Almost There!

Hi Everyone!

I thought I'd give a really quick update on what's going on. Last Saturday (May 12), I graduated high school so now I can "switch gears" and focus on preparing to leave and getting everything together, etc.

Another thing I wanted to share is that God has been amazing me every day. When I first figured out how much  I would have to raise to go to the Philippines and volunteer at Shiphrah, I was a little nervous since I've never had anywhere near that much money before. However, God spoke to me in my fear and told me that He owns all the money in the world and He can easily give me some. In just a little over a month, I am almost fully funded! Most of the money has come through my wonderful friends and family who have been such a blessing, but some of it has also come from working and a scholarship. I did the configuring yesterday and was overwhelmed to see how much money God has provided for me in such a short amount of time. We serve an amazing God, don't we?

Thanks everyone for your prayers! I leave in a little over a month! (Eeek!)

Satisfied in Christ,
Danielle

Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Picture taken May 12, 2012

Itinerary

I just bought plane tickets!!!

I can't believe this is actually happening!

I will be flying out June 26, 2012 at 10:35am and will be landing in Manila June 27, 2012 at 11:35pm (Manila time).

I will be flying home November 15, 2012. The flight leaves Manila at 6:25am (Manila time) and landing in Raleigh at 4:45pm. Funny, because of the time changes, it will be two whole days to get to Manila, but "only" one day to get home... :-D

My dad will actually be flying out with me so that we can meet several people he wants to meet (I guess his boss' brother-in-law is a pretty influential guy in Manila...) and then tour Davao City, where I will probably go next year.

And did you realize it's almost impossible to find two tickets where you'll fly out together if you have two different return dates? For instance, my dad's flying back the first week of July but I'm not returning until November 15. It took forever to find plane tickets where we'd fly out together! What was ridiculous was that the airlines were having us fly to the same locations an hour apart from each other. Thankfully, we got that all figured out.

Due to finishing up school for graduation (May 12!!!), I haven't really been able to focus too much on my trip, but as soon as graduation's over, I'm going to be switching gears. As much as it will be hard to be gone from my family for five months, I can't wait to go experience the adventures God has for me!

Satisfied in Christ,
Danielle

two women at Shiphrah Birthing Home - photo courtesy of Jeri Gunderson

Navy Seals of the Birth World

There's a young midwife's blog I've been following, since she's at Newlife International School of Midwifery, the school I hope to attend in 2013, and the other day she posted this comment that I thought was really interesting:

"Someone recently told me that midwives are the female version of Navy SEALS... I'd have to agree." - Lindsy Stanley


She points out that midwives are responsible for the lives of two individuals and have to make decisions under pressure fast. I had never thought of that correlation before. To read the rest of her post: http://joyfulpioneer.blogspot.com/2012/04/defender-of-life.html


Anyway, I leave for Shiphrah in two months!!!!! I am getting SO excited!!! I can't wait to go back to the role of midwife's assistant! While being a doula was awesome, I also felt like my hands were tied, so I'm really looking forward to Shiphrah!

Forgot...

Hi Everyone!

After I sent out my support letter (so if you haven't received it yet, you should soon), I realized that I forgot to put something on the letter...

I'm planning on doing occasional e-mail updates with prayer requests and stuff, so if you're interested in receiving those, please e-mail me at danielle_wilson_hm@hotmail.com and send me your e-mail address.

Thanks!

Danielle

poor kiddo had a rough landing... picture courtesy of Jeri Gunderson

Missionary Fundraiser

If any of you are interested, I'm trying to raise support right now, and here's one way I'm trying to raise that money:

Starting in July, I'm going to the Philippines as a missionary midwife for five months. The only problem with that is I need to raise a lot of money (like $6600...) to support both myself and the birth center. So I have an offer for you: I’m a photographer. My photography sessions are $50 for a one hour session (which is really cheap compared to most professional photographers). After the session, I will edit the photos then give them to you on a CD. You can develop them yourself. I will use the money toward my missions expenses.

If you are interested in supporting me as I go serve at Shiphrah Birthing Home, please contact me about a photography session!

Thank you!

Danielle Wilson
danielle_wilson_hm@hotmail.com

 http://risingdawnservices.blogspot.com/

Support Letter

Midwife for His Glory

Hi there!

My name is Danielle Wilson and in July 2012, I’m leaving for Manila, Philippines to volunteer as a missionary midwife at a charity birth center for five months. Ever since I was really young (like eight or nine), I’ve felt that God has called me to missions and now I’m finally getting to see His plan for that! I am also passionate about midwifery and love to help women throughout their pregnancy and birth. Right now, I am a doula but am in the process of becoming a midwife.

Where am I going?

I am going to intern at Shiphrah Birthing Home, a charity birth center near Manila, Philippines. Shiphrah was established in 1990 to help pregnant women and their families have a safe pregnancy and birth. Jeri Gunderson, the founder of Shiphrah, wrote, “At Shiphrah we offer dignified, safe, and caring birth to marginalized women and their families who come from the many poor communities in our area.” Altogether, over 9,000 babies have been born at the center and many more women and their families have been served.

How Can You Help?

Leaving to be a missionary is extremely daunting and scary, even though I know this is what God has called me to do. I will definitely need prayer! Another way you can help is to support me. Since Shiphrah is a charity birth center, they request that interns donate $850 for each month they stay. Also, I’ll need to pay for plane tickets, a visa, food, and personal expenses. Altogether, I’ll need a little more than $6500, about $1400 a month. Please pray about supporting me as I serve in the Philippines.

Prayer Requests:

·         For all my expenses to be covered before I leave…

·         That I’d be a blessing while I’m there

·         For the women who come to give birth

·         That God would give me the courage to share His love with others

Contact Info:

Danielle Wilson

danielle_wilson_hm@hotmail.com

http://midwife4Hisglory.blogspot.com

Mission Statement of Shiphrah: We exist to enjoy the love and mercy of Christ with impoverished women and their families, children born and unborn, celebrating together the full value of their lives, building together toward the future.

Missionary Midwifery

 “The beauty of midwifery within the context of cross-cultural Christian missions is simply this; there are no cultural, religious or political barriers to expressing the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ demonstrated through the hands of a Christian midwife.” – Krystina McNeil, CPM

Picture from the Shiphrah Birthing Home website