Report Back, South West Australia and Sweet Graduation

Taking a break in packing to fill you in on the last 2 ish weeks before we head off to the next destination. We will be spending a week in Melbourne with some of Bruce's family to start the long trek home. We will also stop in Orange County for a few days to visit some of Heather's family and finally land in Chicago Mid-June were we will stay until the next Wilkens joins us.

This last week we had what is called report back. Its basically just a time to come together as a team and attempt to debrief after almost 9 months of outreach. Its a time to reflect on how we have grown, what we have learned, what we have experienced and also a time to share with the leadership on how things went.  We spent most of the mornings in sessions and then had a few fun outings as well.  We also had a share back time with the larger staff body of YWAM Perth where we shared stories and photos and testimonies of our time.

Bruce and I celebrated 9 years of marriage on Thurs of this last week and even got to escape for an evening out! 

11.5 months and 4 countries later we expeirenced the conclusion of this adventure... graduation!!!  What an amazing experience and as Abigail said to me the other day.. "Mom, we did it.. we made it through a whole year of BAS!" Pretty cute coming from our five year old.  Josiah has been hamming it up as well. He has definitely come into his own and had the whole YWAM Perth family (400+) cracking up during the Friday night meeting when he was asked about his experiences in India.  If you want to laugh to you can ask him yourself if he liked India and why or why not.  Too funny.  

On Monday after report back week we were able to borrow a car and escape South to check out a little more of Western Australia. We basically had no destination and just bumbled along the coast for the day, stayed the night in the Southern town of Augusta and then bumbled our way back to Perth the next day. It was BEAUTIFUL and such a stark contrast from the city life of Perth.  We enjoyed driving down winding, hilly, tree encompassed roads, breakfast in the car overlooking a beautiful lighthouse, checking out a huge hedge maze, sampling free chocolates at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory, walking the longest jetty (pier) in the Southern Hemisphere (1.84km) and playing at a few of the ocean front parks and enjoying the amazing views along the way.  

Next stop Melbourne to visit the McMahon family! looking forward to it!

Ps.  We came to Perth 1 year ago with 8 suitcases and 2 carry-on bags.. we are leaving Perth with 6 suitcases and 2 carry on bags and well.. Heather is carrying a little extra baggage ;)

Final Week of BAS

We arrived safely at about 2am Perth time after a 7hr flight from Zambia to Dubai and Then 11 hrs from Dubai to Perth! Whew! Kids did amazing on the plane and besides Bruce and I being unable to get much sleep everything went well! The kids even slept for about 10hrs after we arrived. 

Now for some debriefing and graduation! and of course some beach time! (its winter here don't get too excited)

We are celebrating 9 yrs of marriage on Thurs of this week. looking forward to some semblance of a date night in our near future!

Thanks for all your prayers and support!!

Blessings
The Wilkens Fam!

Final Week in Africa

So not sure how long its been since we posted.. 2 weeks? 9 days? its pretty much becoming a blur these days.
We have had a good couple of weeks in the hospital. Lots of experience and I have been privileged to welcome 4 babies into this world in just these last 2 weeks! What an amazing experience it has been.  I agree with one of my classmates who said "Sometimes I just stop in the middle of what I am doing and say, "What am I doing? This is amazing!" Truly we never would have gotten these experiences apart from this school. We have been from the beginning just able to "go for it" and its been such an amazing way of learning. In 9 months time I've been able to conduct 24 live births and and 5 unfortunate still births, assisted and watch countless other births and given newborn care and resuscitation. As a team in 9 months we have conducted 499 births!! One of our classmates also had the privilege of welcoming the 4000th baby delivered by the Birth Attendant School since 1997!
We have as a team experienced a lot of laughs and joy as well as loss and sadness.  We have learned to work together to fight for life and give complete care to mom and baby.
Recently there was a article written about SubSaharan Africa being the riskiest place to be born.  The article states that over 1million babies die within the first day of life and "On average, one in six African mothers is likely to lose a newborn baby, a commonplace but largely untold tale of grief."
Read more here...
Reading this article and experiencing these losses over the last 6 months really opens your eyes to the need not only for mother and child healthcare, but for simple healthcare teachings that can save lives. Nutrition and Anemia top the reasons for these deaths and not just nutrition when the mother is pregnant but the nutrition when she (the mother) is a child growing and developing. Sadly, most of the malnourishment doesn't come from lack of food but lack of knowledge of how to eat the food around you to gain the right nutritional balance.  For the example there's a mindset that says I can't afford to feed my kid meat but then overlook the beans that are within reach. Or they can't afford dairy but then cook the leafy greens that can supply calcium to the point where they lose their nutritional value. 

