Charis Around the World

Tidbits from Ebony

Women, Local Doctors and Midwives

Dear Charis Family,

Greetings once again from Ebony! I can not believe we are already into November. I am sad to say, that, even in November, I am sweating in the middle of the day here in Glory Land and taking cold showers to cool off. I'm already dreading next summer. :-) At least it is cool in the evenings and the mosquitoes aren't too terribly bad right now.

I am getting some great opportunities to learn from Pushpin women and local doctors and midwives. For the past month and a half I have spent my project research time doing observation and needs assessment in the local public health hospital of this city. One of the highlights was observing the natural (and laceration free) birth of a SIX kilo (I think that is 13.2 pounds) baby boy!! That is the largest baby I have ever watched come into the world. How thankful I am that mother and baby are doing great! I was really blessed to see the midwives involved act with wisdom and care.

Sometimes there is not as much wisdom and care taken with the new little ones who come and breathe this Glory Land air with us. There seems to be little or no attention to infant care within the local hospital here. They DO record APGAR scores, but during one shift, I learned that for EVERY baby, the first minute and five minute scores are ALWAYS recorded as TEN! The level of knowledge and standard of care I have observed show how grossly misrepresentative (not to mention incorrect) those scores are. It is just one small example of how attention to detail and appropriate standards are often glossed over for the convenience of cultural norms and even sometimes cultural apathy.

It was the APGAR scoring issue that made me start to think about the relationships in my own life. I know this doesn't have a lot to do with birth, but it sure has a lot to do with life in Ebony!! I would dare to say that I think the one thing that Satan would like to destroy more than anything is the relationships that are being built in Ebony--between the Found and the Lost, between the Found and their other Found brothers and sisters, and between the Found and their Redeemer.

After learning about the practice of the midwives in the local hospital, I got to think a LOT about APGARS...and then how evaluation of ALL of life can be useful. Do I ever put a perfect 10 on a relationship that still needs to be given room to grow and develop, to transition into what it is meant to be? Do I say, "No work needed here!" and miss out on important details and opportunities? Do I sometimes give up on a relationship because it's "score" might be low at first? Maybe all it needs is some extra attention and skilled care to improve dramatically in just a few minute's time? Do I ever give relationships or the people in my life that extra attention and extra time, or am I lazy and cynical about the possible results?

I also got to thinking about the different components of an APGAR score and what they would mean for my relationships:

Pulse: What are the inner workings of my heart? What is under the surface that I am not admitting, or that is hidden? What is the life source for the relationship?

Grimace: To me, grimacing is a sign of survival instinct. It is a way of being aware of and responding to the surrounding environment. Sometimes we refer to this aspect of the APGAR as “irritability.” Now, that REALLY relates to interpersonal relationships, doesn’t it?! This one makes me think about whether I am thriving in the relationship? Is there something I am resisting? Is there something I am NOT resisting, but should be? What about the other person involved?

Activity: What effort am I giving to the relationship? Am I putting feet to my words, or am I making empty promises or attempting to hold the relationship together with the faulty glue of vain flattery? Is there "muscle tone" to this relationship that is evident to others? Or, does it look unhealthy?

Respiration: Again, this makes me think--what is the life source? What am I putting in and what I am letting out, or letting go? Is it in appropriate proportion? Is it according to a healthy rate? Is it giving life to the rest of the Body?

Of course, in the split second that I considered these aspects of my relationships with people, I also found myself applying them to my relationship with God. I found it so refreshing and refining to actually consider, "Hey--how am I doing with God?" And, why leave it at that?! I thought, "OK. Now I know. Now I need to respond according to that helpful evaluation." Then, as short as five minutes later.......again, "NOW, how am I doing with God?!" In five minutes, we can move from feeling He is so far from us to rejoicing in His promises. We can move from an apathy toward sin in our lives to an attitude of repentance and restoration of relationship with Him. In five minutes time, a person who has been lost and held captive to the Prince of Darkness, can be made free and brought into the Kingdom of the Son of His Love.

What will you be doing in the next five minutes???

Praying for Ebony, I hope!!

Many blessings to all of you.

In Him,

Elizabeth Carmichael