When you put me under the soil,
I was so scared;
I didn’t know what was happening to me.
My whole self began breaking,
As I opened up --
And something new pushed itself out.
This thing knew its way,
It stretched and grew ‘til it broke through.
Out of my death,
Hope was conceived --
And there in the secret place;
Life grew.
By: Orissa Mora - Kent
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Your questions answered...
I wondered about the birthing center or is it a hospital?
The condition at the hospital is very different from what any woman living in the West would be accustomed to.
Before we left Australia my school and I took a tour of a private hospital's maternity wing and they showed us one of their private rooms where a woman could come to give birth. It was a nice clean room, with a private shower, a tv set, chairs, a table, a comfortable bed, and big enough to have friends and family around. The room was equipped with everything. And it was just across the hall from the OT in case of the need for emergency C-S.
Now I will contrast that picture with the conditions for women here in Tanzania.
The hospital where I work does not have private rooms for anyone. All of the pregnant women labour together in one small, crowded ward. There are not enough beds for every women to have their own, so they share - sometimes with 5 pregnant women on one twin sized bed. And even then there's not enough room for everyone. Some women just sit or lay on the floor. Often the women labour alone, because there are not enough staff to give individual care to each woman.
Can the ladies have their husbands with them in labor?
No. The husbands are not allowed to come in with their wives into any of the wards. And even if the hospital policy allowed this, many of them would not do that simply because it is not something culturally normal to do.
Are most of the ladies married? Many of the women are married. However some are not. A few weeks ago I was in the labour ward standing by the bed of a young girl, 16 years old who was a Christian living with her Muslim boyfriend. She spoke English very well and so we were able to talk in depth, which was one of the first times I had a conversation with a woman at the hospital. She told me some of her story. A difficult one to hear. She was raped by her father at the age of 15 and had run away from home. Since then she has not spoken to her mother or seen any of her siblings. She told me that she was ashamed to be pregnant. I asked her what her dream was and she said her dream was to be a pastor and tell people about Jesus and God's love. As this young girl lay there labouring with her first child she quoted John 3:16 to me. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."
She talked to me about her fears. And in fragments of speech she conveyed her emotions about this pregnancy. How she decided she could not choose to have an abortion because in her heart she knew that the baby growing in her womb was valuable. - "This baby maybe has ears or a nose, and it is valuable to God just like I am." She understood something very important, and even in her distress and heartache she recognized that Her Creator loved this baby in her womb. She chose life.
Can you give the ladies any medication during labor?
If you are wondering about medicine given to relieve pain, we do not give any. There isn't any available to give. However, the women are sometimes given oxytocin IVI ( intra-venous infusion ) to augment their labour. And it is protocol to give every woman oxytocin IM ( intra-muscular ) after the birth of her baby to contract the uterus and deliver the placenta by controlled cord traction. For eclamptic women we give magnesium sulphate IV and IVI to control the fits. And for women with hypertension we give hydralizine IV slow push. I have done this once.
Is their a doctor always available or are you on your own sometimes?
We usually always have our staff with us. They are trained midwives who have completed this school before us. But there is rarely a doctor available; due to the shortage of staff. For the first delivery I was a part of however, I was completely alone. The story explaining why that happended is in another blog post.
Can you freely share the gospel with the ladies? Yes!! We do freely share with the women and the nurses, midwives and doctors whom we work with. We are able to pray with the women during labour and after their babies are born. Birth is a beautiful and unique opportunity to share God's love and character with the women. Think about Psalm 139.
Do you work a certain shift? We work in teams from 8am - 3pm Monday through Friday.
Do you have indoor plumbing? We do but we are only allowed to use the indoor bathrooms at night or if we are sick because it is expensive. On the base there are two outdoor pit latrines for everyday use. And there are three stalls with buckets for showering.
I hope you enjoyed reading. I am sorry I did not have time today to finish answering all the questions, but we need to start heading back home from the city before it gets dark. I'll try to finish answering the questions soon. Thank you for asking, they are all very good quesions.
May your new year be filled with joy from knowing God's love.
Love, Orissa
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Ask me questions :)
Last week I had the privilege of being with one woman for the whole day. I was able to pray with her, care for her and be with her from the beginning of her labour until the end of labour and it was so calm and beautiful. She was so happy sitting on the bed with her newborn little girl.. just exclaiming "I can't believe it, I can't believe it." She was so happy to be a mom, so happy to have a healthy baby girl in her arms after 9 months of carrying and hours of labouring. At last, the life God created in her womb was living and breathing in her arms! :)
I have been learning so much, and there's always so much I want to share with you,
but sometimes it's just hard to know what to say.