This last week we experienced the loss of a couple of newborns who our team had been checking up on and caring for.  Purpose sadly lost her fight with life and succumbed to an infection.  With her brain exposed the way it was it was only a matter of time.  We are sad but thankful that she is not in pain and is with Jesus.  Her family has come around and were able to celebrate her short life.

Two other babies also went to be with Jesus this week.  One was an orphan because her mother had died at birth and one of our classmates who is a Zambian resident was set to take her in for foster care.  The other was a baby we knew because of relationship that was built while the mother was in the antenatal ward.  These things never get easy. Especially when its viewed as culturally normal and you know it's not meant to be.  I am thankful for the times we have been there to give comfort and dignity to those who are suffering.

Bruce here. Zambia for the kids and me has been less exploring and more home time. Since we have a small house here in a compound with a playground it's been a chance for the kids to get a bit more settled with our homeschooling routine being interrupted with playtime outside rather than consistent field trips every week. I've visited the hospital only twice but the second time I got to observe an orthopedic surgery. An older gentleman had dislocated his ankle (5 years ago!) by falling out of a tree and had been walking on it like a club foot. So they opened his ankle, chiseled away the excess bone, repositioned the ankle and fused it with some hardware. He won't really have much range of motion but at least he'll be able to walk on the sole of his foot again.
Another privilege I had was this past Friday when I got a chance to teach a local soccer team about God's plan for marriage and sex and why the alternative is so damaging. They were really grateful and had a lot of questions which, with God's help, I think I was able to field.
This video is from Easter when a group from Malawi came to perform at the seminary where we are staying. Amazing voices! Check it out!

We have one day left in the hospital, mostly to say our goodbyes.  Then we have a few days of final projects, debriefing and then Friday the 24th we fly to Perth! It's been an unbelievable journey. We are so blessed to have had this amazing year but are really excited to be done!
I leave you with a few team pictures.. and 4 pics of the kids... one from each country just to see how they have changed.

ready for the labor ward!

Abigail getting her baby snuggles in with Ezra (the 3 month son of our staff Rachel and Menno)

Zambia !!

 Australia

India

Tanzania

Zambia

Hippo Lunch

So some of you may remember our post on our trip to Livingstone where Bruce called the kids and I cowards because we wouldn't eat lunch with him outside of the car because there was a hippo about 10 feet from the shore....

check this out...
I Was Swallowed by a Hippo!

Whose the coward now??

Final Projects, Home Visits and Purpose Update

It's been busy busy in the hospital labor ward. It's been actually really interesting.  The past 2 weeks there has been a weird flow.  They only have about 12 beds for women and 4 high cost beds (a more private and cushy environment.. although there isn't that much of a difference) Lately there has been a lot of obstructed labors or complicated ones. This is the highest level of referral hospitals in the area. So all of the patients are referred from clinics or hospitals for higher care for one reason or another. Most of what we see is pre-eclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension and then we get the women who are more prone to hemorrhage or maybe have had problems in previous pregnancies. We also see a lot of VBAC patients (normal delivery after a c-section).  Lately the beds have all been taken for long periods of time by more complicated patients leaving the currently non-complicated ones to labor on the floor or bench in the hallway. This makes for very interesting care of patients. There is no real way to monitor the moms in the hallway because its crowded and well.. it's a hallway.  This sometimes ends up with cases where someone starts delivering in the hall and you just have to run and catch the baby.  We had one such case last week and the mom ended up hemorrhaging right there on the floor. One of our staff was the one to catch the baby and all of us scrambled to give care, setting up IVs and trying to administer the drugs to stop the bleeding... all on the floor in the middle of the hallway. 

