As my eyes turn toward Togo and I begin to look beyond this island I realize a longing in my heart that I have never known. So often, we get caught up in the world beyond, I always think..."If I can just get there...then..." and I miss those so often around me. I moved to this island over 3 years ago. My purpose was to train midwives for the nations. Along the way mothers have come to me for home birth, but I have not necessarily had the time or the focus to serve them as I thought I should because I was so focused on training midwives to go into the nations. I encouraged them to go to this place or that and thought I was doing right by giving them resources. I have missed it. I have been so farsighted I have not seen. There is a need here, and I have missed it in search of what I have deemed the greater cause.
My heart has been awakened.
There is such a need for a new standard to be set on this island and I want to be a small part of restoring the heritage of birth to this land. Birth is a normal body function and we must have a reverent belief in the innate ability and function of every woman's body to give birth without intervention.
We must redefine birth. We must redefine midwifery and what it means to truly walk with women in birth.
I became a midwife to teach, but I have been the one who as learned so much.
So, as I pack and plan for Togo, as I think of the women I will have opportunity to serve, teach and love I am thinking more so of the women here, my neighbors and friends. Time cannot not get me back here fast enough to begin to serve the ones I know so well and love yet have not seen until now.
My prayer is that this land that I love will rise up and be the light in the dark. I pray in time women will look to our island to see how normal birth is accomplished.