Solidarity for Burma

We stand against the injustice in Burma and stand with the oppressed.

"Not by might, not by power but by My Spirit."

Get an update: www.irrawaddy.org, http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/burma/

Sunrise over Porters Lake and the Promises of God

Yesterday I woke up earlier than anyone in the house (not a common occurrence). It was still dark so I thought I’d better get up and watch the sunrise since I rarely am awake and alert before the sun. I took the short walk to the lake and sat on a rock. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful except for the occasional car (there’s a main road just between the house and the lake). There wasn’t much wind so the lake was almost completely glassy, enabling a clear reflection of the trees on the other side. It is in nature and quiet and stillness like this that the presence of God is almost tangible. It brought me to tears because it is this feeling that I long for in Cebu but have yet to discover space to experience it. This lasted for about 5 blissful minutes… until the attack of the local mosquitoes. I thought, “no problem” because I was wearing long pants, socks, shoes and long sleeves and so there wasn’t any bare skin for the bugs to bite – or so I thought. As I struggled to regain the much-desired sense of peace by ignoring the annoying creatures, I soon found myself scratching several bites on my forehead and thighs. They bit me right through my pants! “Why did you create mosquitoes, God?” I asked. “I just can’t think of any good purpose served by mosquitoes!” In the same moment I wondered how many times do we ask God this question about things we don’t understand? Like the fact that Andrey and I do not yet have children after 3 ½ years of trying, waiting and hoping. And how is it that a homeless, mentally ill woman in Cebu has given birth to 15 children, all of which are in children’s homes waiting to be adopted? Why is a woman like that fertile when we, who can provide a stable, loving home are not? Where is the reason in that? What possible purpose could that serve? I clearly have no idea. Just like I have no idea why mosquitoes exist.

But I have a choice. I can either live according to what I see with my eyes or I can live according to the precious promises of God: “[The Lord] satisfies your desires with good things” and “Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord.” I have a choice to put my hope in the ability of my human understanding or I can put my hope in Jesus who is faithful, loving, compassionate, and wise. Someday I’ll ask him to explain to me the purpose of mosquitoes and the purpose of this time of waiting for children.

Family Times in Nova Scotia, "Canada's Ocean Playground"

It’s our 5th day in Halifax, well actually we’re just outside of Halifax in a town called East Lawrencetown where both Andrey’s parents (Lou & Marilyn) and Andrey’s sister & brother-in-law (Lisa & Mike) have houses. Aside from the joy it is to be with family, we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know this new place where our family members have recently relocated to from Western Canada. There is much to explore, as there are numerous bodies of water, trails and woods full of fir & maple trees in nearly every direction. Andrey’s parents live on a lake and Mike & Lisa live on the ocean. It is not a highly populated area so there is a lot of space, it is quiet and there is very little traffic. It is an incredible contrast from Cebu.
Some highlights from the last few days include: not being on an airplane; not needing the alarm clock and sleeping in as long as our body clocks allow; many home-cooked, delicious meals made by Marilyn; a gorgeous 12 km bike ride from Mom & Dad’s house to Mike & Lisa’s on the Trans-Canada Trail with Andrey on a warm, sunny day; an inexpensive round of golf (for Andrey & Lou) at a beautiful course on a hill with an incredible view of the ocean; sight-seeing and hanging out in downtown Halifax; warm but not hot enough to sweat, beautifully clear, sunny weather; and getting to know Mike & Lisa’s 10-week-old Springer Spaniel puppy named Stella. Cebu feels oh so far away.

View of the lake from Lou & Marilyn's house Lisa & Mike's house on the ocean

Trans-Canada Trail
Bike trip

Views from the golf course

View from the Citadel of Halifax Harbour

Lisa & Stella

Epic Journey

I just have to give a detailed account of the events of the past 56 hours. Andrey and I are currently in the Detroit airport for a layover prior to boarding a flight to our final destination, which is Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were scheduled to be having this exact same layover, only a day earlier.
On Friday evening SE Asia time we flew from Cebu to Manila. We checked into a hotel, had a few hours of sleep and then left for the aiport at 4:30am. Our flight to Nagoya, Japan left on-time at 7am. About an hour into the flight we saw a flight attendant run toward the front of the plane. Not long after there was an announcement declaring the immediate need for a doctor in row 59. We were in row 66. Apparently, a 59 year old Japanese passenger had just had a heart attack and wasn't breathing and didn't have a heartbeat. Within minutes the man was brought to the floor and CPR was given. Throughout the 2 hours that followed, CPR continued, the defribulator was used, IV was given as well as a shot of epinephrine, and the plane was turned around for an emergency landing back in Manila. The passengers who were also doctors and nurses on the flight worked on the man as well as the many staff on board. I was praying like crazy as we could see all the activity going on very near to us. The attempts to revive the man were apparently unsuccessful since after we landed in Manila and he was finally transported off the plane, he still was not breathing on his own nor did his heart start. Although CPR continued as he was transported, we all assumed he didn't make it.
We made it back to Manila at about 10 am. For whatever reason it took about 45 minutes before the man was actually brought off the plane and to real medical attention. We assumed we'd soon be on our way.
Upon inspection, the mainentance crew found a problem. We subsequently waited on the plane on the tarmac for another 3 hours - 7 hours since we initially took off. At 2pm we were finally off to Nagoya, Japan. It was another 3.5 hours in the air. All in all we spent 12 hours on the plane for a 3.5 hour flight.
It was fortunate for the crew that the majority of the passengers were Asians (mainly Filipino and Japanese) because they handled the situation so well. Sure there were a few people who were clearly frustrated but all in all no one raised their voice or took it out on the crew. That is the good aspect of non-confrontational cultures.
We made it to Japan around 7:30pm. Our plane was the same plane that was to continue on to Detroit but we had to deboard so they could do routine maintenance before we took off again. Once we made it back to the gate, we thought all was well because it said they'd start boarding soon. However, after 3 hours of waiting and noticing the maintenance crew working on the engines again, we knew there was a problem. Ultimately our flight to Detroit was cancelled. There was about an hour of confusion and huffing and puffing and voice-raising (unfortunately done mainly by the few Americans in the group other than us). The Northwest Airlines staff had the large task of placing all 400 waiting passengers in a hotel for the night.This is where things began to turn around for us.
We were assigned to the Comfort Hotel which was only a short walk away. We didn't even have to walk outside as the hotel was connected to the airport. The Comfort Hotel was exactly that. Once we cleared customs, we were quickly on our way and checked into our room.
Okay so this is where a fascination with Japan began. Everyone is extremely orderly and clean and the staff we encountered were exceptionally professional and polite. They seemed to work in a very productive and efficient way. Not to put down other Asian cultures but I can just say from experience that this is so different to how things usually go in Thailand and the Philippines.
After a good night's sleep and after enjoying a good breakfast we boarded the flight to Detroit which was only about an hour late. Some people even clapped during take-off.
The flight to Detroit was about 11 hours long. We both were able to get some sleep.
So here we are on our last lay-over. We got to Detroit about 11:00 this morning which is where we are now. We have about 5 hours here before we get to board our last flight which will take us to Halifax tonight. Right now we're watching the Detroit Lions getting beat badly by Philadelphia. God bless America and NFL.
It feels great to be in our home country. Even though it's only been 5 months since we were in the US last, it still takes some adjustment. I like being in a familiar place. I like being able to strike up conversation with strangers and feeling like we're a part of the same club. I like American coffee. I like NFL on TV. I like having at least a basic level of understanding of the people around me. Okay, Andrey says its time to go to the gate so i'll sign off here without proof-reading so forgive the poor grammar. Also keep in mind i am quite tired and out-of-it.
We are thankful to be healthy, safe, and to have all our basic needs met. Let's hope the rest of the trip is uneventful.