I want to ask you, the readers for your help with something...
ask me questions. questions about anything...
questions about the hospital. about the culture. about daily life. about church in africa. about little villages. about what it's like living with 27 other people in community who have come from 8 different nations. about the joys. about the struggles. about the injustice. about the hope.
I look forward to your questions.
I have been enjoying the sunsets :)
Love to you all,
Orissa
I have been learning so much, and there's always so much I want to share with you,
but sometimes it's just hard to know what to say.
I want to ask you, the readers for your help with something...
ask me questions. questions about anything...
questions about the hospital. about the culture. about daily life. about church in africa. about little villages. about what it's like living with 27 other people in community who have come from 8 different nations. about the joys. about the struggles. about the injustice. about the hope.
I look forward to your questions.
I have been enjoying the sunsets :)
Love to you all,
Orissa
Friday, December 4, 2009
enjoy the pictures!
a green mamba - he was in the mango tree outside our window
this is how we get to the hospital from our village each day
that is my friend - that is where we hand wash our clothes
my team sporting the african khangas outside our classroom
One students experience of hearing God's voice..
The update posted below can also be found on the YWAM Perth website - ( http://www.ywamperth.org.au/ ) Thanks for reading!
P.S. the girl who wrote the update below is my classmate and fellow midwife :)
29/11/09
NOVEMBER UPDATE FOR THE BAS IN TANZANIA
By Katrina Roraff
One students experience of hearing Gods voice and drawing closer to Him in the midst of suffering and sorrow.
The month of November has come and gone in the blink of an eye, with so many memories and images imprinted in my mind forever. I couldn’t think of a better way to have spent November. Our team has assisted in over 60 deliveries already! As the primary deliverers we act as “gatekeepers” and pray for the future of the child. Last week, one doctor friend of ours became our ‘brother’ during a lunch break! He has been joining us in our early morning prayers before we start work. We are hoping and praying for more to join!!!! Our school has been busy! We have been providing healthcare to an average of 80 women and babies per day! It has been such a thrill to be learning more and more skills: taking blood, setting up IV’s, taking blood pressures, giving shots, listening to fetal hearts, etc. It has been even more rewarding to be with the mama’s. Smiling, saying what little Swahili I know, praying with them, holding their hand as they cry over the child that didn’t live, comforting, and reassuring them. As I walked through the Postpartum (after birth) Ward, I smiled and rejoiced with one mama, then I turned around and took three steps and there stood a mama who had no child. In ICU there were two mama’s who had gone in for C-section. One had two beautiful babies, and the other sat empty handed. I was asking God about this. All I kept hearing Him say was that He sees. He is not ignoring. He has not forgotten. He is crying. He is calling. He is there. He sees. He sees. I saw 2 C-sections within 7 days. Both were urgent, emergency procedures. Sadly, neither child even had the chance to breath. Both were declared stillborn. Both were beautiful little girls. The last C-section was just this past Thursday. She weighed less than 1 kg (less than 2 lbs). As I held her in my arms all I could hear, over the discouraging voices of those who had seen so many deaths before, was His voice. He saw her. Being the hands and feet of Christ took on a whole new meaning for me in that moment. ‘The other night I watched the sunset with God. They are so beautiful, yet it is quite sad to see another day melt away. It is also sad to think that sometimes you miss the sunset because you are too busy. However, the beauty and subtle sadness of sunsets gives me hope. If one can find extreme beauty in the simple moment of a sunset, how much more beauty can be found in the simple moment of a life. We may miss it, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t there. He sees. Hope inside of pain. I suppose every person is like a sunset. You never see the same sunset twice. No one sunset is ever the same. Those girls were like sunsets. There will never be another like them. I can’t believe that I had the incredible opportunity to see them. ‘ It has been such a blessing to get to know the doctors and nurses. They work so hard, and they are searching for answers to their questions. Please pray that the doctors and nurses of the Hospital find Truth. Pray that we will have boldness to tell them about the Truth. It is a constant prayer of ours that our fellow co-workers will come to know Him. We have already had so many moments where we have been able to pray for them and share stories… please pray for more opportunities!
