We haven’t posted in a while b/c it has been a little rough going with the boat. Kyle is doing a great job trying to juggle it all, but our goal to splash the boat (Stella Maris) as of Dec 2nd will very likely come and go. As with most projects we are over budget and way over the estimated original date to be in the water by Oct 18, 2019.
Friday night I had what we might call a “moment”. My thoughts easily turned to, what are we doing here? What is the point of the kids and I being here in Grenada with Kyle when he is fully consumed by this project…seems a lot like his job and all his home projects to me.
I left the room and ate some puppy chow, b/c doesn’t sugar make everything better? Truthfully, I went into the kitchen to find flights back home for the kids and I. We’ll just come back when everything is more settled I thought. I’ll stay with my Mom, homeschool the kids back with our community of homeschoolers and just continue my telemedicine work from home. This is pointless…we’re renting a house and a car and Kyle can just stay near the boatyard for cheap and won’t need a car or a big space for family.
I was going to get my computer to do some searching for flights but I remembered I hadn’t done my devotions for the day. In the morning I usually read my Bible in Year (which I’m on year two and only at April 12th), read the reflection and then meditate for the 30 seconds I get before the kids come telling me how hungry they are or about their dream the night prior.
So I opened my bible saying “please God give me some wisdom here”. The Old Testament reading was the end of the book of Judges 3-4 where the Israelites just keep worshiping false Gods, become slaves, cry for help and God again saves them, over and over again. Then Psalm 88-89 where we praise God for his endless mercy. Then Luke 9: 46-62 where Jesus says “follow me” and the guy says, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” and Jesus says, “No one who puts his hand to plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”…oh…that is what He wants me to hear…
I suddenly remember all that we’ve been able to accomplish here, why we are here, and most importantly who asked us to come…the Lord…
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve spoken to a Couples for Christ group at our church (Blessed Sacrament) about Theology of the Body and Natural Family Planning. Kyle did the first part and was able to really connect with the men and speak to the women’s hearts. We were then invited to the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s order…my favorite!!) to speak to a group of women, young and old about Theology of the Body, Chastity and Natural Family Planning. The following evening we held a Billings Ovulation Method class where we invited both groups and had a total of four couples and two single women (one age 50 and one age 23)…a success…we have a follow-up with all of them on Dec 2nd and booked them all for 30 minute follow ups back to back. I also have the contact for the Director of the Planned Parenthood here in Grenada and an OB/GYN as well as someone in the Government who helps with the Grenada Medical Society…I just have to call them…in my “free time”.
Also I did a home delivery here for a neighbor near us. They are from Florida and have lived here 3 years. They have 8 children and were expecting baby number 9. She was 37 weeks when I met her and had only been to the doctor twice because the access to care is so difficult! The doctor doesn’t take appointments so she had to show up 2 hours early before his office opened, wait in line to see if she will make it in and then wait another 3 hours to maybe be seen…he only takes 10 appts daily. Then you pay cash before leaving the office. Her last delivery here was with him and he was a fine doctor, however when you’ve done home deliveries with Midwives that have always went beautifully, you dread going back to the hospital in a third world country again.
Our kids first met as I was driving by and noted the multiple children and of course I pulled the car over to meet them, much to my mortified Charlie’s surprise. He actually shrank down in his seat to hide because he was so embarrassed by his crazy Mom! Needless the say, they were fast friends.
The kids noticed her pregnancy and of course mentioned I did OB back home so she admittedly wondered if this was God blessing her with the option of home delivery again. I secretly thought about how amazing it would be to do a delivery again and thought how odd it was that my friend Mollie Engle had basically made me take an extra delivery kit with me. She was in training to be a surgical tech and someone had given her “some medical supplies” to practice with. She had me take a look and I realized I was looking at a C-Section kit. I laughed and told her that I already had my delivery kit for myself so I didn’t need to take it but thanked her anyway. She insisted I take it saying “you never know you might deliver someone’s baby” and when I made my final excuse of not having room, she gave me her green and red christmas bin and somehow our husbands crammed it into the U-haul. I even inadvertently picked up 2 cytotec prescriptions in case of postpartum hemorrhage. I had the injectable pitocin for precautionary treatment and even an ambu bag in case I needed to resuscitate a baby. I literally had it all for a home delivery.
When she asked me if I would consider delivering her baby my immediate response was to laugh and tell her that I had thought about that too but it would be CRAZY…I’d never delivered a baby at home (besides that I’d had a home delivery myself with Thomas). I always had monitors and nurses and OB/GYN back up and more than that, I hadn’t delivered a baby in two years b/c our practice stopped doing deliveries. We just did pre/postnatal care and of course I did a lot of fertility, abnormal cycles, etc. I did agree to at least do some prenatal visits at her house weekly until her delivery so that at least she and baby were monitored and safe. I told her I’d pray about the idea and wanted her to as well. She admitted she was finally getting excited about her delivery with the idea of being about to be at home and I felt the call again to trust God for the results.
Of course, He doesn’t disappoint and her Mother in Law arrived who is an RN at a Pregnancy Crisis Center in Florida and a major help. We loved swapping pro-life stories and then her baby came and the delivery was absolutely beautiful. She called me when her water broke, which was only shortly after her contractions started. I arrived within 15 minutes and her baby was born about 15 minutes later while she stood at the bedside. I handed her her beautiful baby girl and everything was smooth sailing from there. God is soooo good. Her husband prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing on their daughter and I knew I was doing His work. Absolutely amazing!
Most days here go by so quickly! We are waking up at 6am, doing devotions, family rosary exercise (which is a hot mess most of the time), breakfast, Kyle leaves, we do chores and school. The afternoon is seeing patients online, then dinner and bed and do it again. I often think where is the time going? I thought life would slow down here? Where’s the island time and why is it only applying to our boat which we really just want to be sailing away from here?
Then I go back to my reflection from Dr. Tim Gray which is for us all…”Jesus wants all that we have to give because he has given everything to us. Are you ready to give everything to him?”