When God Delivers

Michael Ryan

Haiti has been on my heart since a young age. Even before I felt God calling me to be a nurse, the mother of one of my closest friends talked to me about being a midwife in Haiti and the great need for Christian healthcare for the Haitian people. This past year, God tugged on my heart when I heard about an opportunity to go to Haiti through my school program. Although it scared me, and I expected to be rejected, God opened the door for me. He supplied every need, and increased my joy and faith throughout the process. His presence with us was evident, as He placed men and women in our path who knew the Lord or were seeking hope for their lives.

The midwives who trained us practiced the motto “watch one, do one, teach one.” For example, after watching a prenatal consult, the midwife handed the clipboard to another student and me, instructing us to do the next one. Surprisingly, we became comfortable with the situation quickly as the midwife was very open to questions and guided us through our shakier moments. During that time, the other students and I would help each other in English as well, further sealing the information and processing it in our heads.

With help from our instructors, we also took on the responsibility of assessing infant health following birth. It was interesting to see the variety of ways birth progresses. Some women were in labor for a few hours and the time between crowning and birth was a few minutes. Others were in labor for over 24 hours before delivering. We even witnessed a posterior birth as well as multiple anterior presentations.

One of the most touching and meaningful experiences in my mind was on the last day. That afternoon another student and I were working with a woman who had been in labor for over 24 hours. We massaged and cushioned her back during contractions, gave her water when she was thirsty, and sang to her during the agonizing pain. Although she may not have understood the English version, when we sang hymns she recognized she would hum along. We struggled with the language barrier and were not sure how effective our care was, but we were able to connect with her through worship. In Zephaniah 3 verse 9, God promises that someday all people will have “a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord” (ESV). Being able to sing with her and worship God in the midst of labor, a pain brought into the world by sin, was unlike anything I have ever experienced.

I was also given the opportunity to give injections to adults throughout the week. On one occasion, the patient was learning to speak English and was excited to have a conversation with me. Being able to help him with something that seems so simple was humbling, as was his excitement to learn my language. While poverty is prevalent, education is growing and the family’s effort to learn and educate themselves brings hope to a sad situation. Despite being slightly uncomfortable, serving the least of these is exactly what Christ would have us do. Learning nursing and caring for others may be a fulltime job, but it is clearly a ministry as well.

While serving in Haiti, nothing we did seemed like a burden. Some things made my heart hurt, though it never became mundane or stressful. We were exposed to many different styles or types of care. Some midwives were somewhat passive or withdrawn in the process of labor or prenatal care, but others had too much invested in the lives of the women and babies to sugar coat their care. Each day was different in the clinical area where we worked, but my favorite aspect of the trip was seeing my hard-earned education become tangible. Much of what we learned in the classroom we applied in a variety of situations. It was also a helpful reminder that education opens a wide variety of doors.

Above all, the trip to Haiti taught me once again that God is the only one who will not disappoint us. Healthcare, people, and experiences can all let us down or fail to satisfy, but when we hope in the Lord, we will not be shaken.

I want to personally thank everyone who donated supplies to the people of Haiti. Thank you for the spiritual and financial support. I hope to one day go back to Haiti, as I truly did love the people, the language, and the country. The hope God is instilling in His people there is truly beautiful, and I am so grateful He gave me the chance to see Him move in another country.

-Julia