Triage at El Nido

Faces of El Nido ...

In my previous life as a Labor and Delivery Nurse I have often lamented how difficult it is to care for multiple patients in Triage who are walking through very different experiences in the birth process.  During a 12 hour shift I could experience new life, death, infertility, a multiples birth, unwanted life, a life longed for and lost, an abundance of family support and the honor of supporting the one who is walking through life alone.  I witnessed determined strength, unrelenting pain, a quiet resolve that what must be, must be and the anguished cry of the birth process gone awry, out of one's control. At times a 12 hour shift in Triage can leave your soul feeling war torn and weary.  Even so, I miss life in the L/D world!  I long to share these moments where miracles happen as Heaven meets earth ... God in His faithfulness is providing these moments as I learn about the lives changed by God's work in El Nido!  Thursday I had the privilege of spending these moments with Gloria and hearing her heart as she's trains me to be a counselor. I invite you to experience three hours at El Nido as I relate them to the "Triage rooms" in my L/D world ...

Triage room 101: "Rosa" is due this week and will be induced this weekend if she doesn't go into labor before.  She is surrounded by a host of women to walk this journey with her ... her Mom, G'ma, Aunt, Cousins ... etc.  Her countenance, in spite of occasional contractions, was one of peace in contemplating the birth of her first child.  We talked about ways she can teach her new babe about God's love, the changes her body is starting to experience, we prayed for her, felt the life moving inside her, and sent her on her way full of anticipation.

Triage room 108: "Carlita" came to El Nido today with her friend because she is 5 months pregnant.  In God's perfect timing, Gloria's next client was a 'no show' so we were able to do Carlita's intake and hopefully get her connected with a counselor. She is 14 years old, living with her 20 year old boyfriend and not involved with her family.  She is timid, shy, and uncertain of who she is yet she made a positive choice for her baby and her life by coming to El Nido. God give us wisdom ... We were left with a heavy heart and needed God's wisdom for direction.

Triage visit ... "Maria" doesn't need a triage room, she just stopped in to say hi and tell us all the positive things happening in her life since her time with El Nido.  Her twin boys are already 2 years old, she just got married, she has a job 2 days a week at a local bakery, her husband's Fried Chicken restaurant is doing well (Pollo Mino happens to be our boys favorite chicken place, they ask for it every time we drive by!), and she is starting night school a few evenings a week ... Just like at work, these visits here at El Nido are always so sweet and full of life! Maria then told us of her cousin Carlita, who is 14 and pregnant. OK, another God moment ... She told us their equivalent of CYA is involved and Carlita is going to be living with her Grandparents.  God was already working in this situation ... help us Father to support Carlita, show her Your perfect love and help her be the best Mama she can be!

Lord, I come, I confess ... Bowing here I find my rest ... Without You I fall apart ... You're the One that guides my heart ... Lord, I need You, oh, I need You ... Every hour I need You ...My one defense, my righteousness ... Oh God, how I need You ... As I drove to work and now walk to El Nido, this song by Matt Maher continues to be the cry of my soul.

Life in the City ... Praises

Adam's "Friend Girl"
at church ...

I was introduced to the largest Costa Rican Goodwill I have ever seen ... ummm, this could be trouble ... who doesn't love a good bargain! Staff dinner and laughing ourselves silly as we played a bilingual form of Pictionary and Charades ... Worship practice and subsequent playing on Sunday morning worship team for Daddy and Jedidiah ... Shopping for maturity clothes for a friend, how many bargains could we find ... saying "see ya later" to the Heredia/Honduras team as they left for Honduras ... we miss them already, so thankful for their companionship, fellowship and growing belly! ...  Daddy's creativity in teaching Jedidiah math, it's all about the challenge! ... Home school co-op connections, can't even tell you the joy I have ... Saturday Market with Jedidiah thanking God for a 'hand' of 18 bananas for $1.17, just what we need to make a sweet ice cream treat ... Jedidiah loves to shop like I do meandering in and out of stores just to look! ... Sweet Sunday fellowship challenging us to reevaluate family time ... The gift of a borrowed keyboard ... Driving home in a torrential down pour, thankful our little Egg made it home safely only to find our house flooded with water due to leaks in our roof (it hasn't rained since we moved to Heredia in January!) ... Mopping up 25+ gallons of water in our house, thanking God for tile floors, that it was only water and for dry beds ... Homemade ice cream from frozen bananas and pretzels for Sunday night supper, a game of "hide the thimble" and charades ... We have a lot to be thankful for ... Oh the sweetness of being in the center of His will ...

Prayers ... these first three have been encompasing our prayer life ...
-Vehicle
-House
-Language
-Daryl as he spends time with Delynn discerning God's place for him
-EMM retreat next week

Mopping up Sunday's aftermath ...

Lunch on the Veranda ...
our dining room was under water!

Sunday night supper ... Ice cream and pretzels

Home school co-op  

Sweet music for our soul ...