We're Headed West

In just a few minutes we'll be heading for the airport. We're so excited that in just a few days we'll be in Canada and then later in the US with family. We're staying the night in Manila tonight. After a couple more flights we will eventually make it to Detroit where we will spend about 5 hours prior to our last leg that will bring us straight to Halifax, Nova Scotia which is known as Canada's ocean playground, by the way.
This trip comes at a perfect time. I've had two very frustrating days in Cebu experiencing a sudden wave of "culture stress." That usually comes when you try to accomplish too much in one day and you have certain expectations as to how it should go. At any rate, we are packed and ready to go. Here we come!

Ode to the Faja

Happy Birthday, Dad!

You're pretty great, you know that?
We'll soon be there with you to celebrate in person.
And celebrate we will.
We Love You!

Homesickness

Homesickness is one of the most tangible feelings. It's almost more of a physical feeling than an emotion. I feel it in my chest. I felt it as a kid when I spent the night at a friend's house. I've felt it while on long vacations. And I feel it when I'm adjusting to a new place. I feel it right now. I woke up with it this morning. I don't like it. It's not comfortable. It forces me to ponder my concept of home, familiarity, and what makes me feel at ease. What is home? What or where am I homesick for? I'm not quite sure to be honest. I miss Chiang Mai. I miss our friends there and the life we had. I miss the actual place - the smells, the sounds, the food, the ability to speak enough of the language to impress the locals. I miss the peace and contentment I felt during the 2nd half of our time there. I came to a place of accepting our Chiang Mai life and choosing to look on it positively. Once I did that it changed my experience. I grew to love life in Chiang Mai. I often recounted the many things to be thankful for there.We were blessed with some of the greatest friends! We all really grew close as we struggled to make Chiang Mai our home. Probably just before I got too comfortable was when the Lord closed the doors on Chiang Mai and clearly opened the door to the Philippines. With that came peace as we willingly redirected our lives to where God was pointing us. But now that we are fully relocated there is an adjustment that takes place to accepting this new place, this new life. There is some grieving that needs to happen. It's all sinking in that this is where we will be for the next couple of years at least, maybe longer. I realize it is important to walk through the emotions of that but at the same time I must again focus on what I'm thankful for. And we do have much. And I'll get into another sweet spot here in Cebu, I believe. It just takes some time. But for now I feel homesick and I'm not even sure what I'm longing for.

Manila Trip

Manila is very different from Cebu. I felt like i was in another world - or at least another country. This might have something to do with that fact that we barely left an area called Makati - which is the main business & shopping district in Manila. Needless to say, this is where people with money hang out. That description apparently described us because we stayed (although in a very cheap condotel) in Makati and ate all our meals there and did some shopping. At times it felt like America because we ate at places like Chilis and Outback Steakhouse, and enjoyed coffee at Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. There was even a Seattle's Best Coffee shop as well although we never went there.
It was a nice break from Cebu. The reason for the trip was to see Switchfoot in concert. It was put on as a benefit for IJM. The event was a success. Switchfoot put on a great show. We had great seats and we got to meet the band. One bandmember is from the Philippines so he was especially welcomed. We rocked out and sang loud! What fun.
Our friends from Cebu, David & Hilary joined us for the trip which was a real highlight since it gave us time to get to know each other better. We really value the genuine friendships that are formed as they make life so much more liveable when based oversees. The Lord is blessing us with friends just like he did so well in Chiang Mai -and in a seemingly short time as well so we are thankful.
I have no photos to share as we left our camera at the Canon service center in Manila for repair. It will be sent to Cebu in about a month so we'll be without it for a little while. That's a bummer but we hope to borrow some camera usage from friends/family while home on furlough so we don't miss out on documenting the good times.
Speaking of which, we begin the journey to North America in just 8 days. We'll be on the continent for a month with ~1/2 the time spent in Canada and the other in the U.S. We are REALLY excited about it! So to several of you... we'll see you soon!

Headed to Manila

Tomorrow we're flying to Manila. Andrey has a couple of work meetings and we have tickets to a Switchfoot concert which is also an IJM benefit. Some friends of ours from Cebu are going also. I haven't spent any time in Manila yet and am curious what it's like. We're only staying till Tuesday. I'll write about it when we get back. I gotta get packing...

