloody hands dipping down into the burrow in the patient's chest. All the while the patient lies prostrate, oblivious to the surgeon's working. If you have the guts to watch the procedure it can be fascinating.

While most of us don't need to endure open heart surgery we need heart surgery of another kind. What I mean is clearly stated by Jeremiah when he says, "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" The illness of man's heart is also shown after the great flood when God said he would never curse the ground because of man "for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth." Obviously we need heart change.

Even David, a man after God's own heart, understood the need for heart surgery when he said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God." But I think he understood not only the need for a heart change but who the surgeon must be. Only God can carry out a successful heart surgery. The procedure may be intense but the outcome is vital.

We need a heart change. Nonetheless, we recoil from the operating table. Most people would rather not have their chests ripped open and their hearts pricked at. We are obsessed with the magnitude of the operation, not because we want it but because we need it. If our dirty hearts don't kill us our obsession will.

Thoughts Today

"He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. "
John 1:2-5, 9

I guess I never realized before just how intense these words are. Darkness does overcome manmade lights: candles, lanterns, car lights, flashlights, street lamps. These barely touch the darkness; it consumes them. The SUN is required to truly conquer the darkness. The sun chases night away.

So the light of the Son of God, overcomes the darkness of evil and sin. The efforts of men alone are as nothing. But the SON prevails.

Grasping for Words

Yesterday, the Philippino staff from Mercy Maternity took all the new students to see some sites around Davao, sampling Philippino food along the way. It was an amazing time to get to know the people who will be teaching us.

The woman in blue is Ate Susan, one of my supervisors. She has a great sense of humor--I think I'm going to love working with her.




They fed us durian, the stinkiest fruit I've ever eaten. It tastes like rotten banana pudding with garlic.



They also fed us balut (a duck egg that has been incubated for 16-21 days). It wasn't too bad...as long as you can get past the feathers. Definitely better than durian.



They took us to a place in the city where we will be doing home visits. This was more sobering. The houses are built on stilts and are packed together. There is a layer of sewage and garbage underneath all them. How do I describe the poverty, sadness, stench, and despair of the poor in this country?



How do I explain how excited a pastor can be about his new church ...and the church is one room with no chairs . . . but the pastor doesn't mind because he's too excited about the baptism they just had and how the Lord is working in their church?



How do I describe moms trying to deliver their baby in a one room home which has 10 or more other people living in it and has holes in the walls?



And how do I describe having 50 kids surrounding you...all of them basically living in sewage...who think the greatest thing in the world is for you to take their picture so they can see themselves on the screen of your camera?







It all leaves me grasping for words...

Orientation

Orientation has been amazing. Gary and Lynn (the couple who are running orientation) have used this week to help all of the students get to know each other. They’ve shown us some of the sights in Oregon (Isaac, they showed us some historical sights on Roosevelt…you would have loved it) and have been available to answer any questions we might have (and believe me…we have hundreds of questions :) .

All students at orientation and the couple who will be flying with us to Davao.




On Sunday, we went to Newlife’s home church, introduced ourselves, talked about why we wanted to attend Newlife, and prayed with the church body. Definitely a blessing.



Yesterday, Gary gave us a talk on working with the poor. Of what he said this really touched my heart:"Don't go to serve the poor, their needs are infinite and their burdens are too heavy for you to bear. If you go to serve the poor you will burn out. Go instead to serve Christ. His compassion never returns to Him empty. He renews those who wait on Him, gives them purpose, and joy."

So, we fly out tomorrow and arrive in Davao on Friday. Please pray that we have safe flights and that we all make it through customs without any problems.
Love you all.