Some quick thoughts, should you care to step into my brain for a moment :)

It's almost March, my friends, almost MARCH! Yikes. For those of you so sick of the snow, this is excellent news. One step closer to summer. For us here, it means the start of our summer. And it's starting with the snap of a finger. One day cold, the next day a balmy, wonderful 33 degrees. I couldn't be happier. While I love the cold in Canada, my body does not seem to handle it well here and I spend months in what feels like an allergy coma some days. I am thrilled to be feeling better and not needing meds to get through the day!

This month has gone by like all the ones before it... fast! It's been a slower month at the clinic, but a productive time for the necessary things like assignments and such. There are good days and bad days, as with anywhere, but generally my days are filled with laughter and contentment. Bina (my classmate) and her family took a week off to do some traveling around the area this month. While they were gone, they graciously allowed me to stay in their house. I love my quiet time, my own space, and my place to breathe so I was really looking forward to this. A house to myself! I did not realize that I would be entirely lonely waking up in the morning to silence instead of the regular noises of the clinic. Or going to sleep at night and not hearing the usual laughter while the girls watch TV. I lasted two nights on my own before decided I much preferred my home at the clinic. My, how things have changed.. and I wouldn't trade it for anything :)

I want to take a few minutes to say thank you to everyone who generously supported me in my last months here. It was so amazing to see things come through again, in ways I never expected. I am humbled and so grateful. You are the reason I can be here, and you are a huge part of helping this clinic to function. God is so good. Even if I doubt, or my faith waivers, he does not.

To finish - while this may seem like a ridiculous thing considering the many forms of social networking already being used, I have decided that I am going to write a newsletter as well. Now before you start thinking I am crazy, let me explain. It has often come up that I have prayer requests or things to share that I don't feel comfortable putting on such an open space like a blog - for that reason, I would like a better way to update the people who really want to know those things. I will still blog, but it will more be the thoughts, stories, and ideas that I feel more open or led to share. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, you can click THIS link.

That's it for now!
Till next time...

A

Two days!!

Well, my lovely friends, it's two days (or I guess three depending on where in the world you are) until February 1st - the due date for my LAST payment of clinic fees. I am currently $2,640 away from meeting the goal and it's down to the wire! In my experience, it always gets down to the wire, but it also always comes through somehow. I'm excited to see it all come into place... hopefully very soon :)

You may think I get sick of writing these financial updates or plea's for support, and to be honest, sometimes I do. It's a hard, humbling journey with fundraising. However, I NEVER get sick of seeing how God provides and being able to share that with you all! I also never get sick of talking about the clinic and WHY I believe in supporting the work being done here.



Sweet little Jerrika

Every day that I live here I get to see your support put into action. It is seen through every pre-natal visit we do, every birth that happens here, every post-partum visit, and every well-baby seminar following that. The women are welcomed, supported, loved on, and shown the love of Christ, all the while receiving excellent midwifery care. And when I say excellent, I mean it. I have the immense privilege of being taught and trained by some of the most gifted midwives I have ever met. These women love God, and they love these women. Day after day they pour their hearts out to care for the patients of Abundant. I am constantly humbled and amazed at who they each are. Not to mention the fact that they are all hilarious and make living here a complete joy!

Chad Beau

When I ask for support, I don't simply ask for me. I ask for the place that has captured by heart in the past year and a half. I ask because I believe in the importance of the work being done here at the clinic. I ask because I see the huge benefit of, and NEED for the clinic to be here to serve the women of Tabuk.

The first Well-Baby Seminar of 2015!

Will you consider being a part of supporting this clinic? When I say I need $2,640 more in clinic fees, it's cause that's what the $$'s really are for. It goes to help support the clinic I call home. If you have ANY questions at all about how to support (click the PayPal link), why to support, or the best way to support (monthly or one-time) please let me know! As I always say, every thing matters... whether $20 or $2,000, it all goes to support this amazing clinic.

Huddled for warmth at the Church Anniversary
party in the village of Pakak

Thanks for reading :)

Much love,
A

January birthday girls - celebrating
together for the last time :(

One Week!

One week to go till my LAST portion of clinic fees are due and only $2,740 to go!

While it usually gets to a point where I feel really antsy and doubtful, there is something so different about this year. I know I have talked about it already, but this "deadline" shall we say, really does not scare me like the other ones did. Maybe it's because I have so many moments of God's faithfulness to look back on, or maybe it's because, with His help, I've been able to change my perspective this time around. All I know if that I feel such freedom in knowing that things are going to work out just fine!

Yes, there is still just under $3,000 to raise in one week.

Yes, the Canadian dollar is HORRID right now resulting in a very unwelcome increase in dues.

Yes, it seems like a lot. And it seems impossible.

Last time I checked, God specializes in impossible.

If ONLY 60 people supported with $50, my goal would be met.

So with that, would you please be praying with me that:

• The fees are provided for in full, in time. 
• The exchange rate changes, even just a little bit, in favour of the Canadian dollar. 
• That my computer gets fixed :)
• For health over everyone in the clinic. We have all been a bit under the weather, and I currently have a sinus infection. Health for us all is needed. 

If you have any interest in financially supporting the work being done here, you can just click the PayPal link to the side. Or contact me if you have any questions :) 

$20 or $2,000, there is no big and small. It all makes a difference! As does monthly support!

If you know of anyone who you think would have an interest in partnering with me, please pass this along!

Much love,

A

Life with these girls is NEVER boring!

Another year has gone by... (yikes!)

I must be honest. When I was a kid I really disliked the fact that my birthday was so close to Christmas (and I'm not even a big birthday person). It was like all the excitement (read: presents) for the year was compressed into a measly few weeks. As I grew up, that changed quickly. Now it's like a New Years do-over for me. Or New Years is a trial run for my ACTUAL new year. There is so much joy to be found in a new year. It's like opening the door to a whole new adventure. Now I do understand that not everyone feels that way due to our lovely human fear of aging, but if you aren't excited about turning a year older, then you can at least be excited about a new adventure, right?

As I close the door on last year, I move into this new year with joy and thankfulness. Every year is filled with happiness and sorrow, laughter and struggles, lessons and learning. I am grateful for each bit of those things that made up my past year as it has taught me and helped me grow. This year is filled with many unknowns, and I'm jumping two feet in knowing that I am never alone and that my God will always catch me.

For the past month I have been feeling the strong need to simplify my life a bit. Even living in a small room, the amount of things accumulated is unnecessary, at least in my opinion. It's not like I have a ton of stuff, but I DO have stuff that I certainly DON'T need. I'm pretty sure we could all say that! As a birthday present to myself I am clearing my room of 27 things I do not need in honor of turning 27. Why not start the year with a little challenge eh? Want to join me? You know you should ;) It may seem like a very simple thing, but it is unbelievable how attached we become to material things that are not important and that we probably don't even use. So whether you want to now, or want to do some spring cleaning later on in the year, I want to challenge you... Evaluate what you have. Consider the word NEED. Act. Clean our your closets. Clean out your junk drawer (there are people in the world that would take EVERYTHING in your junk drawer, make something from it, sell it, and buy their family food for the day). Be aware of the fact that we use ridiculous excuses to live in extreme excess. Just go for it! You'll be glad you did :)

So, to finish off this little blog, let me give you a quick fundraising update. God is SO SO good. All the time! Only $3,240 to go until my last payment of clinic fees is provided in FULL! I am continually blown away by the generosity of friends and their willingness to be a part of what God is doing here in Tabuk. THANK YOU!

A couple prayer requests:

• For continued provision of funds before Feb 1st. Click the PayPal link to support, or contact me at pagnucco.alexandra@gmail.com.
• For my poor computer... contain your laughter people. I have had my fair share of computer issues since I have been here and am struggling to keep patience regarding my current issues. I need this computer to last until Oct 1st.. that's it :) Just pray it stays together.
• The Mom's and babies we care for at Abundant. Good deliveries, healthy babies, and healthy mommas.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Much love,
A

Quick update!

Hi Friends,

It's been 5 short, but fantastic days since my last post. I was able to enjoy a few days of relaxation in Manila, and am now back in chilly Tabuk. Chilly or not, I'm happy to be home :)
The past 5 days has brought amazing provision. I am now only needing to raise $4,490 before Feb 1st in order to cover my last portion of clinic fees! While I had broken it down into a reasonable "$50 from 121 people", God shattered my idea of reasonable and provided $1600 from just 3 people. However, if I was to stick to this idea of breaking the total down into $50 dollar donations, that would mean only 90 more are needed... Wow!

Please check out my previous blog for more information on what was accomplished in the past year, how to donate, and what your support goes towards :) Also, check out www.gthemidwife.com for even more great information about what was done in 2014.

Much love,
A

Removing the aspect of "surprise"

Happy New Year!!!

Hope you all had wonderful holidays filled with laughter, family, and delicious food. The holidays here were filled with lots of Christmas movies, good meals, fun times together, and awesome fireworks. I found it harder to be away this year than last year, but chances are it wasn't the last Christmas I will spent away from home and snow so I just consider it practice for more years ahead :)

In the spirit of the New Year, we often take a look back and remember the events of the past year. Come on a quick look back with me :)
The past year has certainly held some unforgettable moments. So many to name! More importantly, I want to tell you about how your support has had an impact on the clinic here in the past year. When you support and give towards my clinic fees, it goes directly to helping fund the operations of the clinic, thus helping us effectively care for the mother's of Tabuk and surrounding villages.

• In 2014, Abundant (the clinic I volunteer at for those who aren't familiar) saw over 550 women for pre-natal visits.
• Close to 300 of those women delivered their babies at the clinic (some drop-in labors are included).
• Over 60% of our mothers were either first time mom's or had delivered previous babies at home* without the help of a skilled birth attendant.
• Our intrapartum (in labor) transport rate was 9%. These are the patients who we need to refer to a higher level of care due to complications.
• In September, we had the clinics busiest month yet at 39 births!

I love looking at these numbers and seeing all the things being accomplished. It is such a privilege to be a small part of what is happening here, and it is YOUR generous support that has made that possible!

As the due date (Feb 1st) approaches quickly for my last portion of clinic fees, it can make for a pretty stressful time. Or at least, that would be expected and that is a feeling I have felt in the past as I waited patiently(HA!) for funds to come in. This time there is a different freedom, shall we say, that I have found in this process. I recently finished a book called Bruchko. It's a great book about a missionary to the Motilone Indians in South America (read it if you get a chance!). This missionary, like many, relied heavily on the financial support of others in order to continue the work he was doing. He would spend months and months in the jungle, come to the nearest town to get supplies or medicine, check his mailbox, and know without a doubt that there would be something there if he needed it. He just seemed to have this very matter-of-fact way about God's provision. Of course He will provide. Of course he is faithful. He writes about needing finances for medicine for an outbreak and going to his mailboxes in two cities and finding almost all he needed. The remainder came in the next day. When he found the finances were provided his response was "I wasn't surprised" (what do you mean you weren't surprised dude?! I AM surprised FOR you!). He trusted. He believed. He didn't doubt. Therefore, God coming through for him wasn't surprising. It was normal. How cool is that. Are you surprised when God comes through for you? I have been surprised many times in the past year and a half. Immensely thankful, but surprised. As if I have been living with this undertone of doubt, just waiting for something to not work out. Can I tell you something? I am so sick of that doubt. And I have no desire to live in that anymore, so I decided not too. I decided to remember that God has always been faithful, and that He will continue to be faithful. And I will continue to be so thankful, and blessed by how he provides through the generosity of people.

So here's a little financial update for ya!

• I currently need to raise $6,050! That is down from $6,900 just before New Years! Amazing.
• If 121 people donated $50, my goal would be met! That's less than a quarter of my facebook friends.
• You can donate ANY amount that suits you. It is all accepted with such thankfulness!
• You can donate by clicking the PayPal option to the right on this screen, or you can contact me (pagnucco.alexandra@gmail.com) for other options.
• Prayer and encouragement is just as important and means so much!

I'll leave you with a couple pictures of my favorite moments from 2014 in the Philippines!

Much love,
A

*I am a huge advocate for homebirth with skilled care providers and access to hospitals if needed. Most homebirths that occur here are without skilled attendants and often result in tragedy, therefore we are thrilled when they choose to deliver here with us!

 

 

The importance of language... as seen through my eyes (or heard through my ears).

Words carry weight, right?
I think that's something that we can all agree on. Whether positive or negative, the words we use can affect people or situations. Do you often think about that? I sure don't! While I'm not exactly what people would call the "outspoken" type, I certainly can't say that I always put consideration into the words I use. This is something I've been contemplating a lot in not only the past months, but years really. If you feel like walking through those contemplations with me, keep reading. If not, I'll never know anyway ;)

I have been really blessed throughout my life to have friendships with people who really value words. People who consider the affect that language can have and strive to use words that will correctly express what is being said.
For example, what would you think if I said that midwives deliver babies? Do you agree? I sure don't! I have spent enough time around birth in the past year and a half to understand very well that midwives do MANY things but none of those things include "delivering" a baby, unless it is their own child. Some people may go even farther and say that women don't "deliver" babies, they "birth" babies. There are pretty popular bumper stickers amongst birth activists saying "Babies aren't delivered.... Pizza's are!" I'd say that's pretty accurate (I'd also say I'd LOVE to have some pizza delivered right about now, but I'll stick to the point). If I, as a midwife (sooooon!), were to say I delivered a baby, I would feel that with the language used I am taking WAY more credit for all that work than I deserve. I'm not gonna lie... Midwifery is really hard. But birthing a baby is so much harder. I think that women deserve to be empowered through birth, therefore, I'm careful about the language I use as I feel that it carries weight. Make sense?

Ok. Let's transfer this concept biblically!

If you know me well, you know that I love Elevation Church and Pastor Furtick's sermons. He said something in a sermon last week that really challenged me and brought me back to this whole point on the importance of language, or words. He was talking about Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones. Now let me tell you, if I were in that situation and God told me to prophesy to a bunch of skeletons I would be like "Heck no, Lord!". I have a hard enough time speaking life into smaller situations. Looking at a bunch of bones and prophesying that they will come to life is a BIG DEAL! There have been some big things that I have had to believe for in the past few years (such as finances to be here), but nothing like that! One of the points that Furtick made with Ezekiel's story is that Ezekiel spoke TO the dry bones, not ABOUT the dry bones. That hit me in the face like a good hard God brick.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and

you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' "

Ezekiel 37: 4-6

 

I am really good at talking about whatever valley of dry bones I may be facing, but I am lacking when it comes to talking TO the bones. How much would change, I wonder, if I altered my language (and thus my heart, possibly) a little bit more to match Ezekiel's gumption? Would it bring more hope to a dire situation? Would it put the "bones" back in the hands of the giver of breath? Would I see life come from these "bones", whatever they may be? I think I would. I think WE would.

What are your "bones" right now? What do you need to alter about the way you speak TO your situation? Maybe nothing. Maybe something. That's for you to decide. I, for one, will continue to be challenged to consider the power of the words I speak, whether to people or to situations in my life. God didn't give us communication for nothing, my friends!

 

 

Anyways, that's it for my musings today :) I'll move onto some other things of importance.

I am currently 7 weeks away from my LAST payment for clinic fees being due. Doesn't seem like a lot of time, but it is certainly enough. Unfortunately, due to the relatively horrible exchange rate (my fees are due in USD), I have had to add a little bit extra to my budget. Instead of $8,000, I need to raise $8,500. I didn't consider the exchange rate enough with the last payment, thus forcing me to really consider it this time. However, I am very stoked to report that I have already received some very generous donations and am now needing to raise only $7,200!! Amazing eh? While that number still seems a tad large, I know it's do-able!

Besides a small amount needed for a flight home next year (which I will talk about in the late spring), this is the final stretch in fundraising! I know that I have said these things over and over again, but it's important to remember that your donations go directly towards supporting the clinic that I work with here, allowing us to provide excellent midwifery care for the women of Tabuk and surrounding villages.

 

I have been so blessed by all the people who have believed in and supported the work being done here, and I would love if you could continue in that with me. Your support, from $10 to $1,000+ goes so far and is received with a very grateful heart. If you have any questions about supporting, please contact me. I would LOVE to talk with you. To donate, just click the PayPal button on the right of this screen or e-mail me for other options.

 

 

Thanks for spending the time reading! Much love to you!

A