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UPDATE FROM RACHEL

making a new home This concept of 'home' is strange. Where is home?  what is home?  who knows....  It makes no sense to me, but pretty soon I will return to Cambodia, settle in, and make it 'home.' How terrifying and exciting all in one bundle! In Cambodia I will be returning to Battambang to join with another woman in the YWAM ministry in Cambodia called "Vithai M’dai." This is a maternal health initiative--a ministry of midwifery in missions.  When I first arrive in Battambang I will be taking a Ministry Training Program for five months, as well as focusing on learning the local language (Khmer). This program focuses on becoming involved and integrated with the church and community, understanding ministry and evangelism in Cambodia, leadership training, discipleship, etc.  Some of this will be new to me, but much of it will be building on the experience and language I already have from my previous 1 1/2 years in Battambang. After this, I will be working alongside a midwife from New Zealand who has been living in Cambodia for six years, as well as others who work in similar ministries with YWAM. As a ministry we have long-term future goals to set up a crisis pregnancy hotline; facilitate Continuing Education Workshops for midwives; facilitate/teach Maternal Healthcare seminars; open a Women’s Holistic Center; raise abortion awareness and education. However, the initial steps will be getting out into the neighboring slums and villages to meet and build relationship with local women and their families with the aim of starting women’s discussion groups. These groups will be a place to build friendships, teach simple health care, disciple, learn from each other, ask questions, pray, etc. We will also be visiting local clinics, hospitals, and other health Initiatives to build relationships and discuss possible partnerships. On top of this, we will be available to provide antenatal care/counselling/ labour support/ postpartum care on a case-by-case basis for women we meet in the community. We want to work alongside other ministries, organizations, initiatives, and government programs that are already established in Battambang—therefore much of my time will be building relationships and connections. Through it, hopefully I will be gaining a fuller and more complete understanding of the situation in Maternal/Child healthcare in Battambang. Between now and January I will still be here in Winnipeg, shivering as it gets colder and colder.  Currently I am working part-time at a local grocery store; enjoying family time; loving being an auntie; and packing up my life. I am also sharing about missions at various churches and youth groups-- if you have an opportunity for me to share, let me know!  And I'm fundraising, because for me to move to Cambodia and serve these women, children, and families I need monthly financial support. If you would like to contribute and support me in this way, please email me. I would appreciate it if you kept me in your prayers and thoughts! Love, Rachel

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO... As many of you know, I have been away from home for a significant amount of time...well, I now have the pleasure of telling you that I am alive, and well, and back in Canada for a time. It has been a crazy 2 1/2 years of learning, living, and serving.  In December 2012, I left on a very cold, snowy Christmas day and flew across the world not really knowing what to expect--but quite certain someone would be at the airport to meet me!  I left with a few goals: I want to understand who God is; I want to understand why the Bible actually matters; and I want to know if midwifery is something I'd want to do in my life. DTS I went to Battambang, Cambodia to attend a 'Dicipleship Training School' with a missions organization called 'YWAM' (Youth With A Mission--for an explanation of this organization you can go to http://www.ywam.org/about-us/).  The core of this school is to know God and make Him known. There were three months of lecture, followed by a two month frontier mission outreach. During this outreach the group of us went to a Thai/Cambodia border city called Poipet, then in to Bangkok, and lastly to Pattaya.  During this time we were partnering with local churches and volunteering in Youth programs, preschools, conferences, English classes--as well as working with at-risk children in slums and villages, and trafficked women in brothels.  We also spent lots of time meeting people on the streets and getting to know them. We saw God heal, speak to people, answer prayer, and bring hope in the most heart breaking situations. During this time my view of God, people, and the world completely changed--and I saw the value and special uniqueness of individuals. Very quickly I learnt from, and gained a huge respect for the Cambodian people and culture--and at the same time was heart-broken at the evil and corruption that is found world-wide.

SBS After this 5+ month experience, I spent a summer in KL with friends and then did a School of Biblical Studies at the same place in Cambodia. This was an intense 9 month course in which we studied all 66 books of the Bible using the Inductive Study method (http://uofnbattambang.com/sbs/). Going through   the entire Bible a total of 5 times, we interpreted scripture with the mindset of the original readers of the text, taking the timeless truths found within and personally applying these. This was a very challenging and humbling time. I was questioning "What do I believe?"--and "why do I believe what I believe?”   My beliefs, life itself, and God was put into perspective.  I saw God speak into, and radically change my life and the lives of my fellow classmates. Through intense study we were challenged with questions on death, injustice, corruption, life, persecution, obedience, authority. Though this school was a very difficult time of going through the scriptures with God, it was a privilege to be able to sit down and study The Truth for such an extended period of time. God's faithfulness to His creation; His word; His promises; His people; and to me in my life became very evident to me during this time Aadab* is a young, first time mom who was diagnosed with Hepatitis B during her pregnancy. As a result of this, she found herself abandoned during labour in a small, ill-equipped room in a government hospital in southeastern India. Because of diagnoses like this, women will often be left to labour and deliver their babies on their own... then charged a bribe to receive their child back. We came across Aadab when she was still in labour--very close to delivering. We were able to support, educate, and monitor her during her labour. She delivered a beautiful little baby boy.  As she proudly held her son, it was a bitter-sweet moment when in tears she said to us, "They were just going to leave me here alone...but you came. You are my angels. Thank you". We further got to know Aadab and her family, and it was a privilege to be a part of such a sweet and beautiful time in this family's life. We truly came to an understanding of what midwifery means; to be "with women". *named changed for privacy reasons BAS After completing the School of Biblical Studies I flew over to Perth, Australia and I received midwifery training through "the Birth Attendant School" in Australia for 11months.  We went to Zambia and India for our practicums. During this time we did everything from prenatal care; postnatal care; deliveries; home visits; clinics; simple healthcare teaching in orphanages/slums/churches/schools/clinics/on the side of the road; healthcare seminars; cleaning hospital rooms; monitoring labouring mothers; emergency referrals; neonatal care; infant resuscitation; suturing; ongoing care; management of emergency situations; infant examinations. It was through life stories like the one above of Aadab that I got a clearer understanding of mother/child healthcare in developing nations. It was also through these women and families that God spoke to me about His heart for women, newborns, and families in the nations: His heart to bring hope, truth, Himself into the unjust situations. Love. Compassion. Strength. Through midwifery and our obedience to God, we saw God bring value to the forgotten; hope to the hopeless; and strength to the broken. Going against cultural norms we had many opportunities to speak of the hope of Christ by acknowledging the individual; accepting and loving every baby; giving honour and respect to all women from all backgrounds; giving courage; and speaking truth. We daily encountered death and injustice--but God was not absent. We saw God move in crazy and miraculous ways when we called out to Him in the hopelessness and pain. He was there. He was with the women. He was with the families.