July 2009 e-News
Sunday, September 6th, 2009
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Quality care is what we are all about at Glory Reborn. We believe that if you are able to provide a woman with consistent, quality care throughout her pregnancy you have already made a powerful impact on her actual delivery. In order to continue offering the women of Cebu quality care at a low cost, we began praying for an ultrasound machine. Many of our mothers are referred to an outside laboratory for an ultrasound due to inaccurate dating of the pregnancy or suspected low fluid inside the womb or poor fetal growth. Because the women we are serving in the clinic are in the 46% of persons living on less than $2 a day it was nearly impossible to require them to have an ultrasound scan. So, we learned to go without the scan or in severe cases Glory Reborn would pay for the scan. We began praying for an ultrasound machine nearly two years ago. A year and a half ago God blessed us with the machine. It wasnt until June 2008 that the ultrasound machine was finally released to us from the customs department of the Philippines. During that year and half of waiting there were days where the frustration level was at it peak and it took everything in us to be courteous and learn to develop an overflow of patience. As frustrating and trying as that year and a half was dealing with customs and the health department God always has a master plan. It wasnt until this last month that I could so clearly see how Jesus truly works ALL things for His purpose and glory. Let me further explain. It so happened, through a midwifery student of mine, that we came in contact with an organization called Hope Imaging. Hope Imagining is a non-profit, Christian, organization that provides ultrasound training for health care providers both in the USA and internationally. You can probably see where this story is heading. If I had the ultrasound machine a year and a half ago, when we hadnt yet enrolled our student, we would not have been able to make this connection with Hope Imaging. So after applying for the training program, four amazingly gracious sonographers came to our little clinic in Cebu and began to train 8 of us in basic obstetrical sonography. The training was educational and practical and allowed us to scan over 50 pregnant mommies. We enjoyed not just the training but also fellowship with the four sonographers who have a similar vision to empower health care workers to serve the pregnant community in their area. We were honored and blessed beyond measure. 
Isnt God good? When we prayed for the ultrasound we assumed we would have to hire someone to help us at the clinic. We never thought to pray for a group of women to come train us on our new machine. Thank you Jesus! The ultrasound machine has already proved its worth just in these past three weeks. We have discovered so many useful bits of information that are helping us customize our pregnancy care to each individual mommy in the clinic. And as an added bonus we also discovered that two of our staff members are expecting little ones of their own! We are so happy for our staff members and feel so honored to have been able to connect with such an organization as Hope Imaging.
Through another amazing series of events David, myself and our dear friend JoRae, had the opportunity to meet the president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. We were then entertained over lunch by the local Cebu City counselors and Vice Mayor. We are thankful for the position that God has led us into with the city officials and we are cautiously moving forward to continue to serve the pregnant women of Cebu. 
Year to Date, Glory Reborn has raised 49% of our annual budget! We really need your help to meet our budget this year! Glory Reborn is a registered 501c-3 non profit organization.
Five Years, 1,436 Babies Later
Where has the time gone?! Glory Reborn Clinic has now been serving the mothers of Cebu City for five years. We could think of no better way to celebrate our five years of existence than to have a reunion party for our mothers and babies. We were thrilled to see that our babies are growing up healthy and happy. From baby number 2 to baby number 1432 it was a party for all ages. It was even harder to believe that some of Glory Reborns babies started kindergarten this year. For David and I it was a day of awe and thanks for all that God has done. As I looked out at nearly 400 smiling moms and growing babies and toddlers my heart overflowed. It started with a simple vision to help one mother who had no where to delivery her baby. The one turned into 100 and the 100 turned into 1,000 until I found myself in a crowd of so many special mothers and babies, each with their own story to tell. Stories of miraculous births, stories of twin deliveries, stories of finding hope and peace, stories of finding a safe place to deliver their little miracle, stories of hope for this generation, stories of the faithfulness of Jesus evident in each big and little life. Stories that beat the odds of the country for maternal and infant deaths. And a story that is more than just a story….Life through a God that knows each of these little names and faces. The story of believing there is still hope for the mothers and babies of Cebu; for this generation.
Thanks to each of you that have believed together with us for the families of Cebu. Enjoy the pictures below and know that these are the faces of your dollars.
Here is a Collage of the Event:
Dear Friends,
Welcome to another edition of Glory Reborn e-News! This month has blown by, and we have had some successful deliveries as well as some interesting interactions with the local government. It seems there is a growing relevance for Glory Reborn here in Cebu City. While we are flattered by the necessity, we are hopeful that the city government would partner with us to improve the conditions of the healthcare system.
Greetings! With each month our hearts grow more and more anxious to see what all the Lord has in store for Glory Reborn. We find ourselves continually pressed for space, which is a problem, that we are happy to have. We are confident that it means our staff is doing a great job and that the care and treatment you receive at Glory Reborn contrasts sharply with the alternatives in the city. Although we are ecstatic to have so many patients, we are continuing on our search for a new building. Each week we look at new places all over the city but we have yet to find one that is in very good condition. It is amazing how in just a few years many houses and buildings become so dilapidated. One building we visited last week was only 4 years old, but termites had eaten away the structure and the corrugated roof had rusted over and caved in. We are still looking into the school building we first saw, but the owner is hesitant to repair the building. We are confident that the right building is available, so we continue to look. We know that as God increases the number of mommies in our program He will also multiply the space for them to be cared for safely.
Part of our growth as we previously mentioned, has been due to changes at the one public hospital (Cebu City Medical Center or CCMC) that serves the city. We had been informed by the hospital and the city council that CCMC would only take high risk and emergency cases. All normal cases would be referred out of the hospital for home delivery or delivery in a maternity center. Although I think this is a very dangerous idea, we were willing to pick up the slack of some of the normal deliveries. After a few meetings and phone calls, we also thought that these changes would have little to no affect on the emergency cases that come to our clinic, so we were confident we could still transport these patients to the hospital for emergency care. It sounded good in theory. However this month has shown us the severity of the situation, and the stark reality of less developed countries.
We had a client who had been seen by our obstetrician and then appraised for a cesarean section due to complications that were deemed high risk. When she went to CCMC for her scheduled cesarean section they refused to accept her. The problem: she was not yet in labor. She came back to Glory Reborn, and after caring for the patient at the clinic for the night we then called CCMC in the morning to inform them that the patients labor had started and she was ready to come to the hospital with all of her supplies for her cesarean section. Our patient then returned to CCMC, but upon arrival the doctor again refused the patient and informed us that she must first have a trial of labor at our clinic. The poor patient came back again and now we had in our hands a woman who still needs a cesarean section but is being refused by the only choice she has: the public hospital. To make a very long story short our poor patient had to stay at the clinic for 16 hours where she finally went into active labor. Back I went with the patient (and this time my mom who was visiting) and we went straight into the ER. After 45 minutes of waiting for a doctor, she came, examined our patient on a bloody table where a delivery had just taken place and then began to scold me for bringing the client in. Again, for the record, our client had been appraised prior to labor, and our obstetrician deemed that she would have to deliver via a cesarean section, yet this doctor continued to scold me and tell me that she would never perform a cesarean on my patient. Tearfully my mother and I drove back to the clinic now well past 2 a.m. Tired and exhausted, we arrived only to find another woman in labor. We rejoiced when she had a beautiful, normal delivery, however the previous situation still loomed over our heads. In the morning when we finished our shift, we stopped by the hospital to see how our patient was doing. She was still in the labor room and had yet to be scheduled for cesarean section! She had now been in labor for over 24 hours and been appraised for cesarean section 48 hours ago and was still laying in a dirty labor room just waiting for her baby to be born naturally. It was clear that the situation was out of our control. Later that day, we again followed up with the patient who was attempting to try and push her baby out on her own. Since we are not allowed in the delivery room, we waited and prayed. By that evening 36 hours after labor started and 60 hours after she was appraised for cesarean section she was finally on the board for a cesarean section. Now the family had to go and find a matching blood donor and purchase more supplies for mom and baby. After twenty-six hours in the hospital, our dear patient had a cesarean section! Our mom did well and baby stayed at the hospital for a few days due to distress and infection from a lengthy labor! Ironically, this was the exact thing that we were trying to prevent. Had the poor patient received her cesarean on time when first appraised things could have gone a whole lot smoother for everyone! So by this point David and I decided this was just not fair and something had to be done. After speaking with the local Dept. of Health we were advised to make arrangements with a private hospital if we wanted better treatment for our patients. However, our patients cannot afford private care, nor can Glory Reborn shoulder all the costs. So the search began to find a hospital that would give more than a generous discount to our poor clients. Meanwhile I found myself again in a similar situation. A patient had come in for her prenatal checkup. The babys heartbeat was far below normal. We went to the hospital where we were sent back to the clinic because they would only accept our print out of the babys terrible heartbeat after it has been four hours! If the babys heart beat was still poor at four hours we should CALL back. Meanwhile we are trying to find somewhere to take the patient but she has no husband and no moneyliterally. Four hours goes on and we do all that we can at the clinic together with our OB but the patient is not in labor and the babys heartbeat is still terrible. So we call the hospital. Can we bring in our patient we have four hours of poor fetal heart tones recorded so on and so forth? The doctor on the other lines explains to me that they have no fetal monitor at CCMC and that the only means of listening to the babys heartbeat is via a stethoscope. Furthermore, the one anesthesiologist for the hospital, thats right, one, has the night off so she would not been scheduled for cesarean until morning if she did in fact need one. Now Im crying because I have a mom who wants to save her baby, a staff that wants to save a baby, no money to go private and a doctor in a hospital that is refusing our case! Which is not entirely her fault since there is no equipment in the city hospital and one anesthesiologist who probably needs and deserves more than one night off! However in the moment it was beyond upsetting. So I call a public hospital that serves persons from outside the city. (A provincial hospital.) My voice still shaking as I tell the story of my poor patient whos baby is dying by the minute. She tells me that she is not allowed to take patients from the city. Now my voice is really shaking and Im just trying to believe that by a miracle this woman could go into labor and only by a miracle would her baby survive. I do believe in miracles. As Im getting ready to hang up the phone planning what Im going to do with my staff who just would not handle listening to a baby slowly die on a monitor the doctor on the other ends says, Okay come in and we will tell them your client is from the province! Hallelujah! I can work with this. Since we had another two women in labor, David and a midwife get into the car as fast as possible and drive to the provincial hospital to find the doctor waiting for them at the door. She took our patient straight in and listened to the babys heart beat. Just in the 70s now and so weak. Within ten minutes the patient had a cesarean section! Baby survived and so did our hearts! But the problem is more than apparent. The city just doesnt care about its pregnant mothers and they are not making any steps to work towards a better future for them. So we have found a private hospital who will accept our clients. Although the cost is still high at least there is a glimpse of hope for patients in extreme emergencies. I am so thankful for the doctor who had compassion on our patient. They are hard to find and we could never say thank you enough!
So generally, Glory Reborn is expanding with the number of patients we serve, in the number of women we will be able to keep in house, and with the private hospitals of the city to bring awareness and a better future for the pregnant women and infants of Cebu. Thank you for literally saving four lives and many hearts this month! Just as our hearts are indebted to the kindness of the doctor our hearts could never fully express what your prayers and donations do each and every day in Cebu City. Thank you.
Blessings,
Hilary & David
Sometimes, its better not to have any expectations. That way, when something happens, youre simply there in the moment, neither disappointed nor amazed. At least, thats been my experience during my recent trip to the Philippines. Over there, things dont happen for any particular reason; they just happen. To abandon expectations does not translate into apathy or irresponsibility; rather it means you learn to handle things as youre given them, when youre given them.
In the Philippines, hospitals close for no apparent reason, turning away helpless patients; stores and restaurants are often out of stock; children go hungry while their parents gamble what little money they have in a cock flight; children with no hope for tomorrow are taken in by loving orphanages; the rich take advantage of the needy, and in a small clinic a new life enters the world everyday. Expectations are a lost cause in the Philippines because, truly, you never know what is going to happen.
One of the phrases I found myself repeating while I was there was, The Filipinos have shot themselves in the foot yet again! For example, there is an ongoing battle between the mayor and a barangay or neighborhood called Lahug. During the recent local elections, the barangay captain accused the incumbent mayor of inactivity. To prove the contrary, the mayor ceased construction of a new school in that barangay and will not resume construction until the barangay captain apologizes. Sadly, until they swallow their pride, the children are left without a school.
Similarly, due to rampant corruption and mismanagement, the public hospital of Cebu has decided to down-size and now only accepts emergency cases. This leaves moms with normal pregnancies to deliver in the local health centers with hilots, or government trained medical specialists. Honestly, I wouldnt let them change a dressing on me with the medical training theyve had. And so, the circle of destruction continues.
However, in the midst of all this, I found hope. I found hope for the Philippines in one simple truth: we CAN EXPECT God to continue the work he started in the Philippines. Each little life that is born in the clinic is a symbol of hope, innocence and what can be.
The city councilman I had the privilege of spending the day with is genuinely concerned about the people he represents and works for their benefit. His colleagues look for ways to take advantage of those they serve. He was a refreshing reminder of goodness. We met with a doctor whose interest in partnering with Glory Reborn to conduct STI research reminded us of Gods continuing provision. So, what exactly can we expect God to do?
As the clinic grows, we expect God will provide a new building. We expect God will continue to provide the financial resources necessary to operate the clinic. We expect God to provide discernment, strength and wisdom to Hilary and David as they look to the future. We expect God to have a plan and a purpose for each mom and baby who come through the clinic. And lastly, we expect God to continue to receive all the glory for everything that has been accomplished.
In small ways and in big ones, God reminded me of His complete faithfulness while I was there. In the midst of chaos, in the midst of asking why, God is there. HE is order and reason; HE is good. So, while it is sometimes wise to abandon expectations, especially in the Philippines where anything can happen, we can never forget to expect God. – JoRae Bishop
As we mentioned last month, we are eagerly searching for a new building. Our first time out, turned up two houses, that had some potential, but needed a lot of work. David was having scenes flash into his head from the movie The Money Pit. Fortunately, we continued on. The next location was an abandoned mattress factory. It still needed some work, but we would have more than enough space, as a matter of fact, we think it is larger than the City hospital. Okay so maybe you can have too much of a good thing. So we still kept looking. Then we visited an old school building. It has a wonderful layout, has more than enough room, but not too much, and is one of the only lots in the Philippines that is not entirely concrete! There is actually a yard, with grass and trees! The only catch is that it is a bit run-down. David did not have same movie flashbacks, but we are talking with the owners to see if they will renovate it. We want a lot of our concerns to be addressed before we make a move. This location is situated in the community that around half our patients call home, which is ideal. It would also give us room to grow especially with the potential of a laboratory on the horizon. With its divided layout, we would be able to segregate the operations and utilize the yard to be a wonderful waiting area for the patients and their families. Can you tell we have vision for this place? I hope so.
As we mentioned before, we are starting a building fund that would be enough to purchase the property. Thankfully, property is relatively inexpensive here. Owning our own building would reduce our monthly budget by 13%! This would allow us to use these monthly funds on other crucial projects. Our hope is to find something that we can rent first and then purchase later. We hope each of you will be inspired to help Glory Reborn in this new opportunity!
Well this month, we would really like to thank Homes of Hope International, one of our Australian Partners, as they made a financial contribution to Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies & Hopeful Hearts! Through their generosity we will be able to continue serving and assisting moms here in Cebu!
That Glory Reborn now employees 23 people! Believe it or not, it take a lot of well-trained staff members to run a 24 hour clinic. All of our staff are committed to our vision of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, & Hopeful Hearts!
While the cost of staff can sometimes seem like a large economic burden, we tend to view it as a tool for development. On top of the babies, moms, and families that Glory Reborn directly reaches, we have also created financial stability for 23 families, some of these families for nearly 4 years!
These families would all like to say thanks to you this month, and we at Glory Reborn all pray that the same Blessings you have show us, would be shown back to you!
And a Special Thanks to JoRae and Holly!
Blessings,
Hilary & David
Welcome to another edition of Glory Reborn e-News! We have some long overdue news to share and just wanted to let you know of all the exciting things happening in Cebu!
As the year progresses it is ever apparent that Glory Reborn is growing in leaps and bounds. We have nearly doubled our patient load due to the hospital crisis in Cebu City. I guess it was more than fitting that we started the month with TWINS. This marks our third set of twin babies this year. Baby boys Lance David and Laurence Dave were born in the wee hours of the morning on May 8, 2007 as babies number four and five to Ellenita. The two boys were born just eight minutes apart without any complications. They each weighed 4.12 pounds are such a little bundle of joy! We were very blessed to be apart of another beautiful delivery. The increased number of twins born at Glory Reborn seem to be a clear reflection of what is happening in the clinic….we are growing…quickly…two by two! We have reached maximum capacity numerous times these past two months and are happy to offer these laboring women a place to deliver safely as the city hospital is no longer an option for normal cases. However it has brought us to the reality of needing a larger facility. Our six beds for labor and delivery need to be doubled at least. As it is now we are keeping women in the pre-natal check-up areas and in the midwives room! It is a GREAT problem to have as this is the heart behind Glory Reborn. Offering a place of refuge and safe delivery for the many poor mothers and families of Cebu. However, we are looking into renovating a larger building in the same neighborhood. We ask for your prayers and continued support as we try to reach out to more and more mothers with the heart of Jesus. Our prayer is that Glory Reborn would continue to not just be a practical extension of the love of Jesus but also continue to be a light of hope and place of refuge for the discouraged and abused pregnant women of Cebu City.
To help with our ever increasing patient load we have also added three new staff members to our organization. We have added new nursing staff which allows us, together with our two fabulous doctors, to treat more clients in the clinic. We have also expanded our intern program to accommodate more interns who will also help out with the client load. We are currently training three foreign interns in midwifery together with our new nursing staff. Each Tuesday afternoon at Glory Reborn before our AIDS and STD awareness lectures we hold classes for our interns and new employees. We strongly believe that as we grow in numbers we must also grow in our knowledge, confidence, and prayer life! We do hope to continue to take more midwife/nurse interns as the year progresses. It is always exciting to have new hearts eager to learn and serve. We are so very proud of our Filipino staff that have become confident and caring midwives who continue to have a heart for the poor of their country. New staff, new babies, in ones and twos, and a new building seem to be where the Lord is leading Glory Reborn Org. in this month of June.
Glory Reborn has been able to establish some very key connections locally which have already helped us be able to expand our vaccination program. We are now able to vaccinate every newborn against hepatitis B, and tuberculosis. Our mothers are now being vaccinated against tetanus and receiving HIV awareness and STD treatments. Where we have not been able to provide quality care is in the area of newborn metabolic screening. However it is not just a problem that Glory Reborn has but in fact a city wide matter of greatest concern. Shockingly, there is NO NEWBORN SCREENING laboratory in the whole of Cebu City. A city of over 2 million persons and not one laboratory is offering newborn metabolic screening. If you did want to have your newborn screened for metabolic diseases it would require that you send a blood sample to the capital, Manila. This is a very expensive option and accuracy cannot be assured due to local travel options. Having met with the Department of Health both locally and nationally, the need for a newborn screening center in Cebu was again raised. Both parties would be eager to see Glory Reborn open up a screening center yet no government allowance for the project has been reserved for Cebu. It would be assumed that since the samples are sent to Manila there are no other screening centers on the entire island of Cebu! Glory Reborn would respectfully like to ask you for your consideration in joining with us to offer a newborn metabolic screening laboratory in Cebu City. Currently the project would involve finding a laboratory location, hiring and training staff, seeking government support and raising funding in order to maintain the services available to those poorest 20% of the nations population. If you are interested in partnering with Glory Reborn Organization for this program please contact us. We would also hope that this would be a self-sustaining program that would also subsidize the operations of the clinic currently.
Our friendship and partnership with Australia continues to grow. We are currently preparing the documentation to embark on a pilot study of STIs in the Philippines. After meeting with the national director of STIs for the Philippine Department of Health, it was apparent to us that this research is timely. Due to limitations, the government at this time is only able to perform STI testing on the At Risk population, meaning that there is little to no research done on the general population. While this is a decision that they regretfully make, they are excited about our study and eager to see the results.
We are also meeting with the mayor of Cebu regarding some joint efforts to improve the quality of medical care here in the city!
Please pray that we are able to find key partners both here in Cebu, as well as Australia and that this will move forward quickly!
We have some other great news, the Adopt A Mom program is back online. For those of you who do not know about it, I encourage you to visit our website and learn more, and once you have read about it, why not adopt one of our patients? It is now all online, and you will receive confirmation of your order and email updates about your mom. This is a great way to connect with Glory Reborn, and truly make a difference in someones life.
For those of you who are familiar with the program, you might notice that adopting a mom now costs $35. (I guess even moms give into inflation, only joking) Honestly, the reason for the price adjustment is that the Philippine Peso – US Dollar exchange rate has dropped dramatically in the last 18 months. Around this time last year $1 was worth 53 Pesos, and now it is only worth 45 Pesos! It continues to drop and to put it simply: we now need to raise an additional 20 cents for every dollar we are raising! (That is a 20% increase in our cost of operating!) We are hoping that the rate will correct itself, but in the meantime, our proposed budget is being adjusted as we now need more Dollars to cover our operations (which is in Pesos). As mentioned we are also looking for more fundraising and sustainable projects here, as well as abroad to cover these fluctuations.
Visit our Online Support Section, to Adopt a Mom today!
That Glory Reborn will meet its operating budget if 100 people will donate $50 a month! Or if 200 people will donate $25 a month. With that money we will provide care for over 700 women, including STI screening, prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum checkups, infant immunization, and so much more. There has never been a better time to help!
Glory Reborn wants to thank each and everyone of you for your continued support, and on a personal note, as we just marked our fourth year wedding anniversary, we want to thank you for making the last four years the most memorable and enjoyable experiences of our lives! I think we are some of the most privileged people in the world, as we get to do what we love, in a place that really needs it. Our hope and goal is that each of you will feel the same privilege as you are equally sharing in this cause!
Blessings,
Hilary & David
Welcome to another edition of Glory Reborn e-News! We have some exciting stories to share this month, as we have now delivered 1,000 Healthy Babies!
Glory Reborn is so very excited to announce the arrival of Jeremei Sumarago born on April 15, 2007 at 1:20PM to Eliza and Teddy Sumarago. Jeremei is Glory Reborns 1,000th delivery! The very happy Sumarago family won the long awaited basket of baby goodies and the midwives had a celebration. This was the third baby boy for 24 year old Eliza who had a very normal labor and delivery. Leading up to baby 1,000 the Glory Reborn Staff were eager to see who would be the winner. Eliza couldnt have been a better example of the heart behind Glory Reborn. Eliza came to us in her 8th month of pregnancy. Though we do not regularly accept women beyond the 7th month of pregnancy, after discussing her case we decided to allow her to attend pre-natal care at Glory Reborn. Eliza had no job and her husband also was currently out of work. When Eliza arrived on Sunday morning in labor she was alone with no diaper bag or change of clothes for herself. As we admitted her for labor she began to tell us about her last few days. Her one year old, born April 2006, had been admitted into the hospital for convulsions and high fever. She herself was exhausted, hungry and covered with a skin infection from toes to arms. (Bacterial skin infections are quite common here due to poor living standards.) She was not exactly the mom that we had pictured for our 1,000 delivery. Stereotypically I think we all had in mind a happy couple who were eagerly awaiting their newborns arrival and here was Eliza, covered in rashes, all alone and with nothing. She most certainly was not as excited about this baby as the staff all was. But how perfect was this!?! How could we have a better representation of Glory Reborn for baby number 1,000 than Eliza?
She represented the very women that we came to reach. The poor, the hopeless, the exhausted, the lonely, the sick and of course the pregnant. She was the perfect mommy to receive a baby bath full of all kinds of wonderful baby stuff. She was the mommy that needed all the diapers, clothes, blankets, toys, nail cutters, bath soap, cotton, and outfits. She came with nothing and would leave with more than what two people could carry. I was honored to deliver baby 1,000. We prepared the basket for a baby girl as the ultrasound had stated and were shocked to see a baby boy gently welcomed into the hands of our intern and myself. It was a boy! Camera flashes we going off and midwives were clapping as Jeremei began to cry. He was the man of the hour! Even our security guard came up after to take a picture! Weighing in at 6.14 pounds Jeremei was healthy and ever so cute. Poor little guy got passed around for about a zillion pictures before and after his first bath and was dressed from head to toe in his new blue and white outfits. Eliza was so proud to have her baby and her new basket of goodies in the postpartum area with the other moms she was simply glowing! Her husband was eager to see the new little one and hear of the surprise they had won. How did we ever get to baby 1,000? It seemed like it went so fast. 1,000 healthy moms and babies delivered in our humble three bedroom apartment on Cabreros St. 1,000 deliveries without any clinical deaths. 1,000 little lives who will someday impact a nation. When the vision came to me to start a maternity clinic for the poor in Cebu 1,000 sounded impossible. To have baby 1,000 born into my hands was more than humbling and overwhelming. Hearing Jeremeis strong cry sounded more like the singing of angels to my ears. Tears and laughter and shouts of praise filled my heart and mouth. A vision that had been placed in my heart was now an overwhelming reality. We did it! Our amazing Filipino staff has helped us birth a 1,000 babies! What can I say but Praise the Lord for He is worthy to be praised!. Thank you for joining in the celebration of birthing a generation in Cebu, Philippines with us. We are eagerly awaiting to see the next batch of 1,000 and what Jesus will continue to do in and through us and Glory Reborn Org. Many, many, many thanks for your hearts that are reaching the Elizas and the Jeremeis of Cebu.
Over the Easter holidays, two visitors from Sydney, Australia came to see Glory Reborn. It was a welcomed visit and they have committed to a continuing partnership with Glory Reborn and our to assist in funding our operations here. We are very excited about this development, as they are board members a large charitable organization that assists other charities worldwide.
As we have marked the milestone of delivering 1,000 babies, it is becoming clear to us that we are in desperate need of a bigger facility. The three bedroom apartment that we have utilized for the last three years has served us well, but it is time for Glory Reborn to expand its horizons. This year we will be starting a Capital fund that will go directly to helping Glory Reborn find a larger, more suitable facility. In the meantime, we are beginning to search for a larger facility that we can use. Ideally, we would like to find a place that we can lease to own. If you are interested in partnering with us in this aspect, please earmark your check Capital Fund and it will be allocated. Our goal is to provide the highest quality healthcare that we can, in the best facility available.
Tragically this month it has become more apparent than ever that something must be done in Cebu City. We have an ongoing relationship with the government hospital, which is supposed to cater to anyone in the city who cannot afford private medical care. They informed us this month, that along with the closing of their laboratory, x-ray, and general ward departments, that they will no longer be accepting women for normal delivery. They will only be accepting emergency cases. Our shock and dismay does not begin to cover what we are feeling, and we yet to have any clear answers from the government or the hospital administration regarding the reasons behind this shift. All we know is that the hospital is now referring all normal patients to our clinic! While we admire the flattery, we are a bit concerned about the healthcare problem that the city is facing, if indeed the government will continue to outsource its hospital operations! There seems to have never been a better time or place for Glory Reborn to be offering free care! Thank you for continuing to help us provide our patients with care, dignity, cleanliness, and the best medical service that they deserve!
Visit our Baby 1000 Photo Album to see all the photos.
Blessings,
Hilary & David
Welcome to another edition of Glory Reborn e-News! We have some exciting stories to share this month, and thought the old adage: “A picture is worth a thousand words is befitting.” So without further adieu…
We are eager to tell you about what has been happening at Glory Reborn and our connections with the Royal Hospital for Women in Australia. Several months ago David and Hilary just happened to meet an OB-GYN doctor in Cebu who was on a short trip and looking into the situation of women in Cebu City. By nothing short of Gods perfect timing John Eden, Hilary and David met for lunch and an instant connection was made. We spent the better half of the afternoon talking about womens health in Cebu and how we felt the Lord was leading us in our ministry and clinic. An offer was made by John to come to Australia and speak at the hospital he is a part of. So, not knowing fully what we were getting into but trusting Gods plan David and I boarded a plane bound for Sydney. We were overwhelmed by the interest, hospitality and eagerness extended to us and Glory Reborn. After spending a few days at this amazing womens hospital we were able to speak to the head of each department and the chief of hospital. We are now embarking on a dream of mine to have a funded research project on the STD and HIV rate of infected mothers in Cebu City. As there is no accurate or current data available, we will be meeting with the head of the Philippine Dept. of Health this April to verify and coordinate with local information and laboratories to further our studies. I am hopeful that knowing these statistics will in fact not just improve the lives of Filipino women but save lives. Over the last year of testing the women of Glory Reborn for such infections and working with our local OB-GYN we have seen a drastic improvement in the number of healthy babies we are delivering with less complications in pregnancy and a dramatic decrease in our pre-term deliveries. I am excited at what further research will reveal and how it will affect not just the women of Cebu but the women of the Philippines. We are so grateful that just a simple meeting at a mall in Cebu would turn into an opportunity to have a research project take place at Glory Reborn. We also want to thank John and Barbara Eden for their hospitality and touring of Sydney. Thanks!
Following in the footsteps of our Sydney trip, Hilary and intern Emily had the opportunity to give a two day lecture in Davao City on our STD findings in Cebu and proper techniques for screening. We spent our time testing as many women as we could fit into one Saturday and confirmed our hunch that better data does need to be collected in the Philippines and information needs to be given to women about their cancer risks. Many of the women screened did not even know that cancer could effect them.
In between all of our teachings and travels we did get a chance to take our foster daughter, Jhanin, for her first boat trip to the next island and spend a day at the beach! She was ever so excited to see that a world beyond Cebu existed!
Glory Reborn would also like to thank our two German nurses, Ilka and Doris, who worked with us this very busy month at Glory Reborn. We are also eager to be taking on summer volunteers and hiring two new staff members in order to increase the number of patients we can serve. Thanks to each of you for furthering Glory Reborn in our care to Filipino mothers. We are so appreciative of the LIFE you are helping us bring in as we celebrate HIS LIFE this Easter.
Blessings,
Hilary & David
Greetings everyone! Thank you for taking time to support Glory Reborn Organization. We have had another very successful month of normal deliveries We have been able to focus a lot of our attention this month on educating our mothers to be and sharing the joy of Jesus with them.
In November, Glory Reborn will be sending some of our staff to a Living Waters conference. This is a conference led by international leaders and it will discuss the depth of Jesus healing in our emotional lives. We are working on sponsoring our staff members to go. If you would be interested in sponsoring one of our staff members, please earmark your check for Living Waters. Thank you for your help!
Greetings to you from Glory Reborn Org! Thank you for taking time to support our ministry. Glory Reborn is continuing to serve the poor of Cebu by offering Free maternal services to our pregnant neighbors. To date we have delivered over 800 babies and have had the opportunity to touch thousands of lives. We have just expanded our services to include new lab work and prenatal testing for our pregnant mothers in hopes of giving them the very best service possible with little cost. We believe that in offering practical services to the poor their hearts would be opened to the realities of the love, hope, and future that Jesus has for them and their newborn baby. Thank you for sowing into the kingdom with us.
This has been a month of experiencing the realities of life particularly life in Cebu City. Though we walk through tragedies we have a great HOPE in Jesus who daily renews our strength! This month, one of our dear patients husband was murdered in his home in the graveyard. This poor mother already lost two children this year to potassium deficiency and now a husband. We also had two patients admitted into the hospital for potassium deficiency treatment due to lack of proper nutrition. Another one of Glory Reborns patients was bitten by a rat three times in her home that is built over an open sewer flowing to the ocean. After the scare of rabies and a lot of prayer she is recovering well and has regained full use of her leg. Yet in the midst of a lot of hardship and tragedy, the Lord has been teaching us how to renew our strength. The test of this strength came with two stillborn deliveries. Though our strength was tested victory was in Jesus as we were able to pray with each mother and give her an eternal hope in Jesus. We were also able to pray with one of our security guards to receive this eternal hope as well. Roland, our guard, is suffering from double kidney failure and needs a miracle to survive. But perhaps the greatest miracle has already happenedhis spirit is alive and well in Jesus. Though it has been a month of feeling like the earthly bodies and medicines have failed, the spirit has been so alive working in hurting and desperate hearts.
We held an all night prayer meeting with our staff in order to seek out what the Lord was doing this month and we had such a wonderful time with Jesus being renewed and refreshed. We were reminded that the joy of the Lord is our strength. In each situation we are learning to find that joy and the promise HE has for us in order that we can continue to serve and not grow weary! That the joy that gives us strength would be a joy and a hope for those we are serving. I cannot myself imagine the realities of living in a graveyard or lacking so much nutrition that I must be hospitalized to receive it or living in a home where rats run freely, but I can imagine the joy that overflows in Jesus for my staff, our patients, you and me. Though our outward surroundings and circumstances may vary drastically the faithfulness of who Jesus is and the promise He gives us remains constant to every nation, every person, and in every situation.
Besides a reminder of the joy and hope of the Lord that month has been encouraging in the reason we are here in Cebu City offering a charity clinic. This month a young women and her fetus (not a part of our clinic) died unnecessarily at a city hospital here after being admitted more than 26 hours prior without any complications. (related story)
It was made clear to our hearts that though this month has been filled with tragedies, we are making a difference and we are meeting a need. Women should not fear childbirth but receive quality care with familiar faces that will celebrate the life to come. This tragedy in Cebu has stirred up a lot of fear for pregnant women in the city. Thankfully Glory Reborn is able to offer reassurance through our professional staff and education and though the protection and grace of Jesus. Glory Reborn feels truly blessed by Jesus that we have not encountered any maternal deaths though we are working with extremely high risk and malnourished mothers. Truly it is by the grace of God. Each month we have a have a party to celebrate the lives born and the mothers share their testimonies of Glory Reborn. They feel safe, loved, excited and the hope of Jesus fills their hearts. The moms love to gather together for worship and give praise and thanks to Jesus for the life He has given because, those who hope in the Lord will NOT be disappointed!!
We also had a beautiful encounter with a young woman from the neighborhood. She was a 26 year old mother of four who was not pregnant but came to clinic because she heard we would pray for people who were having a hard time. We gladly accepted her and listened to her story. As Gods timing is always perfect, part of her situation involved a husband that was away as a seaman. The staff member that was present that day at Glory Reborn has a husband who is also a seaman! She was able to relate well with our staff and receive prayer. Her deepest concern was that Jesus would not hear her prayers because she was a sinner. We were able to share with her that though we all have sin through the blood of Jesus we can enter into the fullness of all of the goodness HE has for each of us. She spent over two hours at the clinic crying, sharing and receiving prayer and renewing her relationship with Jesus as a gracious and loving Father who longs to hear His children. We were so blessed that she felt she could come to our clinic not for pregnancy help but for spiritual guidance and prayer. Above all this is the desire of Glory Reborn, to see the glory of Jesus reborn in the hearts of His children. This month glory has truly been reborn in the lives of so many hurting hearts. Hallelujah for life, joy, and a hope that renews our strength!
Our commitment is to provide FREE care to the less fortunate mothers of Cebu, to provide a financial solution for all of our staff, & to spread the Love of Jesus. 100% of your donations go directly to our patients and providing this care. Hilary & I receive no salary or benefits from any of these operations, and to be honest, it is our greatest joy that every cent goes towards those who really need it the most! Thank you for being a part of this ministry!
with our three doctors, as well as volunteer doctors for the event, we were able to give complete cervical and breast cancer screening, ultrasound scanning to each woman that needed it, biopsies, health teachings on womenʼs
the community of sea gypsies know as the Badjao. Many of you have heard me mention these women in previous letters but this summer Glory Reborn was able to make a more solid relationship with this community. By partnering with the government entities working in the Badjao community, we have developed a pregnancy and delivery program that caters directly to these poorest of the poor women. We have enrolled several of them into our program with special privileges and hope to change the maternal death rate in this area of the city where it is currently the highest. These women are hesitant to seek medical care due to cultural beliefs and a lack of income. We are excited to be working with the government and with the indigenous peoples of this area. Together with the El Paso youth, we also distributed school supplies and bags to a “school” that has started in this Badjao community. By “school” I mean a bamboo hut on stilts over the largest area of sea water mixed with sewage one can imagine. The kiddos were so eager to receive their supplies and bags and have an afternoon of games and fun with a room full of Americans! We were just happy that the school on stilts held up with all the jumping kiddos and additional people. God was good! The youth also got to minister along side a friend of ours who serves in the dumpsite where thousands of families live. Overall it was a successful trip of service to local Cebuanos and we were happy to see this next generation of youth catch the heart and vision to serve those in need around them. Thank you to all the youth and leaders who came we appreciate all of you!
June 2007 Newsletter
Welcome to another edition of Glory Reborn e-News! This month we were blessed to have some wonderful visitors: Holly and JoRae. JoRae wrote the following to share with each of you, as sometimes it is difficult for us to convey the reality of life here, since we have grown accustomed to it.