Traditional Birth Attendants. Trained by their moms or someone else in the village. Very necessary in a place that still has over 45% of mothers give birth at home (and who really can do statistics in a place like this?). Very undertrained considering the conditions under which they practice.
Last year I met a lady who lives between the US and the big island who is involved in training birth attendants but who needed someone willing to teach on this remote little island. We were thrilled to find eachother. I can teach, but she can put a conference together.
So this week, I am teaching one day in each of our 4 districts. It's not much. Just a few hours with a bunch of women. Yesterday morning, I was terrified. Overwhelmed. What if the coordinator was disappointed? (I had to write my own training). What if the ladies' were offended that I was showing up trying to tell them what to do? What if ? What if ?
But God. But God ordained our meeting last year. He put a passion in my heart for everything baby related. He planned it all and brought it together and He certainly isn't going to be foiled by little old me.
(My welcome sign)
Yesterday, about 30 women came. They were mostly young and dressed nicely. They had books recording all the births they had attended. They were polite and appreciative and seemed happy to listen, but seemed well educated already on most things. There were some golden moments however. After talking about gently massaging a new mom's uterus one woman insisted you needed to do it hard to get the coconut out. Um, well, no. So we hopefully did some good.
(the amazing translator, me and a knitted uterus)
Today was totally different! There were 35 ladies, mostly older. Most had no idea how many hundreds of babies they had delivered. They wore village clothes and preferred to sit on the floor. They talked a LOT, interrupted a lot, but were SO excited to learn! At one point a lady spoke out while I was talking and I worriedly turned to the translator. Apparently she has said an equivalent of "Preach it sister!" I was happy they were happy. They had a lot more questions and seemed hungry to learn. It was so cool.
I have 2 days to go and I'm tired but happy. It's amazing to be living here. It's more amazing to be working here. To teach someone something that might save a life. To hold a new baby and pray over it that God would save this child for Himself. For His Kingdom. Something I've gotten to do yesterday and today. I visited each hospital after the trainings. Yesterday I "helped" with possibly the most or second most traumatic birth I've seen. Today I held a different baby severely brain damaged by his traumatic birth yesterday. But to hold these tiny lives, to feel their new lungs heaving in my hands, to know how much He loves them and wants them for His own, and I rejoice that we have come.
Meanwhile...Super Dad is rocking the home life. 2 meals a day, happy children, homeschool complete, am I a lucky woman or what??? Continue to pray for us all. Justin with the girls, me with the ladies, the ladies with the babies. Thank you!
