Journal Entry #2 - Sunday

Sunday

Good morning!  Guess what!  Today I kissed a dolphin!!!  J

Me, Jessica, and Nala (the dolphin)

We went to a marine wildlife park today called Ocean Adventures.  It’s like a really small Sea World.  It’s set right on the ocean, so the pens the animals are in is ocean water.  You could get really close to the animals, and the trainers were playing with them.  There were a few different kinds of dolphins, and a false killer whale.  We got to go in small groups into a shallow area and meet a dolphin.  I got to meet Nala..  She’s a 8 year old female bottlenose dolphin.  The trainer gave her commands, like to wave, roll on her back, splash water.  We got to pet her and hug her.  He told me to try to lift her out of the water…..there’s no way!  When the dolphins take a breath, it’s a loud huffing or puffing sound.  Then when they make the clicks and squeaks, you can see their blowhole making different shapes.  It reminds me of how a parrot can make so many sounds by blowing air under their beak.

The dolphin skin feels hard and smooth, like hard rubber.  I even got to feel her tongue, which is hard too.  Her eyes were covered with mucous to protect them.  Her tail is thick and strong and heavy.

There was an educational show about animals that are native Philippines; afterward I got to hold a python and pet an owl.  They didn’t let us touch the bats though.  We saw the fruit bats hanging on trees in the jungle by the road.  They are big – about like a hawk, with brown fur and of course, hang upside down by their feet.  They move their wings in and out slightly as they hang to cool themselves off.  And they make a real high squeaking sound.  There was also a neat indoor aquarium with eels, sharks, jellyfish, and lots of fish.

The mosquito nets were a must!  This was
at the end of a looong day later in the week.

After Ocean Adventures, we went to where we’ll be staying for the rest of the week.  There is some land where Mercy in Action built “Waiting Huts” and we are staying in them.  They are built of bamboo, on stilts so they don’t flood, with grass roofs.  There are two windows with screens (no glass) and 2 sets of bunk beds.  There is a ceiling fan and a bare light bulb in the ceiling, but the electricity comes and goes.  On this same land, up the hill are 4 neepa huts, a larger hut they use as a classroom for the kids, and the house belonging to Jason and Teresa.  Teresa is a midwife with Mercy in Action, and they have 4 girls.

On the land there is also an outdoor “kitchen” (a gas 2-burner stove, and a hose) and 2 toilet rooms and a shower room.  Above the bathrooms and shower, there’s a little apartment where one of the other midives lives with her family.  There’s no hot water, but it’s so hot here the cool showers feel good.  Everywhere here in the Philippines, you don’t throw your used toilet paper into the toilet because the pipes are small and clog easily.  But Jason built these bathrooms with bigger pipes, so we can throw TP in the toilet.  Ahhh, it’s the little things  ;)

We stopped by the grocery store on the way to the land, because there aren’t restaurants around anymore, and we have to prepare our own food.  We bought eggs and potatoes, bread, PB&J, a salt & pepper shaker, bananas and mangos, spaghetti and sauce, and some nuts.  I am rooming with Michelle, and we shared food too. 

In our neepa hut, Jessica is staying too.  So there’s one bunk free and we keep our luggage there.  The mosquito nets are already up on our beds, so we just put our sheet “sleeping bags” on the thin mattresses and we’re set.  We have leave at 6am tomorrow, so we go to bed with the sun.  Tomorrow we are going to hike a couple hours up into the jungle to an Aeta village, to clear some land for a mulungai tree nursery.  

Journal Entry #1 - First week

We arrived in Manila, spent the night there, and were picked up by Vicki (director of Mercy in Action) to take us to Olongapo Bay.  We will spend the next week there in a hotel, taking classes.  The rooms are even air-conditioned (LOVELY) and there is a dining room that opens to the beach.  The sunsets are beyond amazing!

The weather is hot and humid, and there are green plants everywhere!  Vicki gave us each a welcome present -- small bottles of hand sanitizer and mosquito repellent!  I'm sure they will be much-used.

We attend classes in a small classroom down the road.  The classes were about the leading causes of infant and maternal death in developing countries, and how to address these causes.  Some are so simple, it's unbearable that children are dying -- for example when kids get severe diarrhea they need fluid and electrolyte replacement.  A pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar in a bottle of water can give the right balance.  Some cultures think restricting water is best, so the kids don't continue having diarrhea.  Sanitation and health education can go such a long way.

