Last semester (Fall 2016) at Texas Tech, I made a crazy choice to switch my major. I was Occupational Therapy, which I loved, but suddenly felt a calling to labor and delivery. When I look back on my life, there are many signs that this is where I was supposed to be, but I simply ignored them. I switched a week before classes started, signed up for all new classes and jumped into getting my pre-reqs for Nursing school. Luckily, none of my classes were wasted. I was able to shadow at the hospital and watched 6 live births and a C-section. It is absolutely AMAZING to see God’s creation come into the world for the first time. The doctors and nurses were very encouraging. I wasn’t in the corner of the room on my tippy toes trying to see. No, No… I was literally so close that the mom’s foot is touching me! In one birth, the mom asked me to hold her leg… you don’t say no to a woman in labor haha.
There are always times when I doubt this choice. After one week of ministry, God has been so sweet to me. In just one week, babies and mothers have come up in my ministry 5 times. With each appearance, I have more and more confirmation that this is where God wants me to me.
- Kara and I were prayer walking at the Hospital. Normally, we say and people greet back the same. This young woman said hello, but then also came to talk to us. She and I were then able to pray for this women and her sweet baby.
- We walked up the street at the hospital to talk to some kids. Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw three women who she felt we needed to talk to. The oldest women’s nickname was Agnes, which is also my grandma’s nickname! We began talking to her in broken English, and she said she delivers babies! I was so excited to tell her that I was also going to do the same once I was out of school. She asked Kara and I if we would like to come in the the maternity ward. Of course, we said yes! I have never wanted to pray over people more in my life. God was able to give me so much more confidence in praying because of the passion I have for mothers and babies. A women unwrapped her 4 out of 5 layers of clothing and blankets so that we could touch her belly while we prayed for her and her baby. I absolutely loved that! Then, another woman squeezed in and said “me next!”. We loved praying for three women total.
- At the prison Ministry, we prayed for any person there who needed prayer, which also included the guards. One of the female guards wanted prayer for a baby.
- Brittney, Josh Pence, and myself went to the hospital one morning to pray for patients and give a word. As we finished praying for the whole group, Oliver, one of our ministry contacts, said “Hurry, that woman right there needs prayer! Go ask to pray for her!” Brittney and I basically stalked her, no biggie, and finally caught up with her. We asked her If she needed prayer for anything? She instantly said, “I need prayers to have a baby”. She and I were able to pray, once again, for another woman to have a baby if it is God’s will.
- A group of 7 of us were able to bring food to a house where pregnant mother’s live before giving birth. We were able to give them words of encouragement and also pray for them and their babies.
I am just amazed by how God places very specific people across my path. It makes me joyful to be able to pray for them and I definitely see this as more confirmation about my choice to change to nursing. Bring me all the babies Jesus! (:
