A view from my window...

Choose your own Adventure Day...

Today was Adventure Day. Instead of going to the hospital like we normally do every Friday we met in the morning and prayed together seeking ways of how we can bless the city of Hyderabad. We had a couple different ideas so some people stayed back and made no-bake cookies and then delivered them to the staff at the hospital, a few people went and had lunch with some beggars on the street, two people stayed and cleaned up around the compound where we live cleaning up the mound of trash at the end of our hall, and the rest of us went to Charminar which is the most famous mosque in Hyderabad that was built sometime in the 1500s. I was one of the four people that went to Charminar. We arrived in the early afternoon, Beth and I, in one bajaj and Rachel and Louise in another. A woman immediately approached us with a child strapped to her hip who was asking for money. After fighting for the 10 Rs change the driver tried to short me I handed it to the woman and child and we were on our way. We met up with Rach and Louise and decided to start by just walking around the mosque and praying out prayers individually as they came to us. We then went into the mosque paying 100 Rs each and started the climb up one of the pillars. It was pretty amazing. We got to the top and walked around to each side of the mosque and prayed out over the city in each direction. It is crazy how a city can look so different from all four sides, four distinct views. From every view you were faced with the harsh realization that there is a vast amount of poverty in this city and in this nation; poverty that you couldn’t escape even if you tried. So how do we fix it? You can’t give money to every beggar who approaches you, it’s impossible, would leave you broke and wouldn’t solve the greater problem. At some point people have to take it upon themselves and rise up out of the poverty in which they sit. Yes, I do believe that here in India the caste system plays a role into it all, but the will of man is greater than any caste that you are born into. Isn’t it? The sad part is that I think the issue of poverty won’t ever go away. So long as the “woe is me” spirit hangs over these people, it wont ever go away no matter how much money we throw at it.
Anyways, we decided to go back after looking through to the other side of the mosque and seeing that the sky was painted black and rolls of thunder were heard in the distance. Rach and Louise went back to the Catholic guest house we are staying at and Beth and I went to buy fruit for the team at the local fruit market that we viewed from atop the mosque. We hurried our way through the stands and got what we needed, all throughout being asked for money by women in rags of clothing with the occasional child on her hip. One of the last women who asked us was the same woman who we gave the 10 Rs to when getting out of the bajaj. Beth turned to her and said something along the lines of, “this is no way for you to raise your child! Give her a better future than the one you are making for her now and send her to school. This isn’t the kind of life she deserves.” I couldn’t have agreed more and I added a few comments of my own. Another woman had come up to us asking for money and food. After purchasing some grapes I handed the child in her arms a handful. The woman grabbed two of the grapes and handed them back to me and walked away. The men at the fruit stand started laughing and saying, “she only wants your money.” What can you do other than feel grieved for the woman and more so for the innocent child that is trapped in a world with a hopeless future?
We left Charminar and headed to the hospital to see a girl Beth had cared for during the week in admissions. She is a 15-year-old girl who was seeking an abortion. No doubt in my mind she was raped and most likely by a family member, perhaps her father. Anyways, we walked into the hospital and went to admissions to check the records to see if she had been transferred to another ward and on our way down the hall Beth spotted her lying on a bed at the end of the hall. We went to her and I saw her frail and fragile body, so skinny I couldn’t believe it. Her cheeks were sunken in, but when you looked into her eyes you saw the beauty of her heart shine outwards. I grabbed some fruit out of the bags we were carrying and asked her to eat a banana because she needs it and is too skinny, of course with a smile on my face showing her that I was being facetious. Her mother quickly was at her side and we exchanged smiles and quick greetings with one another. I could instantly see where the child got her beauty. We made small conversation with the girl after introducing ourselves and she told us that the operation was finished and she would be going home the next day. I asked her if it was painful and she said, “no it was only two months.” She did complain of pain in her back and later we prayed for her and asked for healing not just physically but emotionally as well. I asked her a few questions about her desires and dreams for the future and she told us that she wants to become an engineer. I can’t help but wonder though if she will ever be given the opportunity. Are there too many odds against her? I don’t know, but I hope and pray that someone sees the potential in her that I see and she is given the chance to run after her dreams and make a bright future for herself. We got her number so that maybe before leaving we can take her out and get ice cream and have her teach us how to play cricket (her favorite sport) with her friends.
After walking away from the hospital, I had to ask myself where is the justice in that? Where is God’s justice for what has been done to this little girl? The greatest grievance is in the fact that hundreds of thousands of young girls have been, are in, or will be in the same situation she is presently in. What is that?
That’s what I like to call bullshit.

