Survey for School!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Ok everybody, time for the big announcement!

I am hoping to go to the Philippines in February 2015. I will be there for two and a half years while studying to be a midwife. Here is the link to the school's website: Newlife International School of Midwifery.

When I graduated I had no idea what I wanted to do next or what God wanted me to do. You know how everybody asks. I did not know how to answer. So I searched and explored different options. I do think I should have gotten some kind of job just to make some money for whatever I chose but I did minister to my Aunt Margie which made a little money. I wanted to make the right decision. You always hear about christians or missionaries that just know how their life should be used. Looking back now I think that there were quite a few ways I could have decided to serve God that he would have been perfectly fine with.

When I settled on the path of mothers and babies he put other things in place.
  • He helped my family be supportive
  • gave my Aunt Becky the words to help me consider midwifery and not just lactation consulting
  • showed me that there are many mothers in third world countries that need help (It is a real door opener for Jesus)
  • and made sure I saw the ad for Newlife school.
I never felt "the call" but I have peace about it. I enjoy helping people in this way and find the birth process amazing.

So now that I have somewhat of a plan, I am ready to answer questions and ask for help. I still might say 'I don't know' but you can ask anyway.

Students combine bookwork with volunteer clinical work. All students are duly enrolled in the Newlife school and the National College of Midwifery so I will graduate with an associate's degree in midwifery and be eligible to take the NARM exam. If I pass the NARM exam I will be a Certified Professional Midwife as opposed to a Nurse Midwife. It is cool that Mom went to the Philippines when she was younger and now I am going but I will be in the south while she was in the north. Most of the ladies that come to the clinic have at least a basic understanding of English but I will be studying Visayan while I am there.

Some ways you can help?
  • # 1 is pray for me. I know there will be many hard things to get through, homesickness, culture shock, getting used to blood and guts, etc. I went to a birthing assistant class in Circleville on Friday and met another girl who might be going to Newlife as well so maybe I will know someone.
  • I need to "observe" 5 home births and 2 hospital births before I go. If you know anyone having a baby you can give them my phone number. I can arrange a meeting and let her decide if she wants me at her birth. Of course it would not be set in stone. If she says I can come and then is uncomfortable I do not mind sitting in the next room the whole time.
  • Ask me to take your pulse and bp when I get a blood pressure cuff. :) I could use some practice.
  • I have applied for several jobs and have not gotten any. I will keep trying but if your children need babysat or you know a place that is hiring please tell me. I need somewhat of a flexible schedule because of the births as an observer.
  • Pray that God will give the people at Newlife wisdom weather to accept me or not. They have about a 3 to 1 ratio of applicants and accepted students. Obviously I am hoping to get in but I also do not want to go if it is not what God wants or if there are others who should go instead.
Thank you to all my family and friends (Beka you are family.) I am not naturally a go to it person. More of a servant which is good for midwifery but I would not even consider this without your prayers and support.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Fish

I now have a fish pond! It is at the bottom of the page. What do you think I should name my fish? Is it a girl or a boy? Comment and help me feed him by clicking on the water. Eventually I will add more.

My Favorite Place to Live

 In the mountains. 
I went down to Circleville on Friday and that drive was right through the heart of the mountains. I wish I had not been driving so that I could look and take pictures. But the pictures would not have done them justice. There is something about driving over, around, between, and through mountains. They are always changing, always big and still, yet rolling.
These pictures are a different view than what I saw on my drive. Most of the time you can not see the actual shape of a single mountain because they are giants.
 I have lived near the mountains as long as I can remember. We joke that we are hillbillies but we really do like the country much better than town.

I Love the Mountains

I love the mountains
I love the rolling hills
I love the flowers
I love the daffodils
I love the fireside
When the lights are low

Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee
Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom

I love the ocean
I love the open sea
I love the forest
I love the bumblebees
I love the stars above
When night turns into day

Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee
Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom

I love the sunshine
I love the butterflies
I love the windblow
I love the river flow
I love the city lights
When the moon is high

Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom
Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom

I love the daysies
I love the sugar peas
I love the meadows
I love the summer breeze
I love to walk on by
My head up in the sky

Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom
Boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom-dee-a-da, boom

Like Rebekah

You can tell that we are not experienced farmers because we did not plan for winter very well and so got stuck halling buckets of water for the cows.
 If you don't know the story of Rebekah watering the camels you can look it up in Genesis 24. She drew water for all 10 of Abraham's servant's camels. Do you know how much water a camel can drink?
 Camels can drink about 30 gal of water at a time. That's 300 gal. That is 60-five gallon buckets. 
our milk cow, Mocha, due to freshen next month
30 trips form the well to the trough and back. 80 lbs of water each time. 
shoveling out as much ice as we can
 Add to that the words "hastened" and "ran" and you have quite a girl. No wonder 
Abraham's servant thought she would make a good wife.
Between Laura and I we only carry 6 buckets a day at the most.
Old Red is one of Granddad's Herefords that he is probably going to take to the sale. She's the only cow down there right now besides Mocha and the calf.
Our barn Kitty that Zach named Summer

 getting grain

Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentines Breakfast


It says Love Mom & Papa



Hair Cut

If you've read this post you know I have rather long hair. Whenever I wore it down in public, someone was sure to ask me if I had ever had it cut. I always thought it would be cool to be able to answer 'no' but I had had bangs when I was younger maybe 5 or 6. Yesterday I asked mom to cut it. Here's my new look.
Sorry for the dirty mirror, I looked for cleaner but there was not any right close.

There's my braid sitting on my dresser with all the other stuff. I'm not sure what to do with it yet.
So far I am happy with my shorter hair but I will probably let it grow out again sometime.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Aunt Becky

For some reason when I was down at the barn the other day I got to thinking about my aunt Becky and decided to do a blog post on her.

My first memories of Aunt Becky are when she would let me go into her bedroom and turn off the light. She had glow stars covering the walls and ceiling. I loved it.

The other thing that makes me think of Aunt Becky is the book 'If You Give a Pig a Pancake' because she had it on her bookshelf one time when she baby sat us. If there is one thing that makes a good babysitter it is reading books-lots of them, maybe more than once.


Now that I am older and not so impressed with books and glow stars, I like to look at her facebook page. You can tell she really loves her family, has a good sense of humor (she dose not just post the cheesy stuff) and is always smiling. She has got lots of pictures of her two little boys and encouragements for her husband.

It was she that first made me think about midwifery. She may not even remember but I told her I was thinking of becoming a lactation consultant and she was so enthusiastic. After saying how wonderful it was, she said, "and a midwife too? They go hand in hand!"
Another lady asked what I was doing since I graduated and when I told her the same thing, she just looked at me and said, "Why not just be a nurse?" You can imagine which one I thought about more.
Thank you Aunt Becky!