My First Sutures

It was another busy day on my 12 hour shift at the clinic today. I got to deliver the baby of a 17 year old girl who was accompanied only by her cousin. And I also got to do suturing for the first time! I'll spare you the details but let's just say practicing on a chicken breast a few weeks ago was much easier. Suturing is hard work. First you have to figure out what is torn and how it's supposed to go back together. It's like a really messy (bloody) sewing project except everything you touch and use has to be and stay sterile. I was great experience for me. I did have a very experienced midwife coaching me and even taking over at times but it was a success and that feels good. I wonder how many like that I'll have to do before I feel like I know what I'm doing.

Ever feel like nothing works??

Last week my computer keyboard starting acting up by spontaneously typing o's like this: ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo as if it were possessed but the "o" key wouldn't work when I needed it. Thankfully after one night at the computer repair store my computer is magically better despite the technicians doing nothing about it. I hear the problem can come and go until I'll either need to replace the entire key board or just get a new laptop (I've had this one for more than 4 years). Apparently laptops cost twice as much here as they do in the US and a new keyboard takes 2-3 months to arrive. Lovely.
Then our camera broke. Right after our printer broke. The printer was repaired for a small fee but our camera is bust. I have to call the Canon service center here. Why does that feel like such a difficult thing to do right now? Well hopefully it will get fixed soon so i can start taking some shots again and maybe even posting some. We'll see...

Busy Day

What a busy day at the clinic on Sunday! I worked the day shift and it was my first time being one of the main 3 staff on duty as opposed to being the 4th, extra person. It turns out there was much more work or me to do. And it was an exceptionally busy day. We had two women in labor who throughout the day gave birth to their babies. I got to deliver one baby and I assisted at the birth of the other. Plus we had 2 postpartum patients with their newborn babies to look after, a woman at risk for premature labor on medication & bedrest plus the usual walk-ins for prenatal exams and STD testing. You know it's busy when I'm left downstairs to do gram stain exams all by myself! Luckily I learned how do that a week ago. Of course I run everything by the supervisor on duty to see if I forgot anything before I let anyone go.
I was assigned to one of the women in labor who gave birth later that afternoon and so I delivered her baby with coaching by my supervisor. It was my second delivery being the "handle" which means I coach the woman, do her exams, monitor her progress, catch the baby, deliver & inspect the placenta, and monitor the health of the mother after the birth. Everything went well and it was a great experience. So far I've gotten to "assist" for a hand full of births. The job of the assist is to monitor the health of the baby so it involves monitoring fetal heart tones during labor, suctioning the baby at birth, cutting the cord, assisting the first breast feed, giving eye ointment & vitamin K shot, bathing the baby and doing the newborn exam - basically doing everything needed to help the baby transition into the world. It is an incredibly special experience to be involved right then and there at such an important event in a family's life. I love it! Also, it's a good feeling to finally be useful at the clinic and to not be just standing by asking how I can help, not quite knowing what to do. I can't believe how much i've learned in only 2.5 months!
By the time things settled down I had an hour left of my shift to finish my assigned monthly work duty. I was so tired when I got home. I realized I haven't worked that hard in a long time.
So today was our final exam. Each year the director of the clinic trains the existing staff with weekly teachings and exams over a period of 3 months. I was able to join in soon after they began in mid-June. The training isn't a part of my course work for the National College of Midwifery which will begin officially in January but it's been a good way for me to learn what i need to help me do my job at the clinic. So the test was fine and I'm glad the weekly assignments and tests are done for now.
Today at the clinic was the monthly baby party where all the moms who gave birth in the past month come to eat cake, get a baby gift, sing Happy Birthday, share what their thankful for, get their photos taken, worship, receive prayer, and listen to a family planning teaching. It's a really fun time seeing all those newborns all in one place at one time! We must have had 35 mom & baby pairs today. Many fathers were there as well. Many parents stood up to share how happy they were with how things went and to say thank you to the staff. You can really see the joy in these families' lives. So in a few days be sure to check out the photos on the Glory Reborn website because the photos from today will be up soon. www.gloryreborn.com