Obadiah and terminated pregnancies...

Yesterday in labour a little girl was born at 20 wks. She was a terminated pregnancy and although the nurse and doctors pronounced her dead and unable to be revived she was indeed alive breathing and having a stable heart beat. Her pulse was 76bpm, but life was still present nonetheless. The pregnancy was terminated due to signs of pre-eclampsia, but I don't think that was the real reason. Anyways, when I arrived in the labour room yesterday morning I asked of her case and was informed of the situation. She had been prepped for termination in the labour room which is routine and then usually the women are taken to another ward and the rest of the procedure is carried out there. It wasn't until Rachel our staff started to firmly tell the sea of nursing students that were there with us to part and move out of the way that I knew what was happening. The baby had delivered on its own and the nursing students were just standing not really knowing what to do or how to respond. I left the woman I was monitoring and quickly followed after Rach to assist her. She tore the membranes open and baby Alice Mariah took her first breath. We instantly started praying over her and expressing how beautiful and perfect she was. She was created in the image of God. After she was separated from her mum, I took her to the baby room weighed her (450g) and then immediately put her under oxygen. The staff constantly were expressing to us why bother fighting for the life, because she wasn't going to survive anyways. We (Lindsay and I) expressed to the nursing students that no matter what they are taught one of the most important things to remember is to value life and to give the best care to each and every patient, even when others say its a waste of time or there is no use. One of the nurses came in and asked, "Is she dead? Why are you giving oxygen? She wont live." I responded, "Yes maybe so, but she is alive now." She turned out the door and was laughing. I heard her talking to the other nurses in the hall in Hindi and laughing. I got pretty furious and although I should have remained where I was I went out after her asking why she was laughing. A dying baby is nothing to laugh about and I thought they should try to remember why they got into the profession they are in in the first place. The nurse was shocked, probably because I was out of line and addressing someone who was of higher authority than me, but she quickly tried to cover her actions and apologized saying she wasn't laughing at us. Anyways, I returned and Lindsay and I continued to express that the baby was alive and needed to be transferred. About a half an hour later she was tranferred to NICU. She wasn't expected to live more than a couple hours, but Lindsay and I walked away from the situation satisfied with how we handled the situation. We did the best we could for her and gave her the love and care she deserved. It hopefully showed the staff of the hospital a higher standard of care that each and everyone of their patients deserves no matter what the prognosis. While caring for her and giving her oxygen she grasped my finger. It was so precious I had Lindsay take a picture of her little hand. We took footprints to remember her as well. They are so tiny, but so perfect.
Today, I did a delivery that was a case of IUD, but within the woman's chart was a signed consent form of pregnancy termination. The baby had supposedly died on the 11th and in order to induce labour the form had to be signed. Anyways, the baby came breech at 26 weeks with hydrocephalus. It was a hard delivery, but I got through it. I have an incredible team and the women on my school who were with me today in the labour room were incredibly supportive and encouraging. The head was difficult to deliver so two doctors had to assist me in the delivery. He finally came, but before he delivered I got the name Obadiah, which means God's worker. He weighed 1.25kgs and delivered at 11am. Precious in the site of Jesus. To be sensitive towards that infant and his family I did not take a photograph with him, but I did take footprints and hand prints from him so that I had something to remember him by. They are pretty beautiful.

Lindsay and Rachel

On April 11th, two beautiful girls were introduced to this world. The first, Lindsay was delivered by the DMO working in the labour ward with us that day at 12:22pm weighing 2.8kgs and the second, Rachel was delivered by myself at 12:35 weighing 2.5kgs. They were beautiful. They were transferred shortly after their birth to NICU due to some issues with both of their right legs. Lindsay seemed to have something resembling talipes and Rachel had a hyperextension of her leg. I made sure to pray acceptance of both the little girls by their families, because they truely are precious and deserve all the love of their parents.

