STEFANIE as a Birth Attendant!

2012-01-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
I had something beautiful to post here but it won't work so I'll have to retype it...

We've been in the hospital 2 weeks now, our visa's came in! And it's been heavy work. I definately enjoy working here more than in India, the people are more relaxed but the resources are much more scarce.
Two days ago I was rushed to a woman when her babies head began to crown, I knew very little about her case as the student doctors (who had happened to go for lunch minutes before)had asked to do her delivery. The baby came slowly which was good for the mother but as the head came out I felt like something was wrong. I held the head as the body came and noticed it was blue and not grimacing or anything. For a few seconds we laid the baby on her mom's chest but then realized immediate rescuse was needed. My teacher swept the baby away and I remained with the mother, not knowing if she even understood that her child's life was in danger. I didn't really want to know the progress of the baby as I was afraid I wouldn't be able to focus on the mother's health. Finally a friend told me it had begun to breathe and was being rushed to another ward where there was oxygen. After the mother was cleaned up I went to check on the baby and a friend was holding it and praying over it. She looked really good and I was so relieved as I thought she was going to die. Definately a MIRACLE! Ahh....

Yesturday the same thing happened to a woman my friend Rebekka was working with. Please pray against the spirit of death in this hospital. We worked with a woman who had severe bleeding two days ago and yesturday we found out she had died after being transfered to another hospital. These deaths shouldn't be happening as regularily as they do!

I love lectures and am growing in confidence in the hospital. Yesturday a doctor trusted me enough to tell her what the dialation was of the mother and record the paper work for her. I felt really cool:)

I know I said I'd put up pictures but my computer is dead adn i'm having issues with these computers! take care.
Stef

January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T02:10:00.000-08:00

this photo is still from India... Ill post more recent ones soon.

(the seventeenth is Jenn Anderson, Justin Huisman and Seini Muculooku's... (from Tonga/BAS)birthday. Love you guys!)

I may be back at the resort beach. Please know that I am not always here but Saturday's it just makes sense as there is free internet and it only cost 4 dollars Canadian.
I don't think I have informed any of you that we aren't actually working in the hospital yet. There was miscommunication between our leaders and we entered Tanzania with the wrong visa's. For those who've been to Africa, you may understand that things don't go as quickly and smoothly here. We have refused to pay a bribe to hurry the paper work through but have had a very helpful Christian man helping us. He has told us that hopefully next Thursday we will start and I hate to be a downer but I'm not 100% that will happen as we've been told a few dates.... anyhow, we are keeping busy doing evangelism, intercession, Bible reading in public places throughout the city and getting extra lessons finished.
Our team is enjoying the slow pace of Africa in comparison to India and we love the rain, coconut trees and monkeys. I'm learning a little Swahili and its been a lot of fun trying to start conversations with the locals. Yesterday I stopped to look a jewelry that some Masai women(for those who don't know, my explaination is: women from tribal shepherding villages outside the city who dress in traditional clothes and look really cool...) were making. They were really sweet and we discovered that they were also Christians. We prayed for each other and it was a really exciting experience for me to bow my head and listen to these women pray to Jesus for me in their own language. They bowed their heads, closed their eyes, laid their hands on me and went on for a while. Really amazing to discover that I have family all over the world and that we will meet in Heaven one day.
Another favourite experience is riding the local buses... we will often attempt to make people laugh by singing "Acunamatata" or "In the Jungle". Life is fun with 20 girlfriends who are all here for the same reason and love adventure (I know I don't say that ever post but it really is so fun to be having daily sleepovers and to be traveling the world with a bunch of friends!).

I am working guys, but its hardly work when life is such an adventure:)

Take Care,
Stefanie

Africa!

2012-01-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

Statistics Update from India:
Jesus shared: 1203
Salvations: 35
Prayers given: 15100
Hours of Intercession: 50.25
Health Care Teaching: 1297
Acts of Mercy: 1152
Babies Delivered: 273
Raised from the Dead: 3
Healings: 21
Demon Deliveries: 2
Evangelistic Material Given: 13
Other Miracles: 16
Health Care Given: 15213

These are the stats from the the entire team. It is required everyday that we list what we have done and it has proved to be encouraging for us. Thank you all for your encouragment to us as well!

December 31, 2011
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

It’s 9:53pm, New Years Eve. I wonder what you guys are doing to celebrate. Me? I am sitting in my beautiful dorm room, just switched on the luxury A/C after having a shower in my attached bathroom. Doesn’t really feel like I’m roughing it like a missionary does but I will not request another residence! Our leaders found a beautiful and decently priced friary where we can stay while taking lectures and it‘s a welcome change from our residence in India. My roommate is at an optional all night prayer meeting and my friend just walked in asking if I want to join the others for games. I’m quite content to spend the rest of this year sitting alone, reflecting on where I want to be working for the rest of my life.

We’ve toured Temeke hospital and will start working Wed-Friday beginning next week. Our lectures will be Monday and Tuesday, also starting next week. Our first topic is Obstructed Labour and I am super excited to learn more about complications but I don’t want to talk about that right now. We just returned from a New Years Eve dinner at the YWAM base outside of the city. After the dinner we played games using Swahili words and then a staff who is Masai taught how to jump like one and we then attempted to learn traditional dance. It was a lot of fun and I felt amazingly comfortable with the people there.

Beate, one of the base leaders (who is originally from Germany and also taught us for a week in Perth) showed us the compound. We were very excited to finally see the midwifery clinic she runs and also to see her here, at her home. When she came to Perth she stressed that our training will be enough, that we don’t need to continue on in our education in order to be useful, and that she could use right after our school finished. After talking more with her in Perth, my dreams began to look like reality. Now, after visiting the base and walking through the jungle like compound, seeing the banana, papaya, and mango garden (along with some really cute kids who liver there); I’m sold! I realize I’ve only been here 3 days but I feel more at home here than I did in India and that’s a start.

I really am excited to see where I’ll be in the next couple New Years Eves and I was asked to seriously consider spending the rest of my life doing ministry here. Before you get too excited or intrigued, my friend was also asked the same thing but a motorcycle ride, a disco club, and marriage to a single young African was thrown into her package deal(I got the impression one of those is also included in mine).

Serious face: God really took his time creating Tanzania; everything(and everyone) I have seen so far are absolutely beautiful and the people are a lot of fun(especially in the marketplaces).

Happy New Year Everyone!

Love Stef

2011-12-21T07:28:00.000-08:00

This past month we have worked hard on conducting a community profile by interviewing 160 women in Hyderabad. If you want to see the entire report I can send it to you but I chose to take out only a few things and let you read them. Hopefully you will get a bit of an idea of what we have been experiencing in our interactions with the locals.

In the month of November 2011, MGMH (the hospital we are working in) saw 8983 pregnant women. Because they come in Mon-Sat, we took the blood pressures of all but the Saturday visits! MGMH is a referral hospital and after MGMH there is one other referral hospital. MGMH takes cases from as far away as Karnataka, India. If there are maternal problems, they consult with OGH hospital in Hyderabad and if MGMH cannot handle an infant case, the infant is sent to Nilphour Hospital in Hyderabad. There are 456 maternity beds available and 200 Doctors, Surgeons, and Post Grads, 76 Nurses, and 60 Daimas (or janitors who do all of the bloody, dirty cleaning jobs) work there.

The verse John 10:10 express’ clearly how Satan wishes to destroy lives. We have seen that through the large percentage of women who have Anaemia from low Haemoglobin, resulting in excessive bleeding and foetal distress during pregnancy and delivery. If the following lies about food were not in place, most of these women would not be suffering and a significantly larger portion of children would survive!

