Blessings from above

I've been mindful this Sunday of the blessings that God has bestowed on me. He is starting to provide for this next phase of our ministry, and has been healing and growing and preparing me for what is to come. The biggest hurdle that Daniel, Sarah and I were facing as we prepare for going to Mozambique was finding someone to handle receiving support money for Sarah and Daniel while we are overseas. This is so important for a missionary... it's virtually impossible to leave the country if you don't have someone back home to manage that for you.(Just a little side note to say THANK YOU! to Central Community Church for being so gracious and doing all of that for me. What a huge blessing you are!) And just last night Sarah and Daniel got the email they had been waiting for from an organization who's sole purpose is to bless missionaries by handling finances, letting them know that all is ready for them to start raising funds for our Mozambique trip! Yay! Now the preparation really starts! This is probably the most exciting (and faith growing) time for me as I wait on God to provide what I need for heading back to the mission field. It always comes... not always as fast as I would have chosen had it been up to me, but always in God's perfect time.

It's crazy how close this next trip is coming up already. I've only been back in the USA for about 6 weeks and now we're getting ready to leave in that same amount of time. The highlights of my time in the US so far? Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas baking, family and friends, some good quality time with my sewing machine, and sleeping in the same bed for more than a couple of weeks. I absolutely love my time out on the field, but it has been good to be home.

A few of my random, jumbled thoughts...

Whenever I talk to people about my dreams to go to Africa and my unique position of being open and available for just about anything that God could bring my way, the response is very often, "What an exciting time in your life!" And it really is exciting to think that any time now, God will open that door and all of this training and preparation will finally be put to use for whatever it is that God has planned for me to do. More often though, I feel intimidated by the unknown. It's scary not knowing what the future will hold... something that probably every person on earth can relate to at least at some point in their life. I like having a plan. I like knowing what the next step is going to be. It's not easy to be content while I wait. I'll admit that I'm often discontent and I often have to repent and ask God to increase my faith. Why am I not more content when I know that God's plan has always been best in the past? Why haven't I learned that I can trust that He's got a reason for putting me in this place that I'm at now? Perhaps one day I will be the christian that I wish I was now... one that is content and at peace while waiting on God's perfect will. Until then, I suppose it's something to keep my on my knees.

December 2010 Newsletter

It is good to be home! God is good, and has blessed me so much while I was in Africa. He used each place I was at to teach me something. I wanted to share with you about my last few months in Africa, and let you know what the next step is going to be.
I started out by heading to Abeche, Chad in July to stay with the Broten Family. I spent six weeks with them and helped with the delivery of baby Hadassah. We had some great late night conversations about missions, unreached people groups, and what it’s like raising a family in a Muslim culture. Being in Chad, I had the opportunity to see a new side of missions that I hadn’t seen before. The Broten’s other missionaries there in Abeche are reaching out to a largely unreached people group. All the other places that I have travelled to previously had well established churches and missionaries that had been there for some time. So seeing missionaries spending their time trying to build relationships with people who hadn’t heard the Gospel really made me think about what my priorities are as a missionary. It reminded me of the need to make sharing the Good News the most important thing. I may be going in as a midwife, but that is just the way to get in and build relationships with people so that I can tell them about how much Jesus loves them.
After leaving Chad, I met up with Sarah and Daniel Bell in Kenya. We stayed with Bob and Ann Tayloe and Sarah and I had the opportunity to volunteer in a hospital in Kijabe. We both delivered babies in Kijabe, and Sarah had the opportunity to help a missionary family who had come down from where they work in central Kenya for the birth of their baby.
From Kenya, we went to Malawi and stayed with the Chale family in a village outside of Kenya. They were such a blessing to us, and it was wonderful to see old friends from when I lived in Malawi. I think the best part of being in Malawi was seeing the people that first touched my heart for missions. We spent a lot of time going to surrounding villages and talking to people and getting an idea what their needs are and learning about the best approach to helping people in that kind of situation.
From Malawi, Sarah, Daniel and I bused to Mozambique. We stayed at the orphanage that was formerly Teen Missions and the place that Sarah worked at for a year. It was amazing seeing the place that made Sarah fall in love with Africa and meet the kids that touched her heart so much. While in Mozambique, we got to meet several missionaries in the area and made a lot of new connections.
The three of us then flew back to Kenya for some time of rest and to talk and pray about what our next step is. I think we all needed some time to become refreshed and debrief for a time. While in Kenya, I met Charity Lanman who I had been emailing before leaving the US about possibly visiting her clinic in southern Sudan. She asked me to consider postponing my flight home and come help out in her clinic for a few weeks. It seemed crazy at first, but after praying about it, decided that it was an open door from the Lord that I needed to walk through it. After a while longer in Kenya helping Charity to get the necessary supplies together for going back into Sudan, we flew into the village of Nyinbuli, southern Sudan. It was really incredible there, and I learned so much during my two and a half weeks at the clinic there. The people in the area, mostly from the Dinka tribe, walk for hours to come to the clinic in Nyinbuli as it is the only medical facility around. One lady who came to us had been walking for over four hours while bleeding heavily from an incomplete miscarriage when she arrived at the gate. Others came for everything from malaria and tetanus to simple coughs and diarrhea. It was an amazing time in Sudan, and I loved every minute of it.
The next step for Sarah, Daniel and I is in Mozambique. There is a missionary family working there who is going on furlough back in Australia and they have asked us to stay in their house and help with the administration of an elementary school that they run for the village near their home while they are away resting and reconnecting with friends and family. Sarah and I are also hoping to start a women’s group, do some health and nutrition classes with them, and build relationships with the women in the area. We will be flying to Mozambique the middle of February and will be there for six months. Please consider coming along side of Sarah, Daniel and I with this next step. And more than anything, we covet your prayers. And thank you so much for your prayers over the last few months. Each of you blesses me more than you can know.