Baby Catie LuLu and other happenings in Hyderabad...

Baby Catie was born on April 4, 2011 at 11:15am weighing 2.75kg. She is her mommy's first child. When the sex was revealed to the mom, she didn't seem very happy. Women want boys, or rather it is really their husbands that want the boys. After a little while though my excitement for Catie being born rubbed off on mom and she seemed happy to embrace her new role as mother.
This is a highly male driven society. Women are a caste of their own. It is highly infuriating to daily feel like an object, something to be had by men here. I don't care what people say about the people being beautiful, that is obvious they are very beautiful, but there is a great ugliness that lay in the eyes of the men that I pass by on the street who make me feel as if my skin is bare and naked before them. To be honest I am really tired of men staring at me. I have been living with it for the past 7 months and to think I need to live with it another month and a half makes me a little angry and also saddened, mainly because there is nothing that I can do to change the situation apart from turn my head and walk the other way. Ignoring it all doesn't make it ever go away, but it helps you get through the rest of the day.
I am just now starting to adjust to the fact that I have just under two more months left of this school. I am starting to grow tired and weary of community living and just want the comforts of my own room/apartment. I love the people on my school and enjoy sharing in this journey with them, but I would put money on the fact that they are probably feeling the exact same way and that is okay.
I have decided to make the most of my time in Hyderabad. Great idea, right? Well this weekend was a pretty good weekend. Friday night started the out well with pizza. Joy, Amy, Beth, Louise and I all went out in search of this supposed pizza joint that has free wireless. It turned out to be a really good place to go for pizza, but no wireless was to be found. Yesterday, several of us made our way to the mall in Banjara Hills and spent the day shopping and lusting after things we could never be able to buy in fear of how we would feel as soon as we walk out the building and are forced to look at the poverty that smacks us in the face. It is a strange contrast between the poor and the rich. It doesn't seem like there are any inbetweeners here. You are either rich or you are poor. Anyways, after the mall Bethany and I decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad. Amazing! I felt like I was back in the land of the free and home of the brave! We shared a pitcher of coca cola, a plate of nachos, a delicious 10 oz. beef burger and dessert all for about $25. It was awesome. We ended up staying in the restaraunt for at least a couple of hours talking and discussing our fears and also our hopes for the future. It was a really good time.
This morning Beth, Orlando and I went to church together in Banjara Hills. Amazing. Africans. That's right people there were Africans there. It made my heart skip a beat several times. After the service we were able to talk to a man from Nigeria and found out that there is a pretty good size community of Africans living here in the city. They come from places like Nigeria, Sudan, Chad, Camaroon and a couple other countries. It made me happy. A incredibly diverse congregation. People from India, Korea, France, Brazil, Canada, United States, Camaroon, Sudan, Nigeria, and I am sure many other countries. Great worship and a good spoken word Beth and I have decided to make it our home church here in Hyderabad. Exciting.
Well that's all for now. More to come.

The work has begun...

We started working in the Government Maternity Hospital this week and it is nothing less than overwhelming to be in a new environment surrounded by people who nod their heads no, all the while meaning yes. The confusion has set in. I thought that I would be able to adapt more quickly since I have been to India before, but sadly it is of no advantage.
The hospital is a culture in and of itself and adjusting to life in India is one thing, but adjusting to the hospital and life in India at the same time there just are not words to express what I think about that apart from... shit.
This week we are just trying to settle into the hospital and familiarize ourselves with where everything is located and getting to know the staff. Our main priority is building relationship and trust with the doctors so that we can start doing deliveries and practice the skills we have been already putting into practice the last 4+ months in Tanzania.
I am still just trying to process my time in Africa. The transition to one culture to an entirely different culture in such a short time is almost impossible to deal with emotionally.
God give me a heart to be here, because right now my heart is somewhere else.

Highlights of Africa

Looking back I have decided that there are three distinct highlights of my time in Africa.
1. Delivering my first baby. Baby Dale was born on December 1, 2010. There has been nothing like that feeling of touching that first baby and helping him into the world. You sense and experience firsthand the fragility of life. You see the breath of life as the infant takes its first gasp of air and you are in awe that you were a part of that moment. It is really a feeling that cannot be described in words, because none can really capture the beauty of the experience. Baby Dale is a miracle and an amazing gift not only to his family, but to me too. He was named in memory of my grandfather who died December 1, 2008.

