in her words...: when the good gets better

I love what I get to do. I love caring for pregnant women and welcoming babies into the world. I just can’t imagine doing anything else. After about another 3 months this school will come to an end. Some people who are doing this school will only work as a midwife for the time being but most certainly remember the experience for a lifetime to come. How could you not? I am confident though, that they will go on to do some other incredible things. I am blessed to work with some really amazing, beautifully loving, caring, and compassionate women. Some students though, will continue in the direction of maternal and child healthcare. Midwifery, obstetrics and gynecology, or whatever it may be. Everyday I feel myself more and more certain that I belong in the latter of the two categories.

Many who meet us and find out what we do will often ask, with a slightly perturbed look on their face, “does that ever gross you out?”

And I often wonder back, how could it? I’m fascinated by the way the pregnant body functions and grows. I’m mesmerized by what I learn and see and get to touch and be apart of. It’s a lifetime of learning but I’m in it for the long run. This is what I want to do. I can’t imagine a more fulfilling and fruitful career or calling than welcoming life into the world. Or caring for a woman. Standing with them, encouraging them, watching them turn into warriors, battling the most excruciating pain of their life for the most gratifying reward of their life: motherhood, family, being apart of creation. This is what God commanded: to multiply and fill the earth. I get to be apart of one of God’s greatest commands. And as I have said so many times before, I have really learned that this is an incredible tool for sharing Gods heart and His love and compassion with the nations. This is my opportunity to be Jesus to someone- to a woman, to a baby, to a family, to a doctor or a nurse, to those who are pregnant and suffering because of it. Ultimately this should be our purpose in everything we do. And I have found my nitch.

Over the last several months I have really been seeking God on His direction for me. I know what I want to do, I know what I am called to do, but the avenues I can take to get there could be in a million different directions. After much prayer and consideration (and a bit of struggling through doubt, confusion, and laying down my rights) I have decided and officially been accepted to join the school as staff for the next 2 years.

Whew, never thought I’d say that.

So what does that mean? It means I am going to continue forward with Midwifery in developing nations and I will officially be called a “missionary.” Of all the things I had in mind for my life, I am not sure ever once did I want the title of a missionary. But here I am. I was wooed into it and although it is not an easy decision to make, I can say with confidence that I know it’s the right one to make. There are many fine details that are being worked out right now and I am happy to answer any questions or hear your heart/concerns/ideas. For those who have been faithfully reading my post and following my stories I want you to know that I value your opinion and I continue to be overwhelmed by your support.

Here comes the worst part (okay, not really but it sure can feel that way sometimes) I’ll need to ask for money…and that’s never a fun thing. But I have also realized it doesn’t have to be a terrible thing either. Its acknowledging that God has put the great commission on all of us and for some that means spreading the word in your home city, in your offices, and your neighborhoods. It means you still have the ability to get a paycheck, and I think that’s great. However, for others, it means providing healthcare for a woman who might not get it if no one was there. And while the rewards for receiving babies into the world far exceed any earthly riches for me, I don't receive any income for the work I do. So I am asking that you, my dear reader, would join me in prayer as I am beginning to seek monthly donations. I want to continue to be an advocate for changes in women’s health. I want to continue to fight for good healthcare, clean hospitals, sterile supplies, and offer assistance to the hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers around the world who are burning the candle at both ends. I want to continue to help women in pregnancy. I want to continue to welcome little ones into the world, and welcome them in Jesus name. I want to see preventable maternal mortality eradicated from this earth. And I have a feeling you just might too, which is why you continue to read my stories and cry with me and feel moved with me and even frustrated by the circumstances with me.

If you have any additional questions or want more information/details about my future or my vision with this school, please feel free to comment here or email me at laurae.brager@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing back from some of you.
Bless you all.