Learning to Trust- May newsletter

The theme in my devotions seems to be, once again, learning to trust God more. How privileged, and yet how vulnerable to be placed in a situation where all my needs truly are met by God. It’s not always easy, and I find myself having to remind myself continually that God will provide, that my “heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Matthew 6:32b) It’s so easy to get discouraged, and I definitely have days when I forget to believe what the Bible says about God, and how He cares deeply for us and will provide what we have need of.

This stretching and growing process is definitely a result of the circumstances that God has put in my life at this time, and the direction that He has led me in. The money I need in order to buy a plane ticket to Chad in July is slowly trickling in, and I’m still not near the amount that I need yet. And until I get the money and buy my plane ticket, I can’t start the visa process; something that needs to begin very soon. It’s sometimes hard not to question God, and wonder why He would tell me to do something and then not provide a way for me to do it. But, He has been challenging me to trust Him again in a new and deeper way and to rest in the knowledge that He has indeed called me to go to Chad this summer and that He will make a way for me to go. Resting in that knowledge sounds like such a wonderful thing… rest… but oh! it’s so difficult to actually do! Pray for me during this time. Pray that I will be able to trust Him more, and that I will not worry.

Right now, I am in need of people to partner along side of me and help me to raise the funds needed in order to cover the travel and visa expenses to Chad. This is an urgent need, and I pray that you would pray about how you can become a part of this ministry make it possible for me to bless this missionary family as they serve God. I know that all things are possible through Christ, and that God can and will provide for this. He has shown me without a doubt that He is leading me to Chad this summer, and is gently urging me to trust Him as He provides what I need.

If you are interested in working alongside of me as I travel to Chad to serve this missionary family, donations may be sent to:

Central Community Church
300 Tucker Lane
Cocoa FL 32926

Please be sure to put “for the ministry of Holly Findley” in the memo line of any checks.

Prayer Requests:

· That the necessary funds would come in quickly for travel and visa expenses as well as medical supplies

· For peace as I prepare for the trip

· For good health as I travel

·

I am so excited to tell you all about the newest opportunities that have opened up and the exciting things that God has been doing. First of all, God is bringing someone new to the team! Sarah, my best friend, midwifery partner, and fellow missionary is going to be married! His name is Daniel Bell, and I am still fairly in shock that us crazy midwives didn't scare him away, and that he stayed around long enough to fall in love with Sarah (although why would I be surprised about that? She's pretty amazing…).

Please lift Daniel up in your prayers as he prepares for full time missions, and for the three of us as a team that we would learn to work cohesively together. I believe that the three of us will be a good team, and that God has His hand on this newest addition to our ministry. This really is an amazing answer to prayer.

My heart is so excited to get back to Africa, and I am praising God for the doors He is opening up. Please keep me in your prayers as I get to know this family in Chad and that God would give me wisdom in how to best care for this mamma and baby. And also for Sarah, Daniel, and I as we prepare for this trip, pray that God would make it clear who He wants us to team up with and that this would be a good time of preparation for full time work wherever God leads us.

So, from now until July I will be busy working to get things ready to go to Chad, gathering the needed medical supplies, and getting a visa for Chad along with all the hustle and bustle of helping Sarah get ready for her wedding. It's going to be a crazy couple of months! But I think it's going to be really fun. And just the excitement of knowing that I'll be back in Africa soon delivering a baby will make all the busyness worth it.

Perhaps the most important thing I need right now as I prepare is your prayers. Without that prayer support holding me up, I know that this is impossible. You have been such a blessing to me in the past, and so faithful to pray, I have no fear of the necessary things coming together for this next step in the ministry. Please continue to lift me up to the Father and partner with me in this.

If you are interested in helping me financially to travel to Africa and bless this missionary family and prepare for my own full time work there, donations may be sent to:

Central Community Church

300 Tucker Lane

Cocoa, FL 32926

Please make a note in the memo line that the donation is for the ministry of Holly Findley

Prayer Requests…

• That the funds would come in to travel to Chad and around Africa
  
• That I would be able to find the necessary medical supplies
  
• For good health as I prepare and throughout the duration of the trip
  
• That this missionary in Chad would have a smooth pregnancy with no complications
  
• That God would give me wisdom in how to best care for her
  
• That the necessary planning would go smoothly as Sarah, Daniel and I prepare to travel to several places
  

February 2009 Prayer Letter

Holly Findley

Mercy Maternity Center

Newlife International School of Midwifery

Davao, Philippines

The past few months have been a time of stretching and learning to lean on God for strength. There have been several times when I felt that it was all just too much; that I could not handle one more thing. And then God gives me that one more thing and shows me that I don't have to be strong enough, because He's strong for me. Every day He reminds me that I can rely on Him for strength when I'm tired, and that He will carry me through each exhausting, long day. Without Him, I know I would not have gotten this far without giving up and going home. It's only by His grace that I am here!

Things are going well with studies and work at the clinic. The list of classes and assignments keeps getting smaller and smaller and at the same time the pressure seems to increase as we come to the homestretch. It's hard to believe that in July I'll be finished with school and I'll be heading back to the U.S. to take the board exam. Please be keeping myself and those in my class in your prayers as things are fairly high stress right now as we work to get everything completed in time, both academically and with clinical requirements. Over January and February we have been taking algebra, statistics, counseling, microbiology, midwifery laws and protocols, community health and out of hospital birth. Phew! I'll be glad when this month is over! I have to say that algebra was, surprisingly, my favorite of them all. It was a nice change to be able to be given a problem with one right answer unlike medical topics where there are varying points of view every place you look. Microbiology has also been fun… swabbing things around the clinic and the house and seeing what bacteria grows and looking at stuff under the microscope can hardly be anything but enjoyable! After this we've got a few assignments about medical complications along with a few other topics to cover.

Work at the clinic is going well, and I am beginning to feel more and more confident in my abilities as a midwife. I am learning so much on my shifts there and I am so thankful for the Filipina and American midwives who take the time to help us learn while also caring for the women who come through the clinic. Things have been getting busier at the clinic as we are increasing the number of patients we see. Every week we interview and do initial prenatal exams on 70-80 new women. This leads to the occasional, extremely hectic shifts in the birth room, but it sure is fun! And most days I would guess we average 3-5 births a day. Some days it's slow and I end up getting plenty of reading and homework done while other days I hardly have a chance to sit down.

One exciting event that recently occurred, was getting to assist at the birth of twins! It happened on a quiet evening. Nothing was really going on at the clinic. All of the midwives on shift were just chatting, doing some small chores around the birth room and enjoying each others company. When all of the sudden, a woman obviously in active labor arrives. We rush her to a bed and immediately prepare for what seems to be an imminent birth. There was such a flurry of activity when she arrived that we didn't even have time to glance at her chart (or else we might have known that there was more than one baby inside). We were expecting a large baby to arrive when to our surprise a little, pink, yelling boy was easily born into the waiting hands of Medea, a classmate of mine. Confused by the small baby, we felt her tummy to see if there was another one inside. And sure enough there was! I helped to clean and dry the first little one while Medea waited to catch the second one. About 10 minutes later, a second baby was born, just as pink and healthy as the first! It was by far one of the most exciting births I have attended and I am so blessed to have had the experience of seeing twins born.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers right now as I seek God's will for what the next step is. The program ends in July and then I'll be home to take the midwifery certification exam in August. My heart is to go back to Africa as soon as possible and start work there. God knows my heart though, and there is peace in knowing that He is in control and that He always guides His children when we ask Him to show us what He would have us to do. Pray that He makes it clear what steps forward I should make. Thanks for all the prayers, thoughts and support over these last months. It's what keeps me going!

In Christ,

Holly Findley

Prayer Requests:

• Financial support for living expenses, travel back to the U.S. and for the certification exam coming up this summer.
  
