Week Two

Hey everyone! It feels like it's been years since I last wrote and since I was last in the states! This coming wednesday night it will have only been two weeks! Since my last post I have moved (on monday) into the Paanakan (birthing home) and I am still adjusting to living with so many people! I have learned so much since moving in there. The Filipino midwives and their families are so welcoming and sweet! I have absolutely loved working with them on births and getting to know them and their children! One night I came home from spending the afternoon in the children's home and thought I would go take a shower (having had a snack for dinner) when one of the midwives came down stairs and asked me to join them for rice and grilled pork! Yum! Instead of going to bed I got to hang out with these beautiful families as they shared their food with me! These Filipino families are always sharing everything they have and are very open and welcoming! On tuesdays we all get together and eat lunch on the porch, the food this past thursday was especially masarap (delicious)!


This is Deborah (Jeri's daughter) who does a lot of work involving the Children's home, and her new daughter (in the process of being adopted) Bernadette
In the birthing home I live in the basement in a bunk bed (just like home) with Kim (a canadian nursing student studying midwifery here) and Lauren (an American midwifery student) and whichever midwife happens to be sleeping down there at the time. Here is my bed and our bathroom:

Lauren and Kim (and the baby/pelvis we are learning with)

My day is filled with doing prenatals (measuring the baby, feeling for the position, and taking the heart rate), observing births (taking notes, heart rates, and helping any way I can), and reading midwifery books! Somehow Lauren, Kim and I try to fit in errands and visits to the children's home. I have absolutely loved being apart of the six births I have observed! The women are so hard working and so strong! They have taught me so much. For four out of the six births I have been blessed by being the person who gets to clean up and dress the baby! And I get to hold him/her while the mom is getting cleaned up! It is so wonderful to be able to spend a few precious moments with these sweet little ones when they are so new and fresh! Earlier this week Jeri brought over one of the dopplers! (we are starting out with one so that we can make them last longer!) Here is one of the old dopplers compared with the new one:
And here are some pictures of what morning prenatals look like! I loved being able to get some shots of the midwives using the new doppler:




The birthing home is such a community and has a really home-like atmosphere. These are two of the midwives' daughters


common area



birthing room

front yard


Being here in the Philippines, I know that everyday I become more and more comfortable and at home in the birthing home and that I am accepted more and more by the women, their sweet families and the midwives (and the midwives' families)! I love making friends with their sweet children (or at least trying to). I love it when they call me Ate (Tagalog for big sister). Everyday I learn more and more about how to comfort and help women in labor. I'm always striving to do more for her, to be there as a support. She (the woman in labor) is my absolute focus. She is why I'm here, she is the object of all my attention and love and she deserves every ounce of my energy. She is gorgeous and strong and comes through the most difficult experience of her life with victory and joy and I am blessed to be present! She teaches me how to go on, how to push harder than I think is even possible. She teaches me because she is loving and hopeful even when she is in the worst pain of her life! She is brave and overcomes despite her overwhelming fear and opposition. Somehow she always makes it through, no matter what happens, no matter how hard it is, she makes it. A woman in labor is the very best teacher I can ever have!

That's all for now! Hope to talk to you all soon!

In the Philippines!

I don't even know what to write! I feel like I've been here for a very long time, but today is only the second day! The flight went extremely well with no major hiccups! It was really tiring and long but I was able to get some good sleep on the planes. In Korea and at RDU they opened my bag but only in Korea were they really asking what the heck is this stuff?? After I told them medical supplies everything was fine. On the Philippines side I got waved right through customs and and immigration! After waiting for my bags for what seemed like an extremely long time, I was off! It was such a relief to see Jeri and Darren and Lauren and to hand my bags off! I'm staying at Jeri's house for a week before moving over to the birthing home. Her home is absolutely gorgeous! In the Philippines you are always surrounded by noises, people and smells! Even if you have some trees around your house you have neighbors on every side! Because the houses are so open, it seems like you can hear everything! Jeri has a beautiful garden out back that I love sitting in! I don't even feel that my body has struggled to adjust, surprisingly I've welcomed the heat with open arms, it is nice and breezy and feels so good here! Being here I've started thinking a lot more about everything that I consume, food, toilet paper, water, soap, and dishes, I'm so aware of it all now much more than before. Somehow it seems much easier to go without certain things, I love taking bucket showers, I don't mind being a little warm and I love being around this new culture! Being surrounded by a jungle and seeing high hills covered in trees off in the distance is amazing! I stayed up pretty late my first night since my flight got in around 11:30. The next morning (yesterday) I woke up at 6 because it gets so bright here so early! At 8:30 we headed off to the birthing home! I was able to see a birth! I loved holding the mother's hand and giving her water, it was amazing to be able to hold her tiny baby and hand him over to her! I have to observe 10 births before I can start doing more hands on things. After the birth I was able to watch and help with prenatals! I measured the baby, felt for the position and listened to the heart beat. I haven't brought over the medical supplies yet (to the birthing home) but I know they will love them! They have only two dopplers, both pretty old and one even falling apart! I also got to visit the children's home just for a few minutes yesterday afternoon. I hope to be able to spend a lot more time there! Although I was tired and out of it yesterday my jet lag has not been bad at all! I made it until 8 or 9 last night and then woke up at 10 today. Today has been so lovely, it's been a resting day and I've been spending time in the garden, reading books, journaling, and catching up on email. I'm so ready to get back to work tomorrow! I can't wait to work more with the Filipino midwives who were all so wonderful and welcoming yesterday, and with the Filipino women who are so strong and beautiful. I'm longing so much to learn more of the language, I want to be able to communicate with the women at the birthing home! I am really loving it but still not believing that I'll actually be here for five months! That every morning I'll wake up and still be in the philippines! I'm praying that the transition from Jeri's house to the birthing home will be really smooth! It will be very different living there! It's much more open and smaller, and there are always people coming in and out, privacy will be out the window! But I'm so excited to be that close to the births and the midwives! I have so much peace here, my heart feels very content and happy and so close to God here! i love the weather, I love the people and I can't wait to be involved in more births!!! On a side note, if anyone I am not already updating would like to receive email updates please let me know and email your addresses to marlihivers@gmail.com