On Sunday I received a phone call from a mom that I have known for a few weeks. She was in the hospital on Friday again because her blood pressure was sky high. She was receiving drugs as a preventative for stopping seizures and lowering her blood pressure. She was about 34 weeks pregnant but she was measuring per ultrasound at 27 weeks.  She called me crying saying that she needed to have a c-section because her blood pressure was no longer responding to the medication and it was becoming unsafe for her. We prayed together that the baby would live and that the ultrasound which said the baby was only 1 kilo would be wrong.  She called me the next day to say she had a baby girl that weighed 1.9 kilos! Baby is doing well but is receiving care in the nursery because of her preemie status.  Praise God for answered prayers!

I met a mom a few weeks ago who seriously brought light where ever she went. I helped her labor most of the day to no avail. She ended up having a c-section that evening because she was not progressing and was a VBAC patient. She was the best patient. I told her to walk up and down the halls and dance and to keep moving hoping it would move the baby down and progress her. She did it all.. and with a beaming smile on her face! Most of our girls got to know her that day because they were like "who is this smiling dancing woman?" The real kicker is it was discovered 2 days after she had the baby that she had malaria during her whole labor!! You would have never guessed. Betty was amazing. She shared the food her family brought her with those around her and she was such a pleasure to be around.  She is 2 years older than me and she has a 21yr old, a 10 year old and now a newborn! As a family we had the pleasure of visiting her at her mom's house. Her mom and dad were just as sweet as she was and our kids had a blast playing with her 10 yr old and some neighborhood friends in the front yard.  Home visits are a part of what we do during this school. Its a great way to build relationships and also offer after birth care to the moms. Its also just a great way to share the love of God.

Her daughter Precious.

Betty's 2nd born Elias

Josiah was in heaven being pushed around in this.

grandma spoiling rights cross all cultural barriers. Josiah enjoying a jelly doughnut with Betty's mom.

Beautiful Betty!

Bruce had a blast with Betty's mom.. she was hilarious!

Bruce put on some sympathy weight.

big boy!

Betty's Dad

I wish I had an amazing update about baby Purpose. But I don't. She has, against all odds, remained alive now for 3 weeks despite her fragile state. She is still infection free and eating and is still self sustaining.  She has had some tissue die and has seemed to make a turn for the worst but then the next day she seems much better. We have so many times asked ourselves "How is this baby still alive?" We have seen babies far better off than her physically that don't make it. But she keeps fighting away. The docs have taken her off of antibiotics and she is just now receiving regular care and our team continues to change her dressings. 

Her mom has received a lot of flack from the family as culturally a lot of times any deformity is considered a curse. Please continue to pray for this mom, this family and this baby. We don't expect Purpose to make it in her current surroundings but we do believe she is alive with a purpose. We have already received a lot of feed back from the staff thanking our team for the care that has been given. If anything we are able to share the message that life is God given and all life is worth fighting for. This is a huge thing in a culture where death can be so normal that if you see a life struggling to survive you don't delay the inevitable.

We are very aware that baby purpose probably didn't stand a chance in her surroundings. Even if she had, by some miracle, get the care she needed it still would've been a long hard road caring for her in a developing nation. But every day of life is a gift from God and worth fighting for!

15 days left in Zambia and I have finished all my skill requirements and final project. I am just now trying to enjoy the last 2 weeks and soak up all the experience I can. It's going to go fast!

I leave you with a few pics of the kids from the past week:

thanks for the fun craft Grandma Davis!

 

Update on Angel!

Angel was the woman in the previous post with severe pre-eclampsia. I went to see her this morning and surprise surprise she was holding an adorable viable baby boy!!!! She was watching tv last night in the ward and thought that she wanted to take a bath. Went to the bath tub and out he came! She delivered him by herself! She called the nurse and was cared for and the baby is doing great! He was only 28 weeks gestation and is a mere 1.9kgs but he is eating and doing well on his own!! Just the fact that he doesn't need to be in the NICU is a miracle in itself!