Harmful beliefs to pregnant women and childbirth:
-No liquid items (juice) or cold items
-Pregnant women should not eat papaya it could cause the woman to miscarry; banana causes vomiting, makes an unhealthy baby, and can cause asthma; brinjal will make previous c-section stiches weak; pregnant women should not eat semiga, umpa, pineapple, blackberries, eggs, spinach (or any green vegetable), or meat(which are large sources of iron needed for healthy haemoglobin levels in the blood).
-Some women even stated that they should only eat rice and curd and curd with eggs can cause jaundice.
-An eclipse during pregnancy is believed to cause malformations, and some women are not allowed to eat or drink after/before daylight
–one woman even said they give the next bride in the family the preserved umbilical cord in a banana, believing she will get pregnant because of it.

The following are blurbs written by a few of my fellow BASers after their interviews were conducted.

Abortion:
Around 10 years ago Indians would get an abortion if they were expecting a girl, but today it is illegal to know the sex of your baby before delivery. Sadly, most remote living and uneducated women will get an abortion if they already have enough children and therefore can't provide for another family member. Another pressing issue is unmarried pregnant women. They will most likely have an abortion to prevent being rejected from society (I, Stefanie have personally walked through this with an Indian girl here and am willing to share the story if any of you are interested, but it’s tragic.). At government hospitals, abortion is conveniently free and legally done by doctors. –Maj from Denmark

Pregnancy before Marriage:
A couple weeks back I was having my Sari rewrapped by a nurse in the hospital and I began to strike up a conversation with her. She casually told me about her children and I caught myself later asking her if she has a husband. She looked at me shocked and slightly offended and said; “I told you earlier I have children!!” I still wasn’t connecting the dots but I quickly realized that I had asked a mother if she was married. In India, the words mother and marriage must always be interchangeable and are never seen apart from each other. The young nurse went on to explain to me that I should never, never ask a woman with children if she is married. “We do not have children outside of marriage,” she insisted.
“But sometimes it can happen, right?” I quizzically asked back.
“No. No. No. No,” she paused for a moment and reluctantly finally said, “ok, fine. Maybe sometimes it is happening. But it is very shameful and never, ever discussed.”
That was my first experience with asking Indian woman what they thought about pregnancy before marriage. As I sought out for other opinions I didn’t get anything that ventured much further off than that. It is considered a huge shame to the woman and to the family to get pregnant outside of wedlock. Clearly in the bible it is stating the same thing. However, I do think that the tenderness of God doesn’t find great shame in the situation, but pain in what it means for the life of the child and the mother. He created man and woman to be together forever when they choose to procreate, so doing this outside of the commitment of “forever” only leads to unnecessary pain. It’s not the Fathers heart to see children born to an unmarried couple and I respect that India respects this so much. I do however, see a lot of religiosity in the way they approach it. I think that it’s a big taboo that needs to be discussed more openly and frequently and I definitely think that more grace and love needs to be extended to those who find themselves in this type of situation. –Laura from America.

When an Indian woman gets pregnant before she is married it is known that her life will from now on change. She gets neglected from her society. She will have to move out of the village and away from her family. She will not get accepted, respected, or shown mercy to. People will treat her very badly, most verbally, and with neglecting. Even doctors at the hospital often treat these women with no respect.
Most of these pregnancies will end in an abortion without anyone knowing it ever happened. That is the easiest way out for the girl. It has also been common to commit suicide in this situation.
Every woman that I asked this question “What happens if a woman gets pregnant before marriage?” they all responded that this is very bad! It seems like the important factor is the loose woman, and not the innocent child growing inside of her. No man will want to marry a girl that this has happened to. It seems like a hopeless situation for the woman! -Rebekka from Norway

Rape:
Unfortunately rape is not uncommon in Hyderabad. Rape seems to happen mostly with younger girls who don’t have a voice to stand up for themselves. While in the hospital we experienced a 12-year-old girl who came in a month after she had been gang raped. She had not reported the incident for a month and the doctors were not able to get any evidence of who committed the rape. I asked if this was common and a nurse had informed me that the hospital sees these cases often. -Unknown

The following charges are in Australian dollars (which is a bit higher than Canadian) to help put the prices in perspective. Government hospitals are free (apart from the corrupt workers who charge families for small things like letting the women use the toilets; something which we witnessed often. When we noticed, we would refuse to leave the families side so that it could not happen without us seeing it, then the diamias would not do it. Ha!) so the prices only apply to private hospitals. Keep in mind that most live on less than 4 dollars a day and the government hospitals are unsanitary and the doctors do not give the best care. We have had seen many babies needing to be transferred to NICU that waited in the cold baby room, uncovered, for 3 plus hours before the nurses finally moved them.

Delivery: 144.69 Repair of episiotomy: 54.26 Catheterization: 1.81 Removal of sutures: 1.06 Dressing: Large: 2.77, M: 1.49, S: 0.74 Caesarean Section: 283.51 Manual removal of placenta: 54.26 IV set/canulla: 10.64 Lumbar Puncture: 10.85 Blood group and RHO type: 1.06 Pap smear: 2.77 Urine Pregnancy test: 2.87 Low Forceps: 162.77 Fistula repair: 379.79 Suturing with local anaesthetic: 5.32 Suturing without local anaesthetic(its actually an option!): 3.62 Ultrasound: 5.43

So, this week is a little different. I hope these blogs are giving you insight into the lives here. I am trying to keep a balance between the positives and negatives but unfortunately it is often the negatives that stand out the most. Next time I write I’ll be in TANZANIA, AFRICA (I have never been to Africa.)!
Stefanie

Goodbye India!

2011-12-16T04:50:00.000-08:00

December 14, 2011
Last day in MGMH hospital here in Hyderabad. I ended up spending my last hour in the baby room cuddling a little boy who had been delivered with forceps. He kept trying to push his neck off my arm as though he wanted to walk away. It was a nice way to reflect on my time here and allow myself to relax. Though we’re not leaving for Dar es Salem until December 28, I’m mentally prepping for the move and am really excited! I’ve never been to Africa so it will be a new experience.
It feels good to be done the first school, knowing I have only 5 months in the Applied Birth Attendant School befoe I can finally meet baby Annabelle and the 4 other kids my friends are having while I’m away. I admit it. I’m homesick. But I know you all will just tell me that there’s nothing exciting happening at home so I’ll stuff it back down and try not to think about it.
Living in a team community has been hard work. Not everyone is at the same level; wether in maturity or thinking, emotions, spiritual beliefs/convictions, physically, or financially. Today I decided I want all of us to just say things how they are without trying so hard not to step toes and avoid conflict, but that idea was thrown out when I realized that we're girls who get hurt easy! anyhow...
we’re switching staff and leaders when we go to Tanzania. It will be nice to be with Sarah(the leader of the second school) but it’s sad to say goodbye to Bekah(the first school leader) and Marchien (who’s from Holland and tells me the Fries don’t actually rule the Netherlands).
The Old Folks home has expanded! We revisited and they had used the money our team gave for mattresses and to take in 3 more elderly men. They are also renting the top floor of the building now too. The small church that helps Radhika(the woman running the home) is hoping to build their own church as the old people are complaining that the noise it too much every Sunday and “we don’t even believe in the Jesus you are worshiping”(as most of them are Hindu’s). If any of you still want to help these people out let me know as I will be visiting one more time to bring them a Christmas gift from a Canadian family I love before we leave the country.
Okay, and one more story. We went on a treasure hunt last Friday. Four of us girls prayed and God gave us a few bus numbers, a picture of a “cool” looking man, and a few other things to look for. So we tried to get on a bus with those numbers and ended up at the local train station. When we got there we looked for the other clues but were having a hard time so we began walking. As we walked I saw two lepers begging, a man and a woman. We stopped and asked if we could pray for them. The man knew English very well and quickly agreed and we learned that the man’s name was Samuel, the woman’s Miriam and that he was a Christian. He was very grateful for our prayers and when we asked him if we could buy them a meal he said no. I pressed him and asked if we could at least buy him a drink as it was very hot and they were sitting in the middle of the road. They requested orange juice. The crowd was wondering what was going on and we were able to share that they were our friends, we were Christians and that God loves Samuel and Miriam a lot. When I snuck in a bit of money Samuel didn’t take it at first saying, “You misunderstand. I don’t want money mam. I am very happy you prayed and talked to us. I only want all Indians to treat lepers better.“
Meeting Samuel really rocked me as I realized that when we talk about the body of Christ every Sunday in church, we are really talking about this man Samuel, a leper begging on the streets in India.(We later did find the “cool” man. He actually said, “No, I don’t need prayer, I’m cool.”
Merry Christmas soon!
Stef

Christmas soon!