P.S. the girl who wrote the update below is my classmate and fellow midwife :)
29/11/09
NOVEMBER UPDATE FOR THE BAS IN TANZANIA
By Katrina Roraff
One students experience of hearing Gods voice and drawing closer to Him in the midst of suffering and sorrow.
The month of November has come and gone in the blink of an eye, with so many memories and images imprinted in my mind forever. I couldn’t think of a better way to have spent November. Our team has assisted in over 60 deliveries already! As the primary deliverers we act as “gatekeepers” and pray for the future of the child. Last week, one doctor friend of ours became our ‘brother’ during a lunch break! He has been joining us in our early morning prayers before we start work. We are hoping and praying for more to join!!!! Our school has been busy! We have been providing healthcare to an average of 80 women and babies per day! It has been such a thrill to be learning more and more skills: taking blood, setting up IV’s, taking blood pressures, giving shots, listening to fetal hearts, etc. It has been even more rewarding to be with the mama’s. Smiling, saying what little Swahili I know, praying with them, holding their hand as they cry over the child that didn’t live, comforting, and reassuring them. As I walked through the Postpartum (after birth) Ward, I smiled and rejoiced with one mama, then I turned around and took three steps and there stood a mama who had no child. In ICU there were two mama’s who had gone in for C-section. One had two beautiful babies, and the other sat empty handed. I was asking God about this. All I kept hearing Him say was that He sees. He is not ignoring. He has not forgotten. He is crying. He is calling. He is there. He sees. He sees. I saw 2 C-sections within 7 days. Both were urgent, emergency procedures. Sadly, neither child even had the chance to breath. Both were declared stillborn. Both were beautiful little girls. The last C-section was just this past Thursday. She weighed less than 1 kg (less than 2 lbs). As I held her in my arms all I could hear, over the discouraging voices of those who had seen so many deaths before, was His voice. He saw her. Being the hands and feet of Christ took on a whole new meaning for me in that moment. ‘The other night I watched the sunset with God. They are so beautiful, yet it is quite sad to see another day melt away. It is also sad to think that sometimes you miss the sunset because you are too busy. However, the beauty and subtle sadness of sunsets gives me hope. If one can find extreme beauty in the simple moment of a sunset, how much more beauty can be found in the simple moment of a life. We may miss it, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t there. He sees. Hope inside of pain. I suppose every person is like a sunset. You never see the same sunset twice. No one sunset is ever the same. Those girls were like sunsets. There will never be another like them. I can’t believe that I had the incredible opportunity to see them. ‘ It has been such a blessing to get to know the doctors and nurses. They work so hard, and they are searching for answers to their questions. Please pray that the doctors and nurses of the Hospital find Truth. Pray that we will have boldness to tell them about the Truth. It is a constant prayer of ours that our fellow co-workers will come to know Him. We have already had so many moments where we have been able to pray for them and share stories… please pray for more opportunities!
Bwana Asifewe!!! ( Praise the LORD!!! )
Dear Family and dear friends :)
I want to share a couple testimonies with you about what God has been doing and how He has been using us in the hospital where we work.
First Testimony:
In the packed ward, a tiny 15 year old girl was waiting to be seen. When they eventually examined her they found the cord and a little foot were out. This is life threatening for the baby, the cord is its source of oxygen. She was rushed to the labor ward, three of us went with her listening to the Spirit, praying and cutting off death and praying life over her and her baby. To save its life, the baby had to be delivered rapidly, but with such force that it led to a dislocated knee and a twisted neck. He wasn’t breathing and his heart was barely beating so I did chest compressions, whist the nurse gave him oxygen, his little chest began rising, gasping for air. The nurse handed me the blue, floppy, broken baby to continue resuscitating. I prayed speaking the name of JESUS over him, asking for healing so he wouldn’t have any affect from lack of oxygen, and for the side of his body that was floppy whilst the other side had reflexes. I wept to GOD and the baby let out a cry moving both hands. As his mum heard this we smiled at each other. My prayers continued, mingled with tears, speaking words of hope for the future over this precious little one. The nurse said they would have to be transferred to a special care facility. So I went to say goodbye to his, she smiled at me again and thanked me. The prayers in intercession built expectancy for complete healing. The next day when we arrived at the hospital, they were both there. I knew in my heart he was ok, we checked his body, his knee and neck were totally normal, there was no sign of any trauma. I know GOD did a miracle and heard the prayers, this little one and his mum both have a hope for the future. Her name is Hadija please pray for her and her precious one, that they will come to know the LORD JESUS.
