Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

It feels like a short time ago that I wrote you a Christmas letter from Davao, Philippines last year. And here I find myself, one year later, in the same country yet a different place, this time the capital city of the Philippines; Manila.

This is my second Christmas in the Philippines and it comes again with mixed emotions. Christmas tends to be a time of reflecting, and this Christmas I find myself reflecting over all that has taken place in the last year. Last year at this time I was half-way through completing my year in Davao, assuming that once that was complete my time in the Philippines would be limited to occasional visits to catch up on relationships. God obviously had a different plan.

During my time home this summer my director asked me to pray about returning to the Philippines, this time to Manila, to co-lead in establishing a new birth center. She had spent significant amounts of time in Welfareville, one of the slum areas in Manila, and felt that God was calling this ministry to establish a new birth center just outside of these slums. I knew as soon as she asked me that this would be the next step I’d take. On October 19 I arrived here at the clinic where I met up with Naomi, an amazing friend and fellow midwife who had been here for a month already doing the ground work and preparation for the new clinic. On October 13 they opened the clinic for prenatals and births. The first birth was a couple hours after I arrived. Our patient Gie delivered a beautiful baby girl, Jezra Joy at 12:45 am October 20, 2004. After that the birth room continued at a steady rate. In our first month we delivered 13 babies, the second month 45 babies, and to date we have had the privilege of welcoming 61 new lives into this world! Each of those numbers represents a story. Energy, love and intercession is poured out for precious lives. Each baby with an individual destiny and calling being set apart for the purposes of the Lord!

Being here is such a privilege and an honor. I know that I know that God has called me here for such a time as this! One reminder of this was on November 18 when I had the privilege of being the midwife for Khay Sollera. Khay was a 20-year-old, pregnant with her first baby. She came in the birth room in labor at 7 am. I was able to be with her throughout the entire day, and because her English was good we were able to develop a unique relationship. From the moment I met her I felt connected on a level deeper than words can explain. I knew it was the grace and presence of God! During the last hours of her labor I played worship music in the birth room and was able to be there for her and support her through each contraction. The presence of God was tangible as she journeyed through this difficult time. The remainder of her birth was quite intense but finally at 8:23 pm Shawn Mykhel let out his first cry! Khay and her husband Michael were both overjoyed with the birth of their son! Shawn had difficulty establishing regular breathing and after a few hours had to be transported to the nearest hospital. Separating Khay and her baby was a miserable experience. Khay cried as she sang and prayed over him before we took him to the hospital. As soon as we discharged her the next morning she went to be with him. I went to visit them at the hospital later that day and they were quite excited to see me! She had been asking about me and hoping that I would come to visit. The baby recovered well and was discharged a couple days later. Khay sent me a text message the next day that said “Nicole, thank you for helping us. For saving our lives and giving us strength. I love you and I can’t forget those memories with you.” Overall the experience with Khay was one that will never be forgotten. I came to love her with a love only God could give. We connected on an incredible level- a level I rarely reach with my patients! Since then I have been able to spend time at her house and her with me at our clinic. She is incredibly hungry for Jesus Christ. Two of her sisters are Christians but she was raised catholic and doesn’t know what she believes. I’m praying for opportunities to share with her the hope by which I am saved!

Over the course of the last months God has been giving me His heart for Welfareville. The first time I walked through it I was completely overwhelmed by the great need. Welfareville is the place where the poorest-of-the-poor live. Their houses are small and resources limited. It is a place where Welfare was formerly given, but now has become known among the poorest of Asian slums. God has given me a love for the people there. One day we were walking through and He showed me a picture of small gold nuggets scattered throughout that place. He was reminding me that although in our earthly standards these people appear to be poor and broken He still seems them as beautiful, full of the riches that matter in eternity!

We had a Christmas party tonight for our most recent patients, most of them from Welfareville. We had no idea how many people to expect but we knew that word of mouth could spread quickly. 300 people came through our doors. We sang some Christmas carols, gave prizes of clothing and blankets to the patients, fed them dinner, and handed out little tokens. For many of them this may be all they get this Christmas. It was such an amazing privilege to be hosting these people in our clinic. I felt like we were living out Luke 14, inviting the poorest of the poor and throwing a banquet. I felt such an incredible, overwhelming, unexplainable joy as we served these patients. Blessing these families makes it all worth it!

Welfareville is probably one of the areas of Manila that was affected by the many typhoons that have hit the Philippines in the last couple weeks. But Welfareville hasn’t been making headline news over it. In Welfareville flooding is a normal occurrence. If we go to visit patients the day after it rains their houses may have whole rivers running through the center of them. It’s a part of their lives, sometimes day in and day out. Through our prayers for Welfareville God gave us Isaiah 62 and gave us a new name for that place; Beulah- married, and Hephzibah- my delight. He has been showing us that His heart is intricately connected to that place and he delights in it. I know that He has so much more for them than poverty and shame. And through each of our prayers we are claiming back the purposes of the Lord for that place!

Thank you for your prayers, support and love, especially during this Christmas season. I know that it’s through sacrifices that each of you have made that I am here ministering the love of Jesus to these precious people! In your continued prayers you could pray specifically for normal labors and deliveries, for more Filipino midwives at the clinic, and for our patients to come to know the real reason we pour ourselves out for this, and them to come into a personal relationship with our God!

I also need to mention that there is an ongoing financial need in establishing a clinic and through my living as an unpaid missionary. If God has laid it on your heart to give, tax deductible donations can be made payable to: Meadowvale CRC, memo Mercy In Action/Nicole.

Thank you!