2011-12-02T03:48:00.001-08:00

November 27, 2011: Merry ‘premature’ Christmas!
Today is the first day of advent and our
team gathered to make Christmas decorations in an attempt to reconstruct the
Christmas spirit in hot and humid India. Though a little homesick, I am eager
to see how Christmas will be with my ‘adopted’ family even though I’m a ‘primi’
in green Christmases (I am so funny!).
I want to give a few highs and lows from
the past five months as Seini, one of my fellow BAS students does nearly every
evening during dinner:
In September I completed the first lecture
phase in Perth, Australia where we worked our way through two textbooks on
midwifery; one created with Western nations in mind and one with developing
nations; keeping the focus on normal labour and delivery. I have also managed
to keep up-to-date on my college assignments, and hope to finish those projects
early, as we will begin the second lecture phase of the Birth Attendant School upon
arrival in Tanzania, on December 28. This lecture phase will be training us in
how to deal with complications in pregnancy and childbirth; something that we already
see quite often in the hospital here in Hyderabad.
I am
currently on the home stretch of the first practical part of our school and
have been privileged to catch 10 babies as of last Thursday afternoon; which
was also this groups’ 200th baby delivered! Infant death is not uncommon here
but we have watched amazed as God brought 2 of these dead babies back to life
as we prayed. It has become a common sight to turn around and see a baby’s head
pop out unattended as there are only half the amount of doctors needed working.
I have become accustomed to high stress situations and find working in this
atmosphere both exciting and addicting.
While doing Antenatal check-ups, we have
seen extreme differences from the way Westerners receive care; beginning with
the 700 women who are seen in a space of 3 hours each Monday morning, down to
the men whose job it is to keep these women in order using sticks. While taking
blood pressures, we may find ourselves helping an educated Indian woman, who speaks
perfect English, and then turn around and look into the face of malnourished
woman from a village, who giggles nervously as we ask to pray for her in our
broken Hindi and Telegu.
I have met local Indians doing amazing
things for their own people; running orphanages and rape relief centres,
jailers teaching inmates skills while they serve their time, student nurses taking
time to comfort a woman in pain, young women starting homes for the abandoned
elderly, and church elders who drive us around on their motorcycles free of
charge. I’m learning sincere hospitality and sacrificial generosity from the
people of India.
My requests for the New Year are that you pray
that I will stay focused and be able to learn as much as possible in these
final 6 months. Please pray that I will know how to respond wisely to the many
awkward and painful situations without growing indifferent, and that I will
allow God to mould me and break off the garbage in my life without putting up
too much of a fight. Also, pray for salvations! We have had many opportunities
to share the gospel and plant seeds but I personally have only seen 3 or 4 of
the locals decide to follow Christ and that is the ultimate goal of everything
we do.
I love you guys and wish the best Christmas
you have ever had. Thank you so much as you have all had a large influence in
sending and keeping me here; from buying my home-made earrings, praying for me,
writing me random emails, supporting my dreams by voicing your excitement, and
sending me money so I could pay the school fees. I hope you realize how
significant your role is in bringing Jesus to the families of Hyderabad, India;
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Jinga, Uganda through this midwifery school. I am
so appreciative that you all have entrusted me with this opportunity and I do
not take it lightly(I sound very spiritualJ) .
Once again,
Merry Christmas!
Stefanie.

November 22, 2011

2011-11-25T01:11:00.000-08:00

o.... this is denny, i met him last time in indai but havn't seen his since(4 years). then during a concert at the crusade last week, he was on the big stage playing drums for a popular Hindi Christian band... so i asked to go backstage... (so easy here!) and got his number from the stage crew who then brought me to his hotel(sounds horrible I know but its PG) and we surprised him! I felt like a creaper but it was so awesome to see him again!

Where to start?Today I got up and had intercession; realizing that I struggle with having structured prayer steps but maybe it is helpful as no one else seems to be complaining. After intercession we created a formal letter to the superintendent at the women’s Central Jail in Hyderabad, asking for permission to visit their prisoner, Swati who we met last week. We were ushered into the superintendent’s office and enjoyed chai with biscuits before being politely told (after 20 minutes of chatting) that we would have to gain government approval to enter.

However; Swati was still being held at the hospital, only in a different ward. So, after being swayed into buying biscuits made by the inmates(the prison seemed like an amazing place, clean and run with wisdom and kindness and the inmates got the money from the sales of biscuits!), we went to the hospital and quickly encountered a woman who was collapsing in the hall way. We asked her what was wrong and prayed. She began to slink down from the chair to the floor and collapse, obviously in pain. It happened again and again as we continued to intercede. We brought her into admissions and left her with a few friends and doctors (we found out later she was fully dilated and had given birth shortly afterwards) and then hurried off to find Swati.

When Swati realized we had gone all the way to her prison to look for her and then came here just to see her, she began to smile. Swati bowed her head this time as we prayed for her and her guard; 24 year old Ranu, who we have begun to befriend as well. Ranu was also interested that we had returned and shying asked us politely, “Had your lunch?” as all Indians do when being respectful.

Twenty minutes later we finally did go for lunch where I proceeded to have a cute little baby pee a river on my lap to the utter delight of those in the canteen. When we arrived home we stopped to talk to a few neighbours on the street before calling the superintendent to inform her on Swati’s progress.

One more encouraging story! On Sunday I was able to take blood pressures at a rural clinic run by MGMH (the hospital we work at) at a home founded by Ghandi called “Kasturba Ghandi National Memorial Trust” (named after his wife). The home was for rape victims and girls who have been abused by parents or husbands hosting women from age 6-60+. Though it was horribly sad, I was encouraged to see that the home was also caring for patients who had become psychotic after being raped.

Throughout the day, I spoke with a 23 year old woman who was living there with her 2 children after he husband took a second wife. I also met a young mom who was HIV positive and a 14 year old girl who had been there for a few years. She sat by us and chatted excitedly while we worked.

The home was run by people who I sensed were very kind and loving. Later on they showed us photos of a successful psychotic patient who had recently been released back to her parents.

Typical week? No, here no day is typical and each day is an adventure(beginning with bargaining with auto drivers each morning and ending with eating dinner with cockroaches crawling over our table!)

Love you guys,

Stef

Week 20

2011-11-19T00:08:00.000-08:00

Here's another quick update from the past week... cool stories!

I just returned from visiting a mother at her home. While we were sitting on the floor in her home I noticed a lot of differences. They had one room that was the kitchen, the living room, the dining room and the bedroom for both her parents, her new baby, her husband, and herself(and the family of mice we noticed scurrying along on the floor); I was struck by how different our lives are. As we were talking and learning about each other, her husband walked in and told her that he had just received a call from family saying his brother had thrown kerosene on his wife and she was dying in the hospital. I know. (Only yesterday I had asked a patient about the scars on her arms while I took her blood pressure, and that patient had told me the exact same story.) We sat in shocked silence until I asked if we could pray.Though she was Hindu, she agreed. I looked for emotion and did see it, controlled though. She expressed how happy she was because only yesterday her sister–in-law had come to see the baby.

