Sacred Stairwells

Picture this. Today I was sitting in the stairwell of an apartment with 2 ladies, refugees from Burma- one who is translating for the other while we are going over medical history. Why were we in the stair well, you may ask. Well, because the apartments were being sprayed for bedbugs- classic(at least to anyone who might be reading this who has had the priveledge to work with refugees, or others who live in cheap apartments).

Why were we talking about medical history, you may also ask? This woman- we will call her Paw Moo, and I had just returned from her first American OB appointment. There were no translators at the midwifery, which is understandable, they are a small practice and see alot of public aid cases. It's not an excuse, in fact, if it weren't for the fact that the midwife is so good with the non- english speakers, I would have insisted they paid the $5.00/min and called the language line or we would have gone elsewhere.

Anyways, at the appointment there were lots of things that you simply can't mime to a woman who doesn't really have a concept of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure or "family history". So we did what we could and told the midwife we would bring the answers when we came for the next appointment.

While we were at the appointment, her son said he missed his Pipi(grandma) and it struck me how alone her family is here. In one sense, they have lots of friends here and good community, but in another sense they are kind of outsiders. They are the only family from their ethnic group in the area and one of very few Buddhist families. I am not sure what their situation was, why they came etc,. The rest of their family stayed or died, so it is only them and they are expecting no one else. I have seen in the last few months the amazing ways that God has used Burmese Christians to reach out to them. Random side note/ reflection. Back to the story.

We went back to her apartment where we found Khin Win (not her real name) waiting on the front step because her apartment was being sprayed for bedbugs too. Khin Win is a single woman who came to the US last year. All of her familiy is dead. She is super saavy and an excellent translator, but I hate to aske her to translate all the time as though all of her worth lies solely in her ability to communicate. She doesn't mind, I know, but still.... However today, as Providence would have it, there she stood with nothing better to do that to set up a confidential meeting in the stair well.

As we talked Orkin was passing through and chatting with us. The Mesketian Turk man from upstairs came down to ask us what was going on- he hadn't gotten/understood the memo about Orkin (he doesn't have a volunteer).

So sorry, Paw Moo, please pause in your story about your mothers death from heart disease while we sort out your neighbor...

Khin Win explains to him whats going on and he says " I no English speak good" so we mime bedbugs- no luck.. aha! Lets call another Mesketian Turk who has had bed bugs and they can chat in Russian.

Ring Ring- "Hi Mustafa, its Jessica, is your wife there?" -- "No, she job"--"okay, well this man..."-- "One minute Jessica, my friend talk- he good good English speak"-- "Spaciba Mustafa." I explain the bed bug situation ( or "big butt" situation, as Mustafa's wife mistakenly told her apartment manager once) to Mustafa's friend who translates on the phone while Paw Moo and I continue our conversation.

"So your mom had heart disease? Did she die because of the heart disease?" Paw Moo said ,"yes" then went into the story of the day her mother died suddenly while visiting the Buddhist temple. It was terrible. It didn't have anything to do with heart disease. We continued on.

Paw Moo and her husband did not want to have another child. From conversations we had when she first found out she was pregnant (after I set the alarms off with the first pregnancy tests I have ever bought--potentially embarassing) she talked about how she and her husband really wanted her to work and for them to get on solid ground in America before having any more children. She became a little excited as it settled in, but they were still unhappy.

Today I learned the real reason why.

Before her mother died she saw an astrologist or sorts who said that if Paw
Moo had another baby, the baby would die. She and her husband are worried about this and can't get it out of their minds, they think about it everyday and everynight. As Khin Win was explaining this to me she was almost making excuse for Paw Moo's superstition, explaining that it is part of her culture. Khin Win said that while she and I know its not true because we are followers of Jesus, Paw Moo and her husband believe that thebaby is going to die with all that they are. I told Paw