Blessings :)

Wow! What an awesome night! I feel so refreshed and at peace! I just got back from a prayer time with Danny and Lindy Bravo, who are also missionaries, now I am truly sent off! Thank you Lord for fulfilling and equipping me! You are amazing! I just want to praise you! I also just drove for the first time in that much snow! Snow on Friday and in the tropics by Wednesday! How exciting! FYI I have one lesson and one test left in math and then I'm done! And packing is going great-the weight of my bags is almost perfect! Just four more pounds to loose! Today was also my last day at Lifetime Fitness for a while, I will miss everyone so much, I've been blessed with amazing bosses and co-workers! I'm excited to work there again in the summer! Thank you so much for the prayers and well wishes!!! I feel so blessed and encouraged! What a privilege to be involved in Kingdom work and to see all that God will do!!! Praising God as I finish math, ~M :D

The supplies are packed and ready to go!!!

I am so thrilled! What a blessing to be able to take these wonderful medical supplies to the Philippines! Thank you so much to everyone who donated! I cannot wait to take pictures of the midwives using these awesome instruments! The pictures below should help you all see how much you helped, the amount of support was overwhelming and these are the results! I know these medical supplies are going to make a difference in these women and midwives' lives! THANK YOU!!! You have given something completely priceless because you have given to the kingdom!!! On a side note I am all packed, however, I'm still a few pounds over the limit, keep praying for me as I push forward, focusing on my goal and on the Lord's great plans and blessings for this trip!! I know none of this is because of me! All the glory to him!!! Pressing towards the prize, ~M

Medical supplies

Yesterday, my mom and I ordered medical supplies for Shiphrah from Kelly O'Briant with Precious Arrows! Here's the list of supplies that we will pick up and will be packed into my suitcase within the following week and half:
3 pocket dopplers
3 adult stethoscopes
4 neonatal stethoscopes
2 Fetoscopes
5 needle holders
I will also be taking over these medical supplies from other sources:
aspirin
about 400 sterile and 1400 non-sterile gloves
2 breast pumps (and looking to get more)
YAY! Praise God! Thank you so much to everyone who donated! Thank you for making a difference in the lives of these women and babies and the midwives who serve them! I thank God for providing for this many supplies to be bought for the birthing home!!! His provision is perfect!!!

Almost there!

Today I visited six different hospitals and clinics asking for medical supplies! I'm waiting expectantly to see what will come of it! I still have many more people to call and ask about medical supply donations, including a few names and numbers I was given today. So far the support that has come in has been incredible! Everyone has been so generous in giving and have proven the Lord's faithfulness to me over and over again! My "rent" as well as food and plane fair are completely covered! The Lord has even blessed us with enough money to be able to get quite a few medical supplies-this is our next task! I'm hoping for some donated goods but am also counting on buying (hopefully) three dopplers which we will purchase at least a week before I leave. I'm trying also to get things settled for collage as far as housing decisions, medical forms and other deadlines! I have created my packing pile and have done some clothes shopping, only a little bit more to do in that area, of course who knows how much I'll have to cut back to fit it all in the suitcase!! I was blessed to be able to talk about my missions trip this past Sunday at my church, I'm trying to get the video up and should have it on here soon. Thank you so much for your prayers and support, all of it counts and all of it helps!!!

Graduation!

As of January 2nd, 2010 I am now a high school graduate!!!! It was the most beautiful graduation I could ever have imagined! Everything was purple, including plates, my cake, my gown and even the church decorations! Thank you so much to everyone who came and everyone who helped!!! It was such a beautiful wonderful day for me! Less than a month now until I leave! I am so excited and am also starting to get nervous! I'm starting to make my packing list and still need to write a gabillion thank you notes and finish math! I've got my work cut out for me this month with working and babysitting while getting ready for the trip but I am so thrilled and excited for this amazing journey!