Tupu Wkakarangi Magazine Issue 240

“THOSE WHO HONOUR ME I WILL HONOUR” God is true to His word and does honour our obedience. On return to the village on the island of ---- to continue with health-care, we saw this evident in many situations that without God’s intervention we could have ended up in a lot of trouble!

The call came at 3.15 am.

It was dark and raining with strong winds. ‘Grandad’ appeared with a flaming torch yelling out for help. A woman was giving birth. Imee, the Filipina nurse, my Vietnamese room-mate and I rushed out the door with our small ‘birth equipment’ bag. We had to fend off barking dogs, slosh our way through the mud and cross three rivers to get to the small bamboo hut on the hill.

On arrival, we noticed a ‘birthing attendant’ at the scene. Smoke was so thick from the incense burning that we could hardly see. We heard this was to keep ‘evil spirits at bay.’ One small candle served as lighting. The ‘birth attendant’ had tied a thick rope around the mother’s abdomen, had sprinkled on ash and had the father push down with all his strength supposedly to help the baby.

With urgency and more interest in saving the baby’s life than offending, we screamed “NO!” and Imee explained the damage they were doing. The atmosphere was thick, not only of smoke but of feeling. Clearly it was a battle between the forces of light and darkness, life and death. So much so, it was almost tangible.

The local woman began to shave down a bullet with a knife.

Before we realized what was happening, the bullet was given to the mother to swallow to ‘strengthen her blood.’ Prayer was needed urgently. The baby was in a breech position and things were serious.

We did everything we had been taught with no results. The answer to prayer came through elderly ‘Tatay.’ Although he was experienced in deliveries and had delivered all his own seven children, he was 6