6-12-06

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Last night we got a call at around 8:30. It was Mahala’s sister-in-law and she said that they had a problem, they called the ambulance and it was busy and Mahala is in labor. So we got ready to go and take her to the hospital, which is about a half an hour away in the daytime. There were a lot of things going through my mind at this time, I cried cause I was so excited for her but then thought of how scared she must be in labor with her first child and not knowing if she was going to make it to the hospital. When we went to pick her up five other people piled into the car but her husband stayed behind because it was against their culture for him to come. We got to the hospital about 10, it is more dangerous to drive at night due to cattle or people being in the road or just people driving crazy. I thought that since five people had come to the hospital with her that at least one of those people would stay with her but…not so. We dropped her off, all by herself. I got a tad bit worried toward the end of the trip because her contractions were getting very close together. The last ones were two minutes apart and the one lasted four minutes. She made it safely, without her water breaking in the car, and all the while being very calm for a person that was in labor. The only reason that I could tell that she was having a contraction was that her breathing would change and for a few of the last contractions in the car she gripped on to my leg (glad that I could help). After we dropped her of we found probably the only place in Bethlehem which was open and got some coffee and toast for the whole clan of us. It was a good time. We got home around 11:15 and went right to bed.

This morning we went to the army and there was a good turn-out of men there. Unedati spoke on John 3:16-18 and Meh gave a lecture on AIDS, pre-marital sex, abortion, and giving AIDS to a baby. After what was said this morning I am not sure if the hell was scared out of them or they were scared to the point of not coming back to ‘army church’, we will have to see next Sunday. Regardless of what happens they were presented with the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life so beyond that the decision is theirs.

After the army we called the hospital to see how Mahala and the baby were doing. She had her baby around 11, they had just enough time to get her prepped (thank You Jesus), and she only had 7 hours of labor. She had a baby girl.

We went to pick her up this afternoon(they keep them for about 12 hours after the baby is born). The sister-in-law called her parents to find out what the little girl was going to be named, her name is Tandiwe. She is so tiny, she was a little more than five pounds.

When we got back Mahala went to the shack that she used to live at before she was married. It is their culture to live away from your husband for about the first month after birth. Normally you would live with your mother so that she could help you, but Mahala’s mother died a long time ago and so she is staying with another girl who is probably about the same age (21) and very pregnant herself. Mahala does not have much of a choice how long she will stay there, it is decided by the older women.

I tried to find out why this is and Meh says that in order for the women to stay clean from infection is one reason, and that makes some sense. I just know that the person that got me to where I am at better be in the hospital with me. Also, not seeing your husband for a month after you have a baby and the baby not being able to meet their father would not be good for me or my daughter. These are some of the first real cultural differences that I have been able to witness.

Ephesians 2:4-5

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love in which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)



Thanks so much

Sara

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