Another story, equally tragic; yesterday in Admissions I saw a young girl, probably younger than myself, chained to a bed. After investigating I discovered she was a prostitute who had been caught and put in jail. She was 16 weeks pregnant and the police had taken her to the hospital because she was complaining of stomach pain. She knew a little English and I was able to pray with her and explain that I will try visit her at the jail. The police officer was a woman my age who was interested in why we were asking about her prisoner and we were able to talk to her about God’s love. As we said goodbye she wished us good luck, and encouraged us for trying to help the young prisoner. What am I learning? That I am a missionary who’s role is to incorporate God’s love into every interaction and as I continue to step out, I begin to really love what God has entrusted me with!

Reading through Proverbs these past few days I’ve seen over and over again how we should love discipline and correction. Well I don’t. After a long talk with my mentor Bekah, I have decided to give it a try and make a choice to seek out discipline and invite correction from others instead of shying away and becoming offended when it happens as I really want to mature and this is an excellent opportunity to be moulded into a better Stefanie(still trying to convince myself that I should enjoy it though).

love you guys,

Stef

Franklin Graham Crusade

2011-11-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

getting ready to hit up the labour room:) below is the labour room, i smuggled a camera in. you can see three beds with women, a cleaner man on a stool between two of them cleanning the fan (of all times I know!) and DaNiell from my school in the dark blue. Not a good camera but gives you an idea. The last photo is Anthony David when I was doing a Newborn Assessment! Thanks for getting me here guys I'm soooo happy!

I don't have any relevant pictures for the title of this blog but we are currently counsellors at the Franklin Graham Crusade down the street. I want to share an awesome story of how God actually answers prayer (I know but for serious!).

So, Thursday night I went up at the altar call to find english speaking Indians to talk to about their commitment they just made. I met a Hindu, 18 year old who was completely sincere in his questions. He said he was very interested but wondered what switching religions required. He told me of how yesturday he had been at a temple and witness an old woman get her chain snatched right off her neck. He wondered if there was a God as she was so upset and God must have let it happen. He also wanted to know if there was certain times to pray or rules he had to keep. God gave me an idea. I shared of how when you make a new friend, you don't do things that make that friend angry do you? I tried to explain how God wants a relationship and its not rules you have to follow but rather you will want to do the right things. After some time I thought it was best to get him together with an Indian male counsellor so that the Indian could do better follow up.

But, I watched as that counsellor listed rules for 2 minutes and then they parted ways. I was so shocked I didn't even think to run after the kid (his name was Trul). That night and the next morning I was quite upset thinking we had ruined it for him. Us Christians had messed it up! Durning intercession the next morning I got my group to pray for this kid and then we went on with our day.

So... last night, after day two of counselling my friend pulled me aside and said, "Stef I"ve got amazing news!" The night before she was walking by when I introduced Trul to the Indian counsellor. She was the only one who saw his face and I told her later what had happened. Well... nananana! She was sitting down durning Franklins talk last night and saw 2 rows in front of her, TRUL! Then she watched as he went up again for the altar call and thought of trying to follow him but lost him and was confused as to whether she was the best person to talk to him. Later, when she was up front counselling she saw his back and walked closer to see who he was talking to... turns out (God is awesome!) he was talking to one of the organizers of the crusade named Brad. Brad is a missionary from America who lives here and is so down to earth and understands the culture and Hindu practices!

So once again, God is awesome!

On another note, I love hearing from you guys. I'm happy here and in the past 2 weeks I put in my first IV cathater! Gnarly. I also drew blood, got to delivery two baby girls (Ashley and Bridgette:) and a baby boy named Anthony David. I have visited a few mothers from the hospital in their homes and got spoiled with Chicken briani, cool henna design on my arm, earings and more as thank you gifts for JUST VISITING THEM! They are so excited to have foreigners care enought to just see how they are doing at their homes. I have so many funny stories too. One of my friends got told after she sang a song that "Your voice is so beautiful, it is like a woodpecker!" :) funny hey.

Oh! And on Thursday one of the interns in the labour room let me witness a C-Section. I nearly fainted at one time (I have weak stomach sometimes I've discovered), I think it was watching two doctors pull on either side of here muscle until it tore open and then when the uterus was taken out and flopped on her belly. Crazy for me.

Love you guys!

Stefanie

Lahari Old Age Home (Home for the dying)

2011-10-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

this woman kept begging when we were praying for her, though she did not need to do it any more, she had been doing it for so long and was mentally ill. Below is the family which works together at the home along with some of my fellow students and a few church members.

This week I want to talk about a old age home we visited. It was started about a year ago by a 26 year old, married woman I met at a YWAM HYDERABAD celebration. She didn't speak english but got her pastor to translate and invited us to come visit. It was amazing!

What she does is take the elderly who are abandoned by their families and forced to beg on the street, she takes them into a beautiful home she is renting and cares for them until they pass away. One woman we met was 103 and walking and laughing and talking, completely with it. She told us (via a translator) that the woman was so wonderful to help her and she was so grateful but she hopes she can die soon :) Only the woman is a Christian, her Hindu family supports her and works with her along with some church members. We were so happy to help and encourage her.

When we left she asked if we could spread the word about her home as it is all run by donations. None of the elderly had mattresses, all were on metal beds with a few blankets. Our team has decided to buy mattresses for them and I hope to donate my Christmas money to them so that they can have their medication, food and extra blankets.

Get the word out there! It is so encouraging to see Indians helping with the beggers and giving dignity to the elderly.

Love you all,

(ps, I delivered baby number three:) Samuel is his name!)

Stefanie

Baby Jeremiah(updated version)

2011-10-12T02:23:00.001-07:00

Baby Timothy( my computer is having issues so I couln't get baby Jeremiah up but hes on my facebook.

Hi all,

I delivered my first baby! 2.3 kg, healthy and beautiful! I was very much assisted by Bekah (my leader) but I was able to take responsibility, get my hands in there fully and fill out all the paper work afterwards. I am learning soooo much and I absolutely love it! Each day I learn from the doctors and nurses and our leaders more and more. Since I first posted this I have been able to catch another baby. When I asked God for a name I got Timothy... so baby Timothy is named after my brother with a blessing to be a god-fearing, strong man who will lead his family to Christ. He was 2.6 kg and had a lot more hair than Jeremiah. When he came out he began cryinig almost immediately and his mother was soooooooo sweet saying the only things she knew in English, "I love you madame" and "thank you!". The labour room often has 8-10 women in it (and only 8 beds) in active labour. Last time I was there I turned my head to a screaming mother and noticed that the babies head was out! No doctor could get to her and I began putting on my gloves a bit apprehensively as my leader was busy with another delivery.... luckily one of the student nurses walked in and took over for me. Craziness but awesomeness. Anyone want to help out? India could use a few more hands!

With each child we deliver or assist in the delivery we pray over, bless, and ask God for a name for the child(hence why my baby is named Jeremiah... the mothers don't necessarily even know). We also put on knitted hats that past students or supporters have made and call them "helmets of salvation" in faith that they will come to know Jesus. The mothers have been so appreciative of the extra attention given to them, their newborn and the family. The woman I helped with kept pinching my cheeks between contracts and then kissing her fingers (very Indian thing to do)... she was only 24 and I was so happy to be able to help her.

The doctors are good doctors but overworked and so we are trying to support them and at the same time encourage change as the women are treated as cases and not really persons.

I met Ayang(friend of Ningrilla and Amenla for Amanda and other DTS friends reading), a friend from Beachcenter YWAM base by chance today. I was observing at a HIV clinic run by some YWAMers here and I kept looking at her wondering if I really did recognized her. Finally I asked her if she was from Beachcenter... it was so funny as she had been watching me as well.