2. Kenya. I was blessed to be able to go to Kenya for 4 days to do ministry and also to get visas for the Bangladesh team approved at the embassy in Nairobi. While Bek and Liz were at the Bangladesh embassy for the majority of the trip, Emily and I were able to do some teachings and ministry in several of the slums. The first day of ministry/teaching we were able to share about nutrition during pregnancy with about 25 women and then after that teaching we prayed for the women and then began a second teaching with the traditional birth attendants from the slum on Using Aseptic Technique during birth. It was a powerful experience. To be in a room with women who had years and years of experience in what may seem to you and I like impossible conditions for a woman to labour in was amazing. I literally felt like I was in a room full of legends. An amazing honour for both Emily and I. After the teachings Jannekah (our hostess while in Kenya) was explaining to one of the birth attendants and a local pastors about how I have a heart for Kenya and would one day like to end up there. The birth attendant responded by saying something along the lines of "why doesn't she just stay now?" In that moment I remember my heart felt as if it was going to leap out of my chest. Being in the slums and in Nairobi in general felt as if I really were home and as if I was meant to be there my whole life. To ever leave once arriving seemed as if I were to abandon my true love. I mentioned many times how I felt like Africa had become my home, but I didn't fully realize what that meant until I crossed the border from Tanzania into Kenyan land. I knew that is where my heart was. That is where my heart will always be.

3. Momma comes to Tanzania! My whole world changed when I found out that my mom was coming to Africa. I think it was in December when my mom called me and told me that she was definitely coming to Africa. At that point she hadn't even told my dad. There had been talk about her coming, but after communicating through email earlier with my school leader, she didn't feel that my schedule was going to allow for her to be there and be able to see me much. I don't know what changed her mind, but she just knew she had to come to get at least a small glimpse into what my life in Tanzania was like. I remember that when she had called to tell me it was a moment in outreach when I was seriously considering giving up. It was hard and our team was not in a good place, so with my mom coming it was really the only thing at the time (besides my commitment to what God had called me to) that was going to keep me in Tanzania. It was amazing. We worked it out where she could come during the second to last week while I was there, because my schedule wasn't as busy and we would be approaching debriefing week.
I went to the airport with Bethany to pick her up and even as she came out of the arrival doors I couldn't believe she was there in Africa... with me! We did a lot while she was there and I am sure both of us were exhausted at the end. The second day she was there she went to the hospital with me. That was pretty overwhelming and difficult for her I think. She saw two deliveries happening at the same time, she witnessed a delivery happen outside the labour ward in a bajaj that a couple of us ran to during our lunch break (definitely not an everyday occurrence), and the best part was she was able to love on some babies.
We then went on a safari in the Selous National Park. Amazing time. Although for me it was a little uncomfortable to be a tourist at the beginning. We stayed at a camp nearby the entry to the National park. The camp was right on the river and during the day we could hear and sometimes see hippos out lounging and playing in the water. It was pretty awesome. We went on a boating safari almost as soon as we arrived at camp where we saw hippos, crocodiles, monkeys and some really cool birds. The next day we went in the truck through the national park and saw all of the big animals, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, more hippos, a large pride of lions, impalas, and a lot of other animals. The best part was seeing the elephants and two elephants with a newborn in the middle of them. The baby was 4 days old and was all trunk, tripping over itself. It was adorable. The third and final day we went on a walking safari early in the morning. Highlight of the whole trip was coming face to face with a wild African elephant on the path that we had just walked on moments earlier. We were maybe at most 30 feet from the elephant. It was the greatest!
Besides the safari, I was able to take my mom to Zanzibar for a couple of days. It was pretty magical. We stayed at Sea Cliff Zanzibar (look it up) and were two of maybe 16 guests in the whole complex. We spent the whole time lounging, relaxing and being fed amazing food that easily could have cost us hundreds of dollars in the states and it was all inclusive. Ah, take me back please.
Anyways, those were definitely my top three highlights of Africa. I hope you enjoyed. I have plenty of more highlights and pictures to share! As soon as I get home I will be more than happy and willing to show you all the pictures and tell of the stories behind them.