Missions

Reflecting this evening on missions and the path before me... 

This first quote by Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, spoke deeply to me. I have fallen into this mindset before...

“If I make much of anything appointed, magnify it secretly to myself or insidiously to others; if I let them think it “hard,” if I look back longingly upon what used to be, and linger among the byways of memory, so that my power to help is weakened, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
― Amy Carmichael

And some more... No need to rephrase in my own words; hear it straight from the mouths of those who have experienced.

"Somewhere along the way we have subtly and tragically taken the costly command of Christ to go, baptize, and teach all nations and mutated it into a comfortable call for Christians to come, be baptized, and listen in one location." –– David Platt

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." ― David Livingstone

"There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan." ― C.S. Lewis

"Unless there is the element of extreme risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith." ― Hudson Taylor

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with lights." ― Ion Keith-Falconer

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." ― Jim Elliot

Road Trips and Risk

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

My roommate and I are heading out on a road trip to the West coast, leaving the 4th of July. How great that we leave on Independence Day! The two of us and my cat, independently striking out in my Subaru. We have a tentative plan on where we want to go....


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Wow! Sometimes I forget how far east I live. The total miles without any extra little trips is 4,136. So excited! I have been through much of this area before, but it will be new for my roommate and the Grand Canyon and Yosemite will be a first for me as well. Can hardly wait to watch the sun bleed down over the canyon walls.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

My favorite phrase from that quote is "sail away from the safe harbor." I have so many discussions with co-workers on being safe. They hold back from doing so many things because of fear and concern that it just isn't safe enough. I'm always saying, "stop living in fear!" They think I'm so unsafe in everything I do -- sports, traveling overseas alone, hitchhiking, hanging out in the woods and mountains, and even being too honest and assertive in my job. And maybe I'm a bit in the crazy zone with what I'm willing to do, but I really believe that holding back from all risk doesn't do much to grow you and challenge you.

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins


So yes, I like to travel the more unconventional way of finding a good corn field to pull my sleeping bag out next to. And take showers by finding a cold creek or lake on the side of the road. 

And I kind of enjoy the adventurous things that can happen on a road trip like getting lost, dealing with a flat tire, running out of gas....those times always make for the best stories later on and relationships are formed with the most unlikely people :) They also usually teach me so much more about life and molding my character to be more relaxed, flexible, and ready for whatever gets thrown my way. You can tackle anything with positivity. 

Josiah

I was very sad to hear about the death of my friend Josiah last Friday evening. My brother and I grew up in St. Helens with Josiah and his brother, doing fun activities like camping and backpacking with our dads, running around in Pathfinders together (I remember Josiah standing behind me during drill marches and always pulling my braids :), riding our bikes to the park or riverfront, and spending some high school years together at Milo.

Here's a few pictures my dad shared with me from some of our backpacking trips. I was used to roughing it around with my brother's friends and remember being surprised the first time Josiah came with us, as he would take the time to help me over logs and hold branches back for me :) So thoughtful!

Josiah, Matt, Me, Nate, and Laura -- Haha! We were so cool at that age :)

Laura, Josiah, Nate, Matt, Me, and Rei -- We had a great time sliding down snow on this trip!

Nate, Matt, and Josiah -- With Mt. Hood in the background

You will be missed Josiah, by me and many others!

International Day of the Midwife

Yes it is Cinco de Mayo today...

And it is also International Day of the Midwife!

So this post is for all the midwives out there...in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, Australia, and maybe there's even some on Antarctica from time to time :) 

There is so much to be done globally to improve on maternity services and give women the choice of a safe birth and healthy baby.

This post is also for the 13 lovely ladies that I will be traveling to the Philippines with soon, all midwives-to-be. 

Here's a great article I read recently by Dr. Aviva Romm on "How Being a Midwife Made Me a Better Doctor" 

She writes:

"To be a midwife requires one to step outside of the confines of self and selfishness. To be awake and present and loving and creative and generous and trans-personally connected even when we would rather be in the comfort of our own beds, deep in our own private dreams. It requires one to become truly present with those in our care."

"It means letting the fears, dreads, concerns, worries of another wash over you and allows you to take all of these and spin them into a neat ball of confidence, courage, and grace that you hand back to the woman – and remind her that this was hers all along. And it is having a strong enough sense of self that we take no credit for the success of those we’ve midwifed – we are happy to be the invisible wind beneath their wings." 

Wow. That is definitely something to aspire to. It's not just about skills -- it is about selflessness and nonjudgmental love for every woman in our care.

 

Textbooks!!!

I have started ordering my textbooks for midwifery school thanks to a donation from my older brother! Thanks Matt! A few have arrived and have made me so excited to think about learning all this soon! That huge purple Holistic Midwifery book is crammed full of so much information! If you ever thought being a midwife just involved catching the baby when it came out, think again!

Do you know the presentation and delivery process of a breech baby? See below... 

Do you know all the breech presentations including frank breech, complete breech, single & double footling breech, and double kneeling breech, and how to deliver them? And that is just page 182 of 1398 pages. And that book is Volume II. Volume I hasn't arrived yet.

Fun, fun, fun!!!

Anyone want to go to midwife school with me?!