Good News! John was able to get his visitors visa so we are ALL coming for a visit!!!!  We arrive April 26th and will stay until we need to be in Texas for the CTEN orientation in June. My residency is still hung up but we are getting closer. Let me or my parents know if you want to get together.

According to the culture here (I’m not sure if it’s in all of Nicaragua, or only among the Rama), where you are born is very important—it gives you a right to that place. For this reason, John really wanted me to give birth in our home upriver; then our child would have a right to live there. After I was told that I couldn’t go back upriver, it seemed impossible, but John never lost his faith. He told me again and again that God had promised that this baby would have her right. As time to give birth came nearer and nearer, I must admit that I took the easy way out and accepted the second best option of giving birth in San Juan.

                My parents were coming to visit hoping to catch the birth, so John and I decided to see if we would be granted permission to go upriver with them for a few days since there is nothing to do in San Juan. John went and talked to the head leader, and we were given 5 days (including travel days) to visit upriver.  We rented a boat with a motor and headed upriver on Tuesday with my parents and John’s grandma who had agreed to help cook (she also happens to be my midwife, which came in handy).When we arrived, we cleaned up the house, ate, visited neighbors, and started to get settled for the night.  John had told me to watch for God to complete His promise on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I still wasn’t prepared when I was awakened at about 10 that night with extreme pains. While the rest of the house slept blissfully, I spent the night very awake clutching my husband’s arm as each contraction came and went. As dawn arrived, I needed to relieve myself and wondered if I had already started since I felt rather damp. As I stooped down to do my job, I was frightened to find that the wetness was not ppe, or even my water breaking, but blood.

When I returned back to the house, John’s grandma had gotten up, and John had already told her what was going on. She and John quickly set up the bed in her room and put me on it. As John’s grandma watched me nervously muttering about blood, she asked me if I could still feel the baby moving since the blood could mean that the baby had died and I would have a still-birth. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t felt it move for several hours. Then I suddenly remembered that when I had just discovered that I was pregnant, John had described a dream that he had to me and then went on to explain the meaning of the dream, “we will have a difficult time getting this baby, but it will not die”. These last words resonated in my mind as I prayed for God to give me a nice good kick as a sign. As John’s grandma ran to John’s parents’ house to see if they had something she could tie around my belly to help get things moving, John came to keep me company. As he took my hand in his, I felt a mighty strong and healthy-feeling kick.  Relief washed over me as I awaited grandma’s return and the baby’s arrival.

Upon returning, grandma tied a soft cloth to the top part of my belly and informed me that even though my water hadn’t even broken, I need to start pushing. As I pushed along with the contractions, grandma pulled on the cloth tied around my belly. We strained, I pushed, and she pulled for what seemed like (or maybe it really was) hours until I finally felt the gush of my water breaking. Now it was time for the part that would be even more fun.

I continued to push, and grandma continued to pull—literally standing on the bed over me and pulling on the cloth with all her strength. The baby just didn’t seem to want to move, but grandma was determined to get her out since it was most likely stressed and could die if it were in there too long. Finally, through our combined efforts, grandma could see the head! But here we ran into another problem—the head was too big; it wouldn’t pass. After quite some time of hard work and no results, grandma ran off to get some advice from her son—John’s dad. She soon came back with John’s mom in tow (she’s given birth to 11 children and is getting ready for number 12). The two women began massaging my belly. As progress was still not being made, grandma became more and more nervous. Finally between massages and prayers, John’s mom reminded grandma, “Remember what your son said, ‘everything has its time. We must watch from 1:00 on.’” We all continued our work, and soon John’s older sister came in and joined in the fight (she just recently gave birth to her fourth child at the age of 20). At this time I had absolutely no more strength. I knew I couldn’t give up, but I felt like I couldn’t continue either. I began to pray for strength, and God granted me just enough for each next push. Finally I heard people yelling, “this is it Leesa! Keep going! It’s finally coming!” After a few more tries, God granted me one last mighty strain, and just as John’s dad had said, at 1:15 we heard the first cries of a new baby.

Now for the next issue: difficulty delivering the placenta. The contractions had stopped, and after already having been pushing for the past 7 hours, I had no more strength to push on my own. The three women took turn massaging my belly as I halfheartedly pushed. After about ½ hour of more work, we finally accomplished our task.

I was exhausted and was actually rather glad that the baby wasn’t brought to me right away. John brought me some food, and I ate greedily as I wondered why I suddenly didn’t feel so sleepy.