I am so thankful that not only did she have a safe delivery he is doing so well on his own! Thanks for your prayers!

Four Weeks and Purpose

Currently there is a week old little girl at the hospital.  When her mother was pregnant the doctors told her the baby would be born without a brain (anencephaly) and therefore could not live. Regardless, the mother believed God would do a miracle and that her baby would be born alive.  And she was. She was born perfect and alive except for one problem.  She was missing the top part of her skull and any skin covering it.  She had good reflexes, could suck and respond to the world around her.  Her mother named her Purpose saying that God has a purpose for her life. 

The major problem is that there are not facilities here to give her the care she needs. She would need an initial surgery to fit a temporary skull with a skin graft but she is still too young to do this. The doctors here said that the best they can do is wait a couple of months until she has enough skin to perform a skin graft to cover the brain. But this is only a temporary solution. At this point she needs a miracle. Initially she was left to die. Our team stepped in and she has been getting regular dressing changes and her mom is feeding her. She is fighting the clock against infection.

We are also checking out any connections we have in the first world to possibly have someone take her case on as a charity.  Please pray for this family as they face tough decisions. It is so hard when you have to consider quality of life and the costs that they cannot afford.  They also live in a worldview that says why feed the child and change her bandages if it will only prolong the inevitable? But she is not hooked up to any machines. She is eating on her own and responding to life around her. God is keeping this little girl alive.

Angel is a mom who is 28 weeks pregnant with her second child. She has had severe pre-eclampsia for the past 5 weeks. Doctors have been urging her to have a c-section to avoid any risk for seizures or worse.  She knows that if she delivers the baby now the chances of baby’s survival are less likely so she keeps refusing. She is asking God to make it to a more viable time to deliver so her baby has the maximum chance of survival. I met her weeks ago and she is still holding strong! We keep asking for the Lord to keep baby and mom safe and for a successful term delivery. 

This was a very heavy week at the hospital. We saw and experienced many stories of loss and heartache. We fought for life and many times weren’t successful.  I am trying not to make these posts too heavy so I will spare you more details.  I have been wondering why things here seem so much sadder than India or Tanzania. I realize now that it’s not any sadder but we just are understanding more of the full story because English is spoken. 

On Tuesday I delivered an adorable baby boy.  He was doing great on the inside until mom started pushing and not very effectively. This is common in first time moms because it takes awhile to understand how it’s done.  The baby’s heart rate was dipping really low and not coming back up after the stress of pushing. After a while it was obvious we needed to get this baby out!  The mom was having a hard time and I discovered when I reexamined her the baby was turned a quarter turn in the wrong direction.  Aha! We quickly flipped her over on hands and knees which can cause the baby to turn the right way and come out. It worked! Thank you Jesus that I paid attention and knew what to try! The baby needed some suctioning and stimulation but thankfully responded well! It spent a couple of days in the nursery because of grunting but is doing really well!

We have a little less than 4 weeks left here! In about 7 weeks we will be back on American soil! It’s so hard to believe. We are so excited to be almost finished but at the same time are in awe of all that God has done this year. It’s been one of the most difficult and challenging things we have done, but one of the most amazing and rewarding.  We have learned God’s faithfulness and how to push the limits of what we think we are capable of.  This is definitely something that has formed us, shaped us, and hopefully helped us to gain God’s heart. We know it has inspired us to go where God is at work and join Him.  We cannot thank you enough for your prayers and know that you helped carry us through this year.  We want to finish strong!

I leave you with more random pics.

This was my trademark in Tanzania.  I always ate cold beans out of a can at the hospital because I needed to eat frequently because of being nauseated and there were not a lot of options. I always got mocked for it. One of my teammates took this picture.

One of our teammates Keisha also gave the kids a gift of snow one day. She had defrosted the freezer and saved it for the kids.

Keisha and I after watching a c-section.

We have no oven but we made mircowave mug cupcakes!

one of our hilarious leaders ready for a day at the hospital! Love the socks!

Busy homeschooling with Daddy.