Holding Life

I often remind our patients at Seigu Baptist clinic that we don't hold their lives. We only hold medicine. But once in a while , we are honored to also hold life. 
Friday one of our maternity patients, a young 16 year old, girl FINALLY came in labor!  

I was so concerned about Joyce. She was 43 weeks into her pregnancy. Her baby was getting big. She was NOT big. She was still a child. Babies having babies is so sadly common here in Png. Teen moms really struggle. 
Her young body was confused. It was not ready for motherhood. 

I did not have the prostaglandin medicine to help her cervix soften and begin to relax and dilate. I guess the hospital did not either because she was seen and told to return in three weeks 😟.  When she came in she had been in labor three days.  She was now over 44 weeks into her pregnancy.  She was exhausted. Her baby was exhausted. 

Motherhood is not an easy calling. 

After four more grueling hours of pain, she finally was ready to push. She was so tired but pushed well. Sadly, her baby was big. She was young. Her pelvis was not happy with the job assigned to make room for a large object to pass through. 

Baby was hanging in there until right at the end. Overdue babies are stressed. Long labor and pushing makes babies stressed as well. This baby was at the end of her tolerance. When finally expelled, with much medical intervention and a large episiotomy, our baby girl had given up. No breathing. No heartbeat. A Blue and lifeless baby is NOT what we want to see. 

Thankfully at our Seigu Baptist clinic we have suctioning and oxygen at bedside for all deliveries. We started to do cpr with oxygen flowing. After a seemingly forever 5 minutes there was hope. A simple respiratory effort followed by a gasp and another. By ten minutes she was grimacing and moving. Her heart rate was over 100. We kept working with her. By 15 minutes a pink lusty crying beautiful girl was in my arms. Tears and kisses. God is good. 

I sent home a perfect pinky sweetheart today. Death to life. I got to watch God give her back. 

Her young mommy has a ton of sutures and is very sore, but she brought a baby not a corpse home to her village today. God's grace and mercy shown so clearly to us all. I shared the gospel of Hope to this young mom and new grandma. They saw the love and power of the God of Whom I spoke. Praying as they accepted so appreciatively the lovely baby gift of a new outfit, hat and soft blanket for their little princess, they too will accept that free gift of salvation God offers as well. 

I have a few more gray hairs, but I saw a miracle and my heart is blessed. 

Thanks for all that have a part in giving, supplying, and praying for us as we hold lives, and occasionally LIFE, one at a time all day every day.  It takes a lot of money effort and time but it's so worth it to show our God at His best!!  His love. His provision. His healing!  

Please pray as our container still needs items to be filled. We hope to pack it November 9th. 

Please pray for additional support needed monthly to expand the miracles to a larger scale and remote areas in need eventually. 

Please pray for Rabbie, me and our team to have skill, strength and endurance and all we need to share Gods love through medicine to hundreds of needy people each day! 

Pray for Issac Tina Ruth and Ryan, our students we invested time training and shared the Gospel with these past weeks. May God grow seeds planted in their hearts. 

Pray for our babies. Warrior David, surprise Twin 2 Andrew, saved from abortion Teisen, and the Sepik twins, Kimly and Kwinkley. Pray God grows them well for His honor. Pray for finances to keep adequate supplies and to pay for helpers to help while mommy works at the clinic. 

Pray for our family separated by a world. 

This next week our own miracle baby, Amo , turns 20 😳🥳. If you'd like to read his amazing story, it's in the book 😉. Pray for him to follow God as faithfully as God saw and perused him bringing him from abuse into our home of love. God has been so faithful to him. Pray for God's blessing and for Amo and his life choices. No longer a teen 😢. 

Thanks for holding us as we hold others. May God use all our efforts for His glory. 

No restraint. No retreat. No regrets. 

Bill in America. Lori the babies and big boys in PNG.