We went out to one of the urban slum areas to teach health education and give away vitamins.  There is an empty lot with portable canopies that the landlord let us use.  We checked Hemoglobin levels for the pregnant women, and gave out vitamins.  We also checked blood pressures and did little puppet skits teaching about sanitation, disease prevention, and nutrition.

The kids wanted to play with our stethoscopes and gloves!

There are little restaurants all around the hotel.  We try a different one every day.  There's an open-air market down the street, and we go there in the mornings for fresh fruit and breads.  We never know what kind the breads and muffins are, so we just try some of each!  The bananas and mangos are beyond delicious!!!  I wish we had a way to cook at the hotel.  These vegetables look sooo delicious!  The piles of meat hanging out on the tables, not so much....

The Mercy in Action Ambulance.  

Setting up the table for vitamins and hemoglobin checks.

Back home!

Back home, slept nearly all day!  ;)  In the past 2 weeks, we hiked through the Philippine jungle & cleared an area of land there for a tree nursery, harvested and built a bamboo fence for the garden, assisted in 3 births, did numerous prenatal and postpartum exams, passed out kids' multivitamins & did health education classes in the very poor areas of town, ate lots of mangos, then ate more mangos, and became very aware of how most of the time, we forget that we are a part of a beautiful extended global family.  I am thankful for how this trip reminded me of that.

This picture is when we were in a poor area of town, giving out vitamins and doing prenatal checks.  The kids all wanted to play with our stethoscopes!  :)

I didn't have good internet access during the trip, so I will post more pictures and journal entries soon.

2 weeks and counting!

Plane ticket is purchased, class fees are paid!  Thank you all for your help!

We ordered Tshirts for our group    :)  -------------------------------->
And have been collecting medical supplies and supplements to take with us.  THANK YOU to Seroyal, Herb Pharm, Phoenix OB/Gyn, and Pure Encapsulations for your donations.

I still need mosquito netting if anyone has any.
We leave Friday morning, July 6th.  Keep us in your prayers!!

Another blessing!

I forgot to mention one other happy moment..

We are leaving on Friday morning, July 6th.  Unfortunately, we just got our final exam schedule and our class has 2 finals set for Friday morning.  (Acupuncture written and practical exam).

Our professor has agreed to let us take them early, and waive the "rescheduling fee" that school policy dictates.  This saved us EACH $300.

Thanks Mr. Vedeler!!

The Countdown Has Begun!

34 days until departure!!

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in helping me for this trip!  You are so generous and beautiful and I am grateful for your willingness to reach beyond yourself!!

I have bought my plane ticket (yay!) and made just over half of the tuition payments for our classes.  Mercy in Action uses the class payments to help fund their free clinics, so it goes to SUCH great use.  I still owe the balance for the classes, and need to pay that by June 6th.

Last night we had a group meeting and divided much of the medical donation supplies.  We would like to take more disposable gloves, prenatal vitamins, UA strips (urine analysis) and chux pads (things they have told us they are greatly in need of).  So if you have any inside connections for any of those, you'll be my rockstar hero!!

At the meeting last night, a fellow SCNM student and licensed midwife also came to answer questions and share her experiences with home births.  It was informative and interesting and got us all so excited to be able to assist in this amazing process! I don't yet know if I am going to specialize in practice, or what that specialty may be.  But I do know I have a tender heart for babies and the birthing process, so I just want to learn as much as I can and get as much experience as possible in all fields.  Then I will be ready when the opportunities come!

Excited and Blessed!!

Anne

Charity giving receipt

You CAN donate directly to Mercy in Action toward my class fee, so that you can get a receipt for taxes. If you would like to do this, contact me and I'll show you how.

Thank you!!  :)

May is Here!

May IS HERE!  May is when I need to make the final payments on the Philippines trip.  And then 2 months until the trip!  Between now and then I still have a 8 weeks of classes, and finals right up until the day I leave.  Yikes!

It is beginning to dawn on me that I will be gone during my ENTIRE break.  Leave the Friday of finals week, come back 16 days later on the Sunday before the new quarter begins.  I've never been away from my family that long.  Even my Africa trip was only 10 days.

I feel overwhelmed already.

I watched a youtube video today about a woman with cerebral palsy.  She was giving an inspirational speech, talking about how her life is a gift.

Her life is a gift even though she struggles.
Struggles to speak,
to walk,
to feed herself,
to get dressed.

She considers her struggles worth the price to wake up every day in God's beautiful creation.  She gives motivational speeches to remind everyone how precious life is, even if it's hard.  

Actually, on second thought, my life seems pretty manageable.


I choose today to celebrate that life is beautiful!  I choose to remember that this trip is something God put on my heart to do and it will be worth every minute and every penny.  I choose to remember that I am surrounded by amazing friends and family who are incredible and supportive and help us in so many ways.

And I may choose to bribe Brittney into doing my laundry.....

Thank you all for your prayers and love and help!!!

April Fool's Food!

This has nothing to do with school, the Philippines, or any mission trips.  BUT it may make you smile  ;)

Brittney and my mom made April Fool's cupcakes yesterday.  They are delicious cupcakes inside, but decorated on the top as spaghetti & meatballs, mashed potatoes (complete with melting butter on top) and peas & carrots.

You can't quite tell from the photo, but the "meatball" looks SO real and even has "parmesan cheese" (white chocolate) grated on top.

Hope you had a fun April 1st and had some laughs!!!  :)

Mexico or Bust!

I just got back from an amazing medical mission trip!  I joined a team of NDs and students from SCNM to volunteer at a health clinic in Rocky Point, Mexico.  It was a one & 1/2 day, exhausting turnaround trip with a great group called Naturopaths Without Borders.  It was my first time going, and hopefully not the last!!

We left on Friday night, after an already crazy-intense finals week!  I probably should have taken a nap Friday afternoon, but it didn't happen.  I drove an Excursion (borrowed because ours is at the mechanic shop -- Thanks, Lance & Penny!) and didn't know any of the people riding in my car, so it was great to chat and get to know them on the drive there!

Of course we got stopped at the border (with a big Excursion with dark-tinted windows, we kinda expected it) but fluent Spanish-speaker Maria was able to explain that our box of castor oil was NOT medicine, just helpful for the skin.  We got to the hotel about midnight, and after Charles read a few Psalms and I warned Maria that I'm a cover-stealer, we went right to sleep!

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful.  We took a quick walk on the beach, then headed to clinic.  The church hosts a variety of medical / dental clinics each month, and seems to have a wonderful relationship with the community.  NWB makes a trip about once every month.  I started out taking patient histories -- asking why they came to see the doctors, and specific questions about all their symptoms.  I had a darling teenager as a translator for part of the time, and many of the church members were there to help out as well.  Many of the patients come back every month for follow-up treatment, and are so grateful for the chance to be seen by a doctor.  Some have painful chronic conditions, some are just there for check-ups, some are quite serious and others are easy to treat, and I was humbled to be able to work with each of them.

I took vitals for a little while, then was back to patient histories.  I made the mistake of drinking a sugar-loaded Starbucks espresso double-shot at noon. (stupid, stupid, Stupid!!!)  because then I CRASHED at about 3:00.  My head started pounding, I was shaky, and I didn't care about anything except finding a dark, quiet, cool place to take a nap.  I couldn't quite remember WHY IN THE WORLD I had thought it would be a good idea come on this trip right after finals!  Unfortunately, taking a nap just wasn't an option, so I sucked it up and just quietly observed in a patient room.  After an hour or so, I felt better.

After intakes were finished, I got to sit in the patient rooms and watch the 4th year medical students assess and treat patients with the supervision physician.  They did a lot of nutrition counseling, adjustments, and acupuncture, and gave out a lot of great supplements.

After dinner at The Point (fantastic guacamole!) we headed back to Tempe, feeling exhausted and grateful on so many levels.  Can't wait to do it again!!

St. Patrick's Day party

Thank you to all who came to our St. Patrick's Day party at SCNM!  We had tons of fun and raised money for our group going to the birthing center in the Philippines in July.  We are planning a Cinco de Mayo party as well, so mark your calendars!

We are also collecting donations of items to offer as prizes in our next raffle fundraiser.  If you have service or merchandise you can donate of any value amount, please let me know by May 15th.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

(This picture of beautiful green people is the team of medical students going on the trip!)

Mercy in Action - a story of hope in the Philippines

Several people have asked me to tell more about the organization I'm going to the Philippines with.  It is called Mercy in Action, and it's an incredible story!  www.mercyinaction.org

This is a free birthing center dedicated to providing prenatal and birthing education and care.  I will be going for 2 weeks in July 2012 to volunteer and receive training.  There is a group of about 12 of us going from my school, SCNM (Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine).  This two weeks is specifically designed for medical students or professionals to train in midwifery care and disaster relief.

The first week we will be training and working in the birthing center.  Hospital births are expensive and so many women cannot afford to pay, so they have unattended births at home.  This increases both infant and maternal risk of death or injury.  Mercy in Action offers free care before, during, and after the baby is born.  We will get to help with check-ups, deliveries, and postpartum care for these sweet babies and mommas.  The mommas are given good meals, supplies for the baby, and vitamins all free of charge.  Mercy in Action uses the tuition fees I pay to help keep their birthing center services free.

The second week we may have the opportunity to hike into the more remote mountain villages to offer care and educational classes.  (I am hoping I can make it hiking into the mountains!!  Need to start hiking on the weekends more....)

It humbles me to remember that women in much of the world give birth to their babies without adequate care or facilities. There but for the grace of God go I.  These women could be me, or my sister, or my friends.  I am so grateful and excited to be able to go and serve and learn and help in any way.

Isaac's story

When my son was a baby he was happy, playful, and healthy.  The only unusual thing was these strange occasional episodes as an baby where if I didn’t respond to his cries immediately, he got so worked up and cried so hard that he couldn’t be consoled.  He wouldn’t nurse, take a bottle, or settle down.   We would finally have to strap him in his carseat and take him for a car ride until he fell asleep. This would happen randomly every few weeks.  (Well, there probably was a pattern, but we didn’t see it.)  He hit all the normal baby milestones: rolling, crawling, playing peek-a-boo, following directions.  He didn’t say many words though, and didn’t talk understandably until he was over 3. 

When he was 2 ½ he started having episodes that I called “melt-downs”.  They were  usually triggered by changes my son didn’t expect.  Maybe I put the wrong pair of shoes on him, or touched his hand instead of his face.  He didn’t talk much at that time, and would get so frustrated by not being able to communicate that he would just start crying and screaming.  His little body would stiffen up, and nothing could calm him down.  It didn’t matter if I rocked him, left him alone, was stern or gentle, offered candy or warnings – nothing helped.  Brian and I both tried everything we could think of.  While in the middle of these meltdowns, he started rubbing the tops of his feet on each other – so much so that he developed raw sores on the tops of his feet.  It was very strange. 

We had just moved houses and had a new baby, so at first we thought his behaviors were in reaction to those changes.  But as they persisted and increased in frequency and intensity, my momma radar started going off and I began to wonder if it was something more.

At age 3, he started in preschool part-time, and although he had been in daycare before, he now started having severe anxiety when I dropped him off.  I noticed that he never joined the circle group; he was always on the outskirts.  He started avoiding eye contact, even with me.  If I asked him to look in my eyes he would, but his eyes would fill with tears as if it was just so hard for him.  He had never liked loud noises, but now they seemed to terrify him.   Another odd thing was that he would only color in orange.   Any picture or painting he did – ALL orange, ALL the time. 

I switched preschools the next year, thinking a different environment would help.  But it was all the same behaviors.  During chapel, he started sitting in the office because the boisterous kids’ songs they played scared him and hurt his ears.  Every day when I picked him up, his class would be on the playground.  But Isaac would be sitting on the bench by the teacher, sniffling.  He stopped interacting with the other kids.  The preschool director kept telling me he was adjusting and it would just take time.  My momma instincts told me 3 months was plenty of time to adjust, and something else was wrong.

It was so hard to watch him be so sad.  He was within normal ranges for everything so the pediatrician wasn’t concerned, and I didn’t really have the vocabulary to express how concerned I was.    I finally found a doctor who successfully treated my daughter’s health problems with “alternative” techniques.   I took Isaac  (who was 4 ½ at the time) to him, and he immediately suspected Asperger’s syndrome.  He changed his diet and took him completely off white flour & sugar, increased in DHA/EPA intake, and gave him blue Eyelights. 

I had enough history with this doctor to trust him, but colored sunglasses with flashing red lights was a bit of a stretch.  (Especially at an $80 price tag !)  But I was willing to try anything, and we started the supplements and the Eyelight Therapy protocol he gave us.  It was easy (10 - 20 minutes a day), and Isaac didn’t mind wearing them.

Two weeks later I went to pick Isaac up from preschool, and he was out on the playground, running around and playing.  (I nearly fainted.)  After I composed myself and got him in the car, I casually mentioned that I noticed he was on the playground.  I asked what had made him go out to play on this day (Remember, after 12 WEEKS of crying on the bench).  He replied with typical 4 year-old nonchalance, “I just feeled like it”.

That was good enough for me!  As the weeks progressed, I noticed his ability to deal with change better.  After about 4 months he told me his ears didn’t hurt anymore.   I am sure the dietary changes helped, but I am convinced the Eyelights did something in his little brain and allowed him to develop neurologically in a way that had been impeded before.  He is now 9 years old and has no residual symptoms whatsoever.  I am forever grateful for this doctor and the methods he used for

treating my kids. 

Isaac still wears the Eyelights every so often, as a kind of maintenance.  Once I asked him how the glasses made him feel.  Of course, he shrugged.  Trying to avoid overtly  leading questions, I offered a variety of suggestions --- happy, sad, hungry, sleepy?

He pondered for a moment and replied, -- Just good. 

 No further explanation necessary! J 

How I got here, anyway.

So, you may ask, how did a pastor's wife, thirty-something, mom-of-4, former teacher end up in naturopathic medical school?

Good question!
The short answer -- God just keeps leading me to amazing places!

The LONG answer...
I spent 6 lovely years at a fulfilling job that allowed me to work from home while my babies were little.  Then this business closed in 2008 and I was laid off.  I thought I would go back to teaching (middle or high school science) but lo and behold, that was the year of industry-wide pink slips!  All first year teachers were being laid off, with the vague hope of being rehired the following year.  Since Emily was 4 and Makayla was 1, we decided I would instead stay home with them and run a daycare out of our house to help make ends meet.

I had never before been a stay-at-home mom, and while hugely challenging, it was a lot of fun too.  I started subbing when Emily was in Kindergarten.  I did 2 long-term positions (3 months each) while teachers were on maternity leave -- one at Valley Vista High School and one at Imagine Prep (middle school).   While I still love kids, I realized rather unexpectedly that the prospect of being a classroom teacher for many more years made me hyperventilate and my eyelid twitch.  It seemed my heart was telling me that it was time for a new season in my life.  I looked into many career fields and none resonated with me.  A wee bit exasperated at my indecision as I whined about wanting to do something in science that was challenging and useful and fun and actually get PAID for it, Brian asked me, -- Well, why don't you just learn to do what Hatch does?

Dr. Hatch is a doctor in Surprise who revolutionized the way I think about health.  He's a chiropractor who also does Applied Kinesiology, acupuncture, cold laser therapy, and tons of other things.  I rave about all the things I learn every time I go for a visit, and research stuff at night.  (For nearly 5 years now, since he helped Emily and Isaac, I've been a little obsessed learning about "alternative" medicine.  I'll write about Emily and Isaac's stories in another post.)  I paused a moment when Brian asked me that question, until the resounding YES echoing through my head faded.  Well, there's not a chiro school in town, but there is this naturopathic school in Tempe......

Then the logic part of my brain kicked in.  It's a 4 year graduate program, Brian!  What am I, going to DRIVE TO TEMPE every single day?  What about the kids, and you already work full-time, and how could we pay for it?  Medical school?  I'd be 40 by the time I graduate, for goodness sake!

Hallelujah, God has a sense of humor, doesn't He?!

Brian just promised all the support and help necessary to help me succeed.  I was accepted to SCNM with no deficiencies.  Financial aid came through.  Family & friends offer to help with babysitting, cooking, and shopping.  One dear friend brought my family dinner nearly every Monday for 3 entire months.  My parents babysit and make dinner once every week.  Brian adjusted his schedule to do "kid drop-off, pick-up, homework, housework, & dinner" duty.  And yes, I drive every day to Tempe.  It's a crazy life, but it's working!

Philippines Trip 2012

I have started this blog (yes, my first one ever!) to keep in touch with those of you interested and supporting my trip to the Philippines this summer!
The trip is a group of my classmates through SCNM working with Mercy in Action.  They operate a free birthing center and education classes and our group is going to help and learn as much as we can!

The costs of the trip are about $3400.  My sister Jayna helped me do a Gold Canyon Candle Fundraiser (THANK YOU to all who bought candles!), and a few people have donated extra money.  I will post a total amount raised soon.