God's a good guy,

Stef

First deliveries!!!... (observered and assisted)

2011-10-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is the pastoral center where we live with other students and familes. It's like a hostel. Below is me in the hospital. We were met by a group of muslim girls who let us pray for them and then read the Bible with us. The man in the background is a janitor in the hospital who really wanted to be in the picture as well. The third photo is the view from Gondola Fort... built in the 1400's I think and is a popular tourist attraction in Hyderabad. We went there and had a worship service at the highest point, a place where many Muslims and Hindu's come to worship. We also shared the gospel via 4 Christian men who joined and translated for us randomly. A security guard and 2 others accepted Jesus! The final photo is Ravi! He is from my DTS 4 years ago and is now a pastor of 2 churches and father of 2 boys here in Hyderabad... Dannie and Winnie... We were honoured at his church on Sunday. Each of us recieved garlands and a very awesome meal. I'm happy!

h

Wow!!!

Monday I had my first experience in the labour room and I LOVED IT!
I will try to explain the scene to you...
8 metal beds with bugs crawling over them, often with 8 women labouring on their backs, with IVs in their arms... they are not allowed water.
1 doctor, 1 medical student, 2 nurses maybe, and dimas(who are the ladies who clean up the blood and whatever else... the doctors don't do this).
The women are treated roughly and often yelled at if they are screaming.
Once they give birth the baby is taken to the babies room immediately in a metal tray (we joke calling it the silver plater) and weighed and cleaned a bit. They are sometimes left uncovered for hours on dirty blankets while they mothers are ushered out into the hall to wait for often a few hours.
The mothers are almost always given episiotomies and the baby may or may not be pushed out of her. Suturing may or may not be given with Lidocane to numb them.... CRAZY FIRST EXPERIENCE... but I was amazed to see us remain calm and peaceful.
The doctors and nurses are not mean or horrible people. This is just how they have been working for a long time because of limited resources and limited staff. The hospital is free and often poor women will come here. Blankets are not supplied for the babies so the women will rip their sari's to make a blanket... they don't often bring anything for cultural reasons. I heard also because the child may die and they don't want to get their hopes up... not sure about the legitimacy of that but it makes sense.

Our role is to make the mother feel comfortable- keeping an eye on her and never leaving her side. We also push the rules as much as we can :) We are all students and each day learn new things. The women we grateful and confused that we stayed by their sides and seemed to care. I was able to (so sorry if you don't have a stomach for any of this... comment and I can censure some of the details) cut a cord, clean a baby, massage a few backs, clean up a few bottoms, and re-insert IV lines. It was awesome to be able to learn and pray and discover how we can best help them.

Tuesday we went to the postnatal ward and found the mothers and their babies. They were all smiles, realizing that we had searched them out. It was so cool to be able to hold the babies that we had helped deliver!

I'm happy guys! This is exactly where I want to be and I'm soooooooo grateful to all of you who are helping and have helped and are praying and just being my friends.

Thank you so much!

Love Stefanie

Hyderabad at last!

2011-09-28T03:23:00.000-07:00

Hi friends

We made it and everything is going so smoothly it's amazing. My friend from DTS, Ravi, picked our team up from the airport and has been helping us a lot since we arrived. He now has a family with 2 boys and pastors two churches. On Sunday we will be going to his church and one of the BAS girl's husband is speaking already for Ravi. It is so exciting to be back, though I think I like Hyderabad more than Chennai as the temperature is cooler:)

We are all adjusting to the heat(approx 30+ and very humid, constant sweating!), food(finally I have been eating legit Indian food!), and culture.

Funny story. I was walking back from the city last night and two boys on a motorcycle drove by and stared at us. We ignored them but they must have pulled over because when we kept walking they were suddenly beside us and asked, "excuse me madame, can we start a friend ship with you? IF you don't mind?" we laughed and kept walking. They then drove by and asked, "Is that an answer madame?" and we ignored them. Then they must've went around the block because they passed us again and said, "Is that a yes or no madame?".. to which i shouted out "NO!" and they drove off laughing... it was super funny.

Today we held an open air, it's been four years since I did one and it was fun. We received permission very quickly (usually it takes about a week and we got it in one day) to work in the hospital and hopefully we will begin next week. I AM SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED! We will tour the hospital on friday and some of the staff remember the other teams so they are also excited for us to start.

Thank you to those who have been praying... we really have be amazed at how smoothly everything has gone. I love you guys and will keep you posted as things begin to pick up the pace.

Love Stef

FINAL WEEK OF LECTURES!

2011-09-15T18:02:00.001-07:00

It is true, these are some of my work duty friends... below is Marchiem, one of our leaders who I love (I love them all) and Ezra...I had to use the flash to make this picture work though:) He's the leader of the gang the "Black Cats" which is for select members of the work duties team... there actually is a gang in India by this name we discovered though!

Hello,

First of all... I'm now Aunty Stefanie! Meg and Steve now have my niece Annabelle Faith, in their care (as of September 8) and will keep her with them until I return in June. I am a very proud aunt but also quite dissapointed that I can't hold Annabelle for another 8 1/2 months:(

This was our final week of lectures.... next week Sunday we're going to be in Hyderabad! I am so eager to start actually working in the hospitals but I am a bit nervous as I have never done this before. We have been super busy with flights, finances, immunizations, and other preparations. On Monday, ALL OF OUR MONEY CAME IN! Everyone on the school has paid their bills and our flights are booked! During Monday worship, the leader of the base asked everyone who still needed money to stand in the front and the rest of us had to ask God if we were supposed to give to them.... it was so cool cuz God squeezed $14,000 out of a bunch of YWAMers(there are about 300 people on base) and our base total for outreach fees went from $42,000 to $28,000 in a half hour!

It has been bitter sweet getting ready to go as I realize that I may never see many of my friends from the other schools as they are also leaving for outreach and then will return to their different countries. At the same time, its been so cool meeting people from all over the world and I know that I can bum off of them for the rest of my life if I'm ever in their neighborhood.

Next time we talk I'll be in Hyderabad!!!

Stef

2 weeks til India!

2011-09-08T02:59:00.000-07:00

I promise this week will be short.

As I write my sister Megan is in LABOUR!!! I am soooooooooooooo excited to be an aunt. Aunty Stefanie.

Our lectures were on grief and then evangelism. Grief, as we will most likely experience death in the hospitals. Evangelism, as we are not just delivering babies but are going to be telling people about our love for Jesus.

So, after 2 days of lectures on Evangelism, we went to the city mall in Perth and gave it a whirl. I admit I was scared and so we prayed against fear and I decided to be an adult and give it my best. I met a young man, ran after him actually as he looked quite discouraged. I really felt God just wanted me to tell him how much he was loved by Jesus. Amazingly we talked for about 20 minutes and I felt so calm and confident. After that I sat by two Nepalies men and we had a good talk about money and how God cares and can provide. Not sure I convinced them but they let me pray for them and we had a good time getting to know each other. I just openly told them as I sat that I love Jesus and I'm here to talk about him if that's cool. All the people I talked to invited me to sit and I just shared as I felt led. They asked my opinions on the many religions (as their parents practice Buddhism). I didn't freak out about proving my point or sharing the gospel, I just listened sometimes and inserted my opinions and experiences and they were so cool about it.

Long story short, I really enjoyed myself! Our teacher stressed that Jesus evangelized through relationships and I was relieved to see that I can take it easy and just befriend people. That I don't have to jump on a soap box. It came so naturally to speak to people about someone who I love and offer them hope. I get frustrated when I realize that I really should be doing this everyday, anytime I get a chance. It's a shame we don't do it more often and more openly cuz people really are open and if they're not, just move on.

We have a gift, the biggest blessing out there and yet so many of us are afraid to open our mouths(myself included). Pray against the fear and then try it yourself. Its really fun and you can feel God's pleasure and eagerness to touch the person as you share to them!

