Transition is always a challenge. New places, new people, the unknown. As most all people feel, staying in your current location or situation always seems easier than changing. I am no different...usually. But this year I have experienced something new as a major life change has unfolded in my life. I absolutely attribute this difference to God. I feel His presence, I see His path (even if it's just the next single step for me to take and not the entire road), and I am seeking His wisdom. Joshua 1:9 has come to life in my heart and in my walk with God.
This journey began a few years ago. I met and befriended a fellow midwife, Doreen Lawton. She is a homebirth midwife who serves women in my region, and my practice has collaborated with her and accepted referrals when needed for hospital delivery. It has been a wonderful relationship for women to know that they are transferring to a safe and welcoming environment at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Doreen and I connected on many levels: as midwives, as wives, as lovers of tea, and most importantly as sisters in Christ. Doreen reminds me of a precious mentor of mine who has gone to be at home with God, Caroline Maddox. The peace of God, the firm foundation they stand on is palpable when you spend any amount of time with them ~ and it makes me want to know God on a deeper level.
Doreen and I often said, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could work together all the time? Wouldn't it be nice to offer women our services together? Wouldn't it be nice if...if...if..." But it didn't seem obtainable or reachable in our minds. But God stepped in, and God says, "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) Earlier this year, God heard the prayers of our hearts and began a journey to bring about these dreams we shared. Separately, God brought people into our lives and orchestrated events that led us to August 31, 2012 ~ the date that we said, "Ok God, if this is what you want for us, we're ready to follow Your lead. But You are going to have to do it." And then the whirlwind adventure took off, we've been clinging to Him and trying to keep up! Literally.
Journey of Life Midwifery Services was conceived that day, we have labored diligently and to exhaustion at times. And last night, December 15, 2012, we celebrated the birth of our practice with our open house in Seneca, SC. Looking back, the past 3 1/2 months have been hard, but I cannot fathom how fast things have happened! There is no other explanation but GOD! And, like women who are in labor and wonder if they can make it, when it is over it was all SO worth it. I am so thankful for the outpouring of God's blessings on our journey. Many people have labored as diligently as Doreen and I to help this come to fruition and I cannot express how thankful I am to them.
As with childbirth, the work doesn't end with the delivery of the baby. There is raising of that child to be done ~ and that is where we are now. Our practice is at its infancy and will need tender loving care to grow. But God is the author and finisher of this and I am trusting that He will continue to provide all we need.
I know many women who read this see me at my current job and wonder what is going to happen there. As of now, I am still working full-time at Women's Wellness Center. I've talked with both doctors about my plans and they are supportive of this transition (another answered prayer!). I do plan to work full-time in South Carolina as our clientele grows and can financially support us. I foresee this transition happening in the spring/early-summer of 2013, but it is in God's hands. I am trusting that God will provide all our needs for clients, for finances, and for our future. He has been faithful to us thus far and has promised us to continue to be faithful. "O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you." (Psalms 89:8) "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Psalms 115:1)
Transitions have always been hard for me. I worry, I stress, I can't sleep, I have headaches, I have muscle spasms; but not with this transition. I have experienced the peace that passes all understanding because I have not worried or been anxious about this venture. I sense the peace of God and His presence in this and I know that He is in control. For a self-professed control-freak, I'm actually greatly enjoying the feeling of not needing to be in control of this. I know that it is in good hands ~ the best hands in the universe! I am so thankful for that peace!
So this is the story of the Journey of Life Midwives! As John says in John 21:25, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that the whole world would not have room for all the books that would be written." I feel like I could go on for days listing all the blessings God has poured out on us and all the prayers, spoken and unspoken, that He has answered, but I know this blog entry must end. I will end by giving a few specifics about our new practice and our services. If we can serve you in any way, please contact us!
Journey of Life Midwifery Services
108 Nimmons Circle
Seneca, SC 29678
Doreen Lawton, LM, CPM and Denise Cochran, CNM - owners and midwives
JourneyofLife.net
facebook.com/JourneyofLifeMidwifery
Our initial services include childbirth classes, breastfeeding classes and support, free consultation for midwifery services, homebirth, doula services for hospital births, normal gynecological care. Our dream is to open a birth center and offer both homebirth and birth center services. We collaborate with Dr. Shannon Poole at Blue Ridge Women's Care at Oconee Medical Center in Seneca.
As God continues to lead us, we will follow. Our practice motto is "Serving God Through Midwifery" and this is what we pray daily ~ to serve and bring glory to God through our work.