This is what I looked like on Tuesday, August 30

and the next day, after a fright from early bleeding; a rather long and difficult delivery; and difficulty delivering the afterbirth, was presented with this:

Naomi Ruth, born August 31, 2011 at 1:15pm

I am still stuck in San Juan, but have used the opportunity to make several trips to Managua to apply for official residency. After a complication of paperwork and authentifications of the paperwork, it has finally been turned in and I have an appointment to return for an interview. Please continue praying for this process.

As far as the pregnancy is concerned, I have a month or so before I should be holding a new baby in my arms. John has been spending less and less time upriver and more time in town since he doesn't like me being left alone in town with the due date coming closer. I must admit that this last month has is definitely the most painful. besides the natural pains from traveling, I would say that I've had a pretty easy pregancy and had wondered what all the fuss was about when women talk about how horrible pregnancy is. I guess I'm beginning to feel a bit of that now. Every part of my body is protesting daily now, and from the feel of things, the baby is just as anxious to get out as I am to get it out--I think it will grow up to be a boxer.

On another note, please pray for John's cousin. She and John went to San Carlos (the nearest city/big town) yesterday where she was sent by the local doctor to get a small, painful lump in her breast checked out. She has been at the hospital all day today, and this evening when I call John, we should here more news. John is returning tomorrow, but we aren't sure yet if his cousin will be able to return with him.

Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers--even when I'm horrible at reminding you that I exist!

Armando "John"  and Leesa had a beautiful wedding ceremony up river. (It was a double wedding with John's sister getting married as well)  Many of the Rama community came as well as 9 of Leesa's family and friends from Tucson, AZ. It was such a wonderful and joyous day!! The church was gorgeously decorated with the local flora and fauna by the AZ team, while the local ladies cooked the food and cakes over the open fire all morning. John has been busy building them a fine new house. He is a very skilled carpenter and quite artistic. We love having him as a son and know that God has great things in store for he and Leesa. Wishing them love and laughter, peace and contentment for all the years ahead. ~Mom & Dad

Greetings. I guess, as my mother was kind enough to point out, it's been a long time since I've let all my family and friends know that I'm still alive.

Sometimes it's hard to know just what to write because it feels like the same old story again and again: the same lies, the same manipulations, the same stresses, the same joys.

There are definitely times when I feel like I can't stand it any more and I feel like giving up. And there are other times that I feel extremely strong in the Lord as He fights to complete his plan in my life.

I know maybe it's hard to know what to pray when I don't give much in the line of specifics or details, but there are times when those are needed and times when thaey are not.

Please continue to pray for strength, and more importantly, wisdom.

Also, it looks like we are getting closer and closer to a wedding. Please continue to keep us in prayer as we make decisions and plans in regards to that as well.

Also,  my fiance's  baby brother has been having health issues and often stops breathing till he turns blue or faints. It can be scary wondering if his breath will come back again or not. Please keep him in your prayers as well.

Thanks again for your prayers and continual support in my spiritual life—I couldn't be doing this without all the prayers!

I have completed 3 days of travel (but only eaten two meals) and am about to begin the last two days so that I can see some of your bright and smiley faces again--I should arrive in the States Monday night.

P.S. I have learned to appreciate little old ladies; they know everything, aren't afraid to ask all kinds of questions when confused, and are extremely loyal (and they like to give tastey treats).

A long time ago I preached a sermon on loving your enemies and it may not have touched anyone in the church, but it did touch me. Since then, I've been praying for our Father to show me how to love some of my main enemies that I currently have, and it's been tough. Yesterday we had another massive meeting in which we really had to be strong and fight a bit against them. After the meeting, I felt strangely at peace. Last night, I woke up at 2am (I guess that's this morning, not last night) and couldn't go back to sleep. I got up and walked around and layed back down, and got up again, and layed back down. As I was lying there, I had a dream (although I wasn't really sleeping). In this dream, my main adversary was letting me have it out quite strongly. I somehow was extremely calm and didn't respond to her verbal lashings. This made her more angry, and she began to scream more harder until she slapped me across the face, giving me a huge cut on my cheek. At this, one next person restrained her and took her into another room. Soon I saw that my adversary was in a kind of jail/insane asylum looking broken and confused and afraid. As I watched her, someone that I couldn't see told me, "this is how she feels inside. She is broken, scared, confused. She is grasping at everything to try to keep from becoming losing control of herself and her life, but everything continuues to disintegrate around her. I dies for this woman just like I died for you." Next I felt a strong urging that I really needed to pray for this person, so I sat up and started to pray without really knowing how; but as I started, the words kept coming and flowing out as the Spitir guided me in how to pray.

I can only stand and wonder at how the Father can look through all the filth and slime of this world (including my own filth and slime) and see us naked and vulnerable as we really are--and love us yet.