Love you all,
Stef

3 weeks til outreach!

2011-09-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Great news... our total amount has lowered from $8400.00 to $7600.00 to $6762.00!

The reasons for these changes are: We are spending Christmas in India (staying an extra month) and are ditching our flight from Tanzania to Uganda for a bus! I am actually excited (though I bet this will change during the 24 hour ride) to see more of the countryside and experience how the locals travel.

I have had a bunch of friends promise to pray for me, about 7 people agree to sponsor me, and a few others who wanted to but couldn't right now. Thank you all! It really means a lot to me that you don't run away and hide awkwardly when I ask for help :) and I really love hearing that you are excited for me.

I have been here 2 months this week and it has been so amazing. I've made tons of friends and laugh a lot! Last week we learned about the spiritual dynamics to birth and how whatever spiritual presence we bring will either negatively or positively influence each child.

A key point we were taught was that; just as a footprint leaves a physical mark/memory, our spiritual footprints leave spiritual marks/memories... but they last longer. That is why when you walk into a place where dark things have happened, you can sense it. Many of the places we will be entering in have negative spiritual memories(because of witchcraft, physical abuse to previous mothers, death, abortion...) and because everything we do physically affects the spiritual world (because the physical and spiritual world are completely connected as they also taught us this week), we need to be continually praying, having a positive attitude, staying in unity and working well.

This week we have Dr. Martin Panter from the UK teaching on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and tropical diseases. It is so interesting and helpful for us to gain understanding in what is a part of many Indians and African's everyday life. ALSO we have a 28 year old Doctor Sasa from Burma whose story is incredible! His village sponsored him to go and become a doctor... check out: www.healthandhope.org to see what he's doing in Burma!

We are doing a car wash, market night, and movie night this weekend to raise money for the team.... $44, 000 still to raise ... it seems like a lot but just today we dropped $18,000 off because of the changes I mentioned above! Each day we tell stories of money coming in and subtract it from our total needed and it is so exciting to hear each others stories. A few girls don't know where the money is coming from, it just shows up in their accounts!

Thanks for reading,

Stef

90 obstetricians per/17 million women

2011-08-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

We have found out our outreach locations!!!

I want to say just a few things this week.

First, I am so privileged to have grown up in wealthy nation and I want to answer the call to become a solution to the many women who don't have this blessing.

God has given me the following scripture, "Give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's and to God what is God's". (Matt 22:21)

God has given me so much and in return I want to give my life back to him, knowing that my life really is God's.

This kinda work cannot be done with out you guys though and I know that I have said it a lot but this is another request for help.

Lately God has helped me shrug off the "shame" that seems to be attached to doing volunteer work. Though I am told I will be working more than an normal 9-5 day, I will not be getting paid and will still need to pay for food, transportation, and other living expenses.

The following is a my plan:

If you noticed my facebook status, I am going to India (leaving Sept. 24) for 10 weeks, Tanzania for 21, and Uganda for 6(just found out today)! I am super super happy to finally know and am stoked to finally use what I've learnt. In India we will be working in a government hospital doing labour and delivery as well as antenatal clinics. We will then move on to Tanzania, and the first 2 weeks we will makeshift village clinics and evangelism and then move into the second lecture phase for 2-3 days a week and work in a hospital on the other week days(we will stay in Tanzania for 21 weeks total). Finally, we will do 6 weeks of ministry in Uganda, I don't know yet the details there but most likely it will be in a hospital setting as well.

This letter is me asking you for help. I have a student loan which nearly covers the remainder of the money which I need to pay the base, due on September 7(in 3 weeks). But... I will then return home in the hole over $6000. God has given me a plan to ask for 10 people to support me with $25 a month and 10 people to support me with $50 a month for the next 8 months. If this happens I will be able to pay off all of my debt before I return to Smithers in June 2012. My plan is to return home and finish my BA in the fall at CBC, then hopefully return the following year to either join the clinic were we will be working in Tanzania or start my own somewhere else(plan is still tentative but the goal is there!).

If you can be one of my 10/10 people, joining with me and helping me get out to these women, please let me know(stef_huisman@hotmail.com).

Second, Please go to this link (http://www.everymothercounts.org/film, click on interview with Linda Valencia, 45secs only) and watch this short clip, it will give you a little idea of what we are up against. Though it is set in Guatemala, this is the mindset we will be working to change in India, Tanzania, and Uganda over the next 8 months.

And when the video (No woman, No cry) is available....watch it! It actually speaks directly about how there are only 90 obstetricians per/17 million women in Tanzania! I want to change this.

Thanks so much!

Love Stef

Week 6

2011-08-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

a surfer man and the beach:)

Hello all,

Not too sure what to share. I went swimming last Saturday! There were surfers and the waves were big and I got a sun tan. The beach is a fifteen minute train ride plus a ten minute walk and the sand is awesome.

This week was mainly on team unity(which we will definitely need on outreach... 20 girls living in confined spaces for long periods of time, sharing one shower and toilet... and that's if there's plumbing and electricity!). Our speaker was Shirley Brownhill, the base leader. Her and her husband started YWAM Perth 25 years ago and it has grown to be the third largest in the world(with about 5 schools running every 3 months while the previous 5 schools are on outreach). They are currently expanding and in November will move down the street to their new building. We have spent a lot of time as a whole base in prayer and worship(especially this week) and God has been corporately convicting and "holifying " us in preparation for this move.

Work duties are the highlight of my day! I get to work with a an Ethiopian man named Amaniel who has shared that he despises working with a loud white girl(last I checked he was joking), Elias from Papua New Guinea who gets my sense of humour, a Malaysian named Ezra who tends to walk in the other direction when I come( in jest I'm sure. He also knows Nikki White from going to Trinity last year!(hi nikki if you're reading)), a few Americans; Levi who lives in Amish-land, Pennsylvania and is a wicked singer, and crazy tall Samuel Jackson who's middle name is Allen(haha. but seriously), and Connor who is married to Felicia who is one of my classmates... lucky Connor will be the only male with us for almost 6 months while we are on outreach, a Finish girl named Anni who is so awesome and has almost white hair, a Canadian named Jeff who hails from Richmond BC(and who's pastor is/was Emile Ferdinands!), two New Zealanders; Dean who has black tight curly hair and wicked glasses, and Luke who is our boss but tends to get distracted by any question we throw at him, three Aussies; one named Nathan who truthfully enjoys me when I have had too much sugar, another named Shawn who is also our boss but gives us jobs like learning plant names(the scientific name because he has studied it in school and is sincerely interested) and feeding worms(seriously!), and Jaden who I recently have begun called Jared simply because... I actually don't know why but I get mixed up each time I try to call his name. and..... Micaela who most of you know I grew up with and came here with me! It really is 2 hours of full time laughter and attempts to work and I love it so much!

Another side note. There's a girl here from Langley BC(her parents just moved to Pentiction though) and her name is Andrea Huisman(well she just got married so it's changed recently). We don't think we're related but if anyone knows anything I don't know... let me know!

Sorry this blog is a little different but I am super happy to have my work duty friends and I wanted you all to meet them. I think I'll post a picture soon of them all just to prove to you that I didn't make them up! :)

With regards to my financial needs, my student loan came in!!! However I am hoping to pay it off before returing home so I am not in debt. If any of you wish to donate, simply google YWAM Perth and at the bottom of the page it says donate/pay. If you click on that, it will guide you through the steps to make a mastercard payment dirrectly to my account. If you have further questions you can email me or the base or even call them and ask. Thank you so much!

Love you,

Stefanie

Week 5

2011-08-05T19:21:00.001-07:00

Hey,

Lets get it out right away... God's ways are higher and his thoughts are not our thoughts....DANG IT!

So I thought that God's answer to my specific promise from last week would be visible, would look a certain way, would act a certain way, and would be exactly how I wanted it to be... it's not. I'm sorry this is going to be vague... but one day I will tell you all the whole story about this promise and it will be an amazing testimony! Basically, as you know from last blog, I was given a promise and it was to take place last Sunday... well Sunday came and nothing happened(nothing that I could see that is). I was confused and upset, thinking maybe I misunderstood, maybe I hadn't heard God, maybe I was making things up, maybe I'm really not as close to the Holy Spirit as I had been sensing.

Then, at about 10pm a thought came to mind. Maybe God did answer, I just can't see it. Maybe he answered in a different way than I had thought he would (imagine that!). So, this week has been about believing in God first of all, that he keeps his promises and my answer has been given- though I don't fully understand nor see it; along with asking God to encourage me, and also to confirm what he has spoken. Which is exactly what he has done!

So Monday I held it together believing that "Faith is hope in what you cannot see," but Tuesday I began doubting. We had intercession that morning and I was feeling very discouraged. Earlier I had read, Psalm 20 (most of my quotes are from the Message): "God answer you on the day you crash." and though it was a nice thought, I hardly thought about it actually happening (Foolish woman!) As my group of 5 girls sat to pray we asked God for words and things he wanted us to focus our prayers on. I remember hoping they would have words for me as praying for another person or place was something I didn't feel like doing at all. After a few minutes all the girls began sharing the scriptures and images they saw. Each one of them spoke directly to my hurting and confused heart. I began crying and after explaining my story to them, they prayed for me specifically! It was amazing that God wanted them to pray specifically for me and encouraged me with scriptures and imagery that I could refer to when I doubted his promise.

So, I am practicing Psalm 18:22" "Every day I review the ways he works, I try not to miss a trick."

I am believing Psalm 19:7-8: "The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and points out the right road...The directions of God are plain...The decisions of God are accurate."

In other news, this week was on labour and delivery and it was so interesting! I have learned a lot of this information in the Birth Doula and Prenatal classes but having everything taught from the perspective of actually being the midwife, being the one in charge and directing the birth of the baby... well that was sweet. We are learning "normal" labour and delivery and in January, when we begin the Applied Lecture Phase, we will learn how to deal with abnormal or problematic labour and delivery (For those of you who don't know, my school is actually 2 schools put together which is why it is double the length of most YWAM schools).

Though we have not heard about what country we will be going to, we are expected to pay $6000 of our outreach fees by August 24. The rest($7-9000) are due by September 7. I have managed to raise money through sponsors and supporting friends and family like you, through working for Dad and Bethesda Christian Association, selling jewelry(mom still has a basket full if you're interested!), and through bursaries and grants. I currently have $5000 dollars but still need to raise the remainder. If you would like to be a part of sending us out to work in our "unknown" country, please pray and see what God is saying to you. Also, please pray for my classmates as many of us are going through times of personal healing and need to be strengthened(myself included).

Cool fact: We got to play with a staff's placenta who had her baby on Monday.

And that's it.

Thanks so much for reading, I love hearing that people are as excited as I am! Plus, I finally feeling a little homesick so if anyone wants to have a Skype date let me know!

Love Stef

Week 4

2011-07-30T02:19:00.000-07:00

that was suposed to be a dolphin above but its not cuz the dolphin moved. its a bird though!

Hey guys,

Today is Saturday, the end of week 4.

We started off Monday with pretend antenatal clinics and then Tuesday we actually had pregnant mothers from the base come and we did a clinic with them(palpations, urine testing, hemoglobin testing and all!). There were not enough mothers to go around so the remainder of us had fake senarios lead by the staff. It was a good experience trying to discover what problem they had by looking at their symptoms and getting more comfortable with the job we will be doing in a few months.

We also spent time learning about Natural Family Planning and how women can control their fertility via cervical fluid, waking temperature, and feeling their cervix (sorry boys). SO INTERESTING!

We then spent time learning and discussing Female Genital Mutilation(FGM, where the women are circumcised, removing the clitoris, labia minora and labia majora) and Fistula's(holes formed between the urethra and vagina or rectum and vagina due to prolonged labour as many women giving birth are not fully developed and very young, along with many other factors) as these are things we will probably be experiencing and hope to bring a stop to. Our class felt led to pray together specifically about FGM, asking God to stop this from happening to one woman or girl as we prayed. After we had stopped a leader shared about seeing a picture of the desert somewhere and a person running up to a woman who was about to perform the procedure saying, "Stop! Stop!". We felt sure that this was God confirming that he had answered our prayer, that one woman did not have to undergo this horrible experience.

I am loving my teaching and eager to hear where we are going for outreach (it has not been determined yet)! I have made many good friends and laugh alot since coming here. Thank you all so much for helping me get here and encouraging me! Also, I saw DOLPHINS and KANGAROOS today with Micaela! We got to pet them(not the dolphins.... but the dolphins were in the river eating fish! cool) and there are pictures for proof!

P.S. kangaroo actually means something like, "We don't know what you are saying" in the aboriginal language because when the white men came they asked the aboriginals what the kangaroos were called and the aboriginals said, "Ka-ng-ar-oo". or something like that. haha!

Also, I have heard God speak specifically to me this week and hope to have a very exciting story to share next week with regards to a promise he has given me!

Stay tuned.

Love Stef

2011-07-22T21:10:00.001-07:00

Hey friends.

This week we learned about Antenatal care and next week we are actually holding an antenatal clinic for the pregnant women on the base (I think there are 6 of them.) We learned how to do urine tests (by practicing on our own urine), how to prick fingers and determine the hemoglobin levels, and what the nutritional needs are for pregnant women. We had to discover the normal diets of women in developing countries and from there we had to determine whether they were receiving all of the required nutrients, vitamins, etc. It was fascinating as we looked into options of where they could receive what they were not receiving. One option (though as a last resort) is to soak an iron nail in water with lemon juice for a few hours and then have them drink the water to receive their needed iron. We also learned the necessary weight that must be gained, how to use kick charts, figure out the Estimated Date of Delivery, and check for signs of anemia. We learned how to treat and prevent sicknesses like thrush, constipation, and malaria, along with how to develop a birth plan with the women. And there is still tons more we learned but I want to move on!

It is so exciting and empowering to be taught how to set up a clinic and to gain insight in how this will look in a developing country where many of the usual tools, medication, and education are not as readily available. Our instructor this week (Kathy Kennedy) is the founder of the Introduction to Primary Health Care school here at Perth and the original founder of the YWAM Birth Attendant School (which is the only one in the world at this point). She has spent many years working in health care in developing nations and has given us much insight as to how our clinics need to look like.

Oh, and when I open my antenatal clinic in the near future :) I need farmers (Dad) and gardeners (Mom) to come down and teach the people how to grow nutritional vegetables so that the women can gain the necessary nutrients they need. Our instructor told us about a man who creatively introduced more nutritious vegetables to those in his area so that they did not continue to get sick because of preventable diseases.

In other news... I still love my friend Rebecca(from Norway) and I am very excited for Krissa, Melissa, Megan, and Sarah to go into labour! I have been sick this week but am feeling much better and am spending my Saturday trying to get some of my Bible College work done. I have not been homesick but am quite settled here.

Next week I hope to go and see kangaroos for the first time!

Thanks for reading,

Stef.

Week 2

2011-07-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

this is my classroom and below is Rebekka:) The next is the city of Perth and us eat fish and chips in Freemantle.

Hi friends.

Week 2 is over and I have learned: the different bones and sutures on the fetal skull, the bones of the pelvis, along with the measurements of the different angles the head could present for the many different birthing scenarios. I have learned the different hormones, menstrual cycle, ovarian cycle, along withe different stages that take place in the development of the fetus after conception. We learned about how the placenta develops and the complexity of how the baby receives nutrition and O2. The final 2 days we learned how to take vitals (of which I am still not entirely skilled at): blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and respiration.
I have also had a lecture one Ex. 1:15-21, the Godly Midwives in Egypt and how we need to focus on not only becoming midwives but Godly ones, fearing God, not man as Shiporah and Puah did.

We had evangelism on Thursday and I was honestly dreading it. We went walking around the base and came upon a group of young boys skateboarding. Our leaders stopped and started talking and we lamely joined in. It was actually amazing though. The conversation switched easily over to Christianity and God and all the boys sat down on the curb and talked with us. Pretty cool cuz I assumed they would be bored or really opposed to talking about God. (Bad assumption!) The four boys I met were: Reuben, Levi, Nathan and Markus (all in the Bible!).

I've made a good friendship with a girl from Norway named Rebekka. I really like her!
Yah, Each day we have Intercession or Worship followed by lecutures, lunch, work duties for 2 hours(I get to work outdoors on property because I told them I greased tractors before:), free time or more lectures/testing/presentations, dinner, more lectures or base events or one-on-one and then the rest of the evening is off. It is very busy and lots of new information but so amazing and interesting! Saturday's and Sundays we have free for homework or whatever.

So that's it, talk to you next week!

week 1: Brothels!

2011-07-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

It is Sunday afternoon, the first week of lectures is over and I have gained great wisdom through study of scrotum's and colouring in pelvis'. We got our text books(both huge!) on Wednesday and that was the moment where I looked across the classroom and thought to myself, "it is finally starting!"
I have 18 girls in my class and four amazing staff(largest class yet). We have bonded alot this week over cuppa's (that's what the aussies say, i think about coffee time) and over alot of questions like:"where did you do your dts?" and "what will you do with your training?" It is fun being back in ywam culture, its peaceful and powerful to be surrounded by prayer and godliness, with many (nearly 300 I think) people each with specific dreams and callings constantly trying to get to know you and what it is you're here for.

So, our lectures were on the nature and character of God, Intercession, Medical Terminology, and Introduction to Simple Health Care.
A little about each one: N. and C. of God= God is not mean. Bad does not come from him. He wants to bless you and has huge dreams for you! Stop assuming he wants you to go through hard times to grow stronger. It is the enemy who is causing pain, not God! (that really was a huge misunderstanding I have been struggling with).

Intercession: If we are in a group praying and one of us is not "into it", that person is allowing the authority God has given us to leak out of the cup. We have been given authority to move the spiritual realm and if we don't use it to fight, the devil will fortify his walls. Also, there is a tipping point(my teacher says this is his opinion) in prayer and if we give up, we may never know how close we were to having that cup of authority finally fill up and overflow (God's power moving to answer our prayers).

Medical terminology: basically boring but they say it will be necessary

I. to S. H. C.: There is a group of YWAMers who go out to remote villages and teach the basics to the people who have never heard (or were told else wise by witch doctors) that washing a child's face each day decreases the chances of eye infection and washing your hands after you cough into them stops the spread of disease. It was super cool to hear that simple stuff like that is what we can do to help and people are already doing.

Unfortunately it's freezing! I thought winter here would be like summer in Canada but I was way wrong. Interesting fact, brothels are legal here and there are 2 that I walk by on the way to church (I have found a pentecostal church within walking distance that I love!) and each time I realize how strongly I want to speak with the girls, befriend them or anything!

Please pray for:
-The brothels, "Sarah's(also called International 300) and Casey's. For an opening and boldness to connect with the women.
-really good understanding of this weeks lectures (Anatomy and Physiology)

Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you as well:)
Thanks everyone! I'm having a blast!

Love Stef

Countdown:)

2011-06-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

My bags have seriously been packed for 3 months and FINALLY I am leaving. (well, in one day!)
Thank you everyone for supporting me so much and encouraging me! It has been wonderful to hear "I"m so excited for you Stef!" so often, because I am excited and I love knowing so many people are behind me.

I have raised 8500.00 and have arranged to have a loan for the remainder if I need it. Many of you have donated and I have been so blessed by the sacrifices.

I will keep you updated once a week or every couple weeks for those who want to know what has been happening.

Next time I talk I'll be in AUSTRALIA!!!

jewlery

2011-02-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

2011-02-25T14:33:00.000-08:00

2011-02-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

hi friends,

A few people have asked me about donations.
You can give a credit card payment at this website:
https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp

Just make sure you specify who it is for.

Thanks so much!

Stefanie

jewlery

2010-12-23T03:11:00.000-08:00

hey all,
im making jewlery and its super fun! (I'll put up pictures of some of them so if you need gift ideas i need donations to my trip:)
Stef

Birth Attendant School!

2010-12-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2010

Dear Friends, Family, Everyone!

I hope that this letter will help you understand what I will be doing in the next year or so, along with why I am doing it.

In January I moved to Langley and have been attending Columbia Bible College(CBC), obtaining my BA in Intercultural Studies. The third year requirement is a minimum 8 month internship in an area of ministry I hope to pursue. While searching for a placement, my friend Jenn randomly told me about a Birth Attendant School(BAS) through YWAM. This school trains women as traditional Birth Attendants in hopes that they will work in third world countries where the need is greatest. I was immediately interested and began the application process, realizing that this was what I desperately wanted to do! I had never thought of “catching babies” as a missions option and I couldn't even pronounce the word “midwifery” correctly, but the doors have been swinging wide open to me and I am set on going.

I have always desired to do missions work, I was just not sure how or where. While taking a course at CBC on Community Development and Transformation, it has been brought to my attention that the death rates of women and children in developing countries are very high (every year nearly 600,000 women die because of complications in childbirth, not to mention the 4 million infants who die because of preventable causes). As this desire has continued to grown, I have begun to prepare myself by taking a Breastfeeding course and fulfilling the requirements to become a certified Birth and Postpartum Doula through Douglas College in Coquitlam. These courses have fueled my excitement for the BAS. I've been praying that God will use the skills I am acquiring to bring joy to many families; men, women, and children.

The BAS begins in Perth, Australia, starting July 3^rd 2011, with the first 3 months spent studying. Five months are then spent in a developing country(in the past it is often Nigeria), working in hospitals and doing three months of more schooling. For the final 3 months, the team splits up and is sent to different countries to work full time. We then fly back to Perth for graduation on June 2^nd 2012. I will then return to finish the final year of my BA at CBC . From there I hope to be found useful in Kenya (or wherever!) and open a women's health clinic.

This past month(November) I have become increasingly aware of the need to prepare myself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and financially, and the urgency to begin praying has become more and more evident. My hope is that you will also pray for me, both as I prepare to leave along with during the year that I will be away. Please pray I will; overcome my fears, think fast and clearly, become skilled, and have many opportunities to bring the gospel to the women I interact with. Pray I will be able to complete the requirements for CBC along with the BAS. Pray I will stay focused, as it will be a long separation from John and the comforts of home. Pray I will be protected, gain wisdom, courage, joy, strength, and whatever else God places on your heart. I feel confident that this is what God wants for me right now and I am asking for you to support me in this.

If you want to, and if you can, I am also asking for your financial support. I hope to fundraise the majority of the costs for this trip(If you have ideas or opportunities for fundraising please let me know). The total cost of both schools will come to approximately $16,000. The CBC portion costs $3,000, the BAS lecture phase costs $3900, airfare to Australia and back will be approximately $2500, and the outreach phase costs approximately $8-9000 (airfare to the different countries may raise this cost). I know the frustration of getting attacked with support letters so please do not feel pressured at all; however it works out, God is going to get me there!

If you want to know more about the BAS, their website is www.ywamperth.org.au/bas/.

My email is stef_huisman@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

Stefanie Huisman