• Ability to better communicate with the women and overcome the language barrier
  
• That I would grow closer to God and have a deeper relationship with Him
  
• Health and safety while working at the clinic
  
• Strength and endurance for work and school
  
• Wisdom and direction for the future
  

  
  

  How you can help:
  

Prayer support and monetary support are both greatly needed. If you are interested in helping financially, you can send donations to:

Central Community Church

300 Tucker Lane

Cocoa, FL 32926

If you are interested in getting email updates, send me a note at hollylovesmalawi@yahoo.com. You can also see updates by going to my blog at http://midwifemissionary.blogspot.com.

Faithful

I'm not sure where to begin today. God has been so faithful over the last few months, it's hard to know where to even start. He has been blessing me and showing me His faithfulness daily and I praise Him for that. Every day He shows me again that He is my strength and that I really can rely on Him when I'm tired, or discouraged or overwhelmed. Things have been feeling crazy and busy and overwhelming and there have certainly been times of late when I really just did not want to keep going. But somehow, God always helps me get through these times and continue on. What would I do without Him?

One blessing that has recently come my way is that as of last week I have all the money I need to pay tuition in March! Now the only expenses I have left to complete school are my flight home and the cost of the board exam in August. Praise God for provision! Every time I have a big expense, I seem to forget that God has never once let me down before or not provided the funds I needed for something. But every time He shows me again that He is big enough and that He will provide for His children.

Now that the end of this program is in sight, I am starting to plan for the next step. Both Sarah and I have felt God prompting us to stop waiting, thinking, considering and to start taking the next step. While it is certainly important to wait on God to show you what the next step is, I think that sometimes we use that as an excuse when God wants us to move on and take that step of faith. Please keep both of us in your prayers as we begin moving in this direction. We both desire more than anything to go in the direction that God would have us to go.

Here are some pictures of what's been going on in my world lately

Chino's baptism- He's so big now!

Visiting Clouds at the hospital

Assisting at the birth of twins

Baby catching...

Oh my word, it has been forever since I last wrote on this thing. I am not a very good blogger. Well, things have been going good since I last posted... it hasn't been easy, but it has been good. Lots of difficult things going on, but God has shown Himself to be so faithful and it has been a blessing in spite of it all. I'm learning to rely on God even more than ever and He is making Himself so much more real to me and teaching me lots.

I'm learning more and more about catching baby's too and caught number 17 yesterday... or was it 18? I'm not sure. Anyway, it's been several now :-) I'm getting closer to the end of a huge intrapartum (labor and birth) assignment, and I will be soooo glad when it is over. It's starting to feel like a never ending assignment.

Swing shift last night was pretty crazy, and lots of fun. A grand total of five babies born, two other laboring mommas, baby checks and lots of suturing. I started out with one labor that I was responsible for.... then I got a second... then the second one started pushing followed shortly by the first labor pushing as well! Laura came to the rescue though and caught labor #1's baby at 4:44pm as I caught labor #2's baby one minute labor while Heather was finishing things up with the baby she had caught 30 minutes earlier. Here's a picture of all of us on shift holding the babies we all caught.





Please keep me in your prayers. As I mentioned, things have been difficult... a lot of spiritual battle being fought. Never a fun thing. God is changing me and the girls around me into prayer warriors though, and I know that we will be able to stand up under the attacks. It's never easy though and I covet your prayers.



Just a few pictures of what I've been up to lately....

catching up...

Wow, it's been forever since I wrote here! Things are going well... keeping busy with work at the clinic and school work. I'm officially catching babies now :-) I'm already up to 10 handles... already double digits! Most of the time work is exciting and fun, but lately there's been a few near emergencies and stressful situations. It's definitely been a huge learning experience and God has been so good and present with us during each situation that arises. Here are some pictures of my life here lately. Thanks for your prayers!




Sarah and I with babies we caught



Sarah and I this Christmas







Studying at McDo.... :-)

Birth room stuff...

Yesterday I worked swing shift (2-10 pm). It started really slow with all the midwives just hanging out and Janelle occasionally checking in on the one labor that was there. After a while though we had another labor come in and Lois took her. She had two children who were 18 and 16 who were her banti's (companions) for the labor. She did wonderfully, but when the baby came out a few hours later it was making some attempts to breath, but not being too successful.
So the midwives started helping it with oxygen and the ambu bag and we did an immediate transport to the hospital. It was my first transport of a baby like that and it was an adrenaline rush to say the least. The baby's heart rate stayed stable though and while we were on the way to the hospital the baby started breathing better and we were able to just give it free flow O2. From the looks of it, the baby should make it just fine. So, we headed back to the clinic and cleaned up all the stuff from the birth and then I assisted at the other girl's birth. It was kind of a crazy evening, but I sure did learn a lot! And thankfully that baby was ok. Praise the Lord!


P.S. I just got a text message from Sarah saying that she caught her first baby this morning! Congratulations Sarah!