Thank You JESUS.
By Emily Wells - midwife missionary
Second Testimony:
Usually babies are born,
but on Thursday in the hospital where I work we saw a grown man born again!!!
Everyday in the labour room we work side by side with Dr. Godfrey who sees what we see.
He sees when we pray together in the morning.
He sees when we pray for the mamas in Jesus' name; asking God to give them strength to deliver their babies.
He sees when we stand as gatekeepers over the lives of little ones at the resusitation tables and he hears us call on the name of Jesus to give them breath and life.
He sees us living out our faith in God every day. And he sees the difference God's presence is making in the labour room.
And on Thursday, November 19, Dr. Godfrey came to us and said he wanted to be born again! He said he was ready to follow Jesus' footsteps and listen to God's voice.
Sitting outside at the hospital canteen, Dr. Godfrey asked us to pray with him and we did.
We prayed with unsuppressable smiles lighting up our faces as this man accepted Christ into his heart. After praying, we talked to him about discipleship and hearing God's voice.
We encouraged him to read the book of John over the weekend and he said he will talk to us about it when we see him again on Monday at the hospital.
Now that this doctor is born again - this hospital will never be the same. The labour room where he works will not be the same.
He looked so happy as he wrote down on a little note "This is the day that I decided to follow Jesus. Help me God." Praise the Lord for salvation!!!
By Orissa Mora - Kent - midwife missionary
I want to share a couple testimonies with you about what God has been doing and how He has been using us in the hospital where we work.
First Testimony:
In the packed ward, a tiny 15 year old girl was waiting to be seen. When they eventually examined her they found the cord and a little foot were out. This is life threatening for the baby, the cord is its source of oxygen. She was rushed to the labor ward, three of us went with her listening to the Spirit, praying and cutting off death and praying life over her and her baby. To save its life, the baby had to be delivered rapidly, but with such force that it led to a dislocated knee and a twisted neck. He wasn’t breathing and his heart was barely beating so I did chest compressions, whist the nurse gave him oxygen, his little chest began rising, gasping for air. The nurse handed me the blue, floppy, broken baby to continue resuscitating. I prayed speaking the name of JESUS over him, asking for healing so he wouldn’t have any affect from lack of oxygen, and for the side of his body that was floppy whilst the other side had reflexes. I wept to GOD and the baby let out a cry moving both hands. As his mum heard this we smiled at each other. My prayers continued, mingled with tears, speaking words of hope for the future over this precious little one. The nurse said they would have to be transferred to a special care facility. So I went to say goodbye to his, she smiled at me again and thanked me. The prayers in intercession built expectancy for complete healing. The next day when we arrived at the hospital, they were both there. I knew in my heart he was ok, we checked his body, his knee and neck were totally normal, there was no sign of any trauma. I know GOD did a miracle and heard the prayers, this little one and his mum both have a hope for the future. Her name is Hadija please pray for her and her precious one, that they will come to know the LORD JESUS.
Thank You JESUS.
By Emily Wells - midwife missionary
Second Testimony:
Usually babies are born,
but on Thursday in the hospital where I work we saw a grown man born again!!!
Everyday in the labour room we work side by side with Dr. Godfrey who sees what we see.
He sees when we pray together in the morning.
He sees when we pray for the mamas in Jesus' name; asking God to give them strength to deliver their babies.
He sees when we stand as gatekeepers over the lives of little ones at the resusitation tables and he hears us call on the name of Jesus to give them breath and life.
He sees us living out our faith in God every day. And he sees the difference God's presence is making in the labour room.
And on Thursday, November 19, Dr. Godfrey came to us and said he wanted to be born again! He said he was ready to follow Jesus' footsteps and listen to God's voice.
Sitting outside at the hospital canteen, Dr. Godfrey asked us to pray with him and we did.
We prayed with unsuppressable smiles lighting up our faces as this man accepted Christ into his heart. After praying, we talked to him about discipleship and hearing God's voice.
We encouraged him to read the book of John over the weekend and he said he will talk to us about it when we see him again on Monday at the hospital.
Now that this doctor is born again - this hospital will never be the same. The labour room where he works will not be the same.
He looked so happy as he wrote down on a little note "This is the day that I decided to follow Jesus. Help me God." Praise the Lord for salvation!!!
By Orissa Mora - Kent - midwife missionary
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