Miriam, midwifery, missions!

Well it has been a while, I thank you for joining me again, hope that you are all well and I apologise about my very infrequent blogging. Life has been a whirlwind these last few years and I will attempt to catch you up on the highlights.

I left you at the commencement of my midwifery studies down in Dorchester. I am happy to say that I am now a professional band 6 midwife working at the University Hospital of Wales.
 I had no idea what midwifery was or what it would entail when I said 'yes' to this God given adventure, however, I absolutely love it. I have now been working in Cardiff for nearly a year and a half and am trying to learn as much as I can in order to be as competent as possible for when I start working abroad as a missionary midwife.

God has been talking to me a lot about identity over the years. This has been one of the most important revelations that I have received and try to live by.
 When I went to be a missionary in Sri Lanka I had no job identity to give me security  or with which I could  boost myself or prove that 'I was somebody' thanks to the job title. On the contrary, I was learning that I was somebody because I was a child of God.  I was learning (and still am) what that means and what it looks like. After a few years, God then offered me a professional name- midwife - as I now know my identity in God and therefore do not find my identity or 'value' from being a midwife but continue to find it in God and have midwifery as a skill . I know in hindsight that this was in order for me to learn to have faith in God and to trust and rely on Him first and not in my own efforts and competencies.
This theme on identity linked in with the theme which God was talking to me during a recent visit to the Philippines (this month) where I had the privilege to volunteer at my friend Dominique's organisation which is centred in the severely impoverished area of Smokey Mountain.
The main theme this time was on adoption.  I was able to spend my birthday there this year and God spoke to me about my beginnings and what my life has become and how it is because of my parents adopting me, adoption into God's family and His love and His plans for me that it has become what it is.
When I was born I was then abandoned- I had absolutely nothing, to the point of not having a name, no possessions, no voice, no walking ability, no birth-date, literally nothing.  In court the judge even thought that it wasn't worth adopting me as I was so sick. Needless to say, I was not off to a great start! However, God saw beyond all the earthly circumstances and had a plan and a purpose which was beyond all that I could have imagined. It filled me with great gratitude to my parents for adopting me and the knowledge that God does care for all his children and that he does look after us like a father. The Drs had reported at the time that I was not going to be able to even survive the journey to the UK -however I have been able to travel to many countries over the last 10 plus years in order to share God's hope and love with many people. Knowing my identity in God has helped me to live my adoption to the full and be grateful for what God has done and is doing. It also allows me to enjoy my job and understand the privilege it is to support and share with women the birth of their baby and support them when necessary with bonding, loving and caring for their child.
The trip for me was so refreshing and awakened me and gave me an excitement to continue this mind boggling journey with God.