A day of BIRTHS!

So as you all know it has been quite a sad and tough week around here. Well today I had vowed to spend some time relaxing, processing, and sleeping. All was well other than an allergic reaction Erin helped me diagnosis, until Heather (another missionary who works with the girls on base) frantically came to get me. I got the babies off my lap where I was out playing in the sand and headed with her to the girl's area on base. I took one look at her pregnant tia sitting very unhappily on a mat on the ground and asked how many months along she was. She didn't really answer and then came the wince. Her face crumpled up and she just said I have pain here pointing to her lower belly. I waited after looking at my watch...the next wince came 3 minutes later. I said...Heather we need to get her to the hospital. We started trying to call our drivers and after mcell (the phone company we all use that doesn't let you call people most of the time) finally let us get through we found out there were not drivers on the center. So I went to find Iarra (another nurse) knowing that at least if she was here she could drive our ambulance. Well after some discussion we decided that Heather and another tia would ride up front (so the tia could give Heather directions) and I would ride in the back with our friend in labor. I thought at least once (ok that's a lie...the entire time) on the ride...Lord, I really don't want to deliver a baby in this car (and I don't really know how!). By the time we pulled into the hospital after bouncing her down a dirt road for several minutes she seemed to be having almost continual contractions. The nurse came out and said she was just fine to walk in. Well that took some convincing because she did not want to move from her place in the ambulance. Once we got her out, the nurse told us to wait right there. So we did. Not even 10 minutes later the nurse came back outside and said...would you like to see the baby? We were in shock...she had already had the baby (what a close call!!!!). As we walked into the maternity hospital the nurse laid the baby on the bed for us and we got to put his first clothes on! Here's the little one...
The biggest miracle was that the whole time the other tias kept saying she wasn't really 9 months along. Here women hide their pregnancy for as long as possible and it's usual for a woman not to know she is pregnant for quite some time, so I wasn't convinced that she wasn't already full term. But, I also wasn't sure if we were walking into a devastating day where a premature infant would be delivered something that doesn't usually turn out very well here...but instead look at the blessing we all experienced! Here's baby with his mommy...
I stood there over this little life this afternoon and thanked God for his sovereignty and faithfulness. In one week I have experience death and life! Only God could have orchestrated this day to bring me joy and show his love for all of us here.

I titled this "A day of BIRTHS"...the other births came in a different form. Many of our youth have spent the last several days on outreach at an Encounter God retreat about 3 hours from here. Tonight at church we got to witness and experience their transformation...the Lord has filled them with new life. Several of them shared about the new life God placed in them during their time away, the sins He forgave, the healing He did, the life restoration they experienced. Praise God!

I will not say my heart is not still heavy for little Dino's life and that I don't miss him...but God has restored me in part today. He has shown me life...something only He creates and only He takes away.

Matt Redman's song Blessed Be Your Name is exactly where my heart is at tonight:

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

I cooked dinner tonight as our worship team sang this song in warm up before church. All I could think was Lord, blessed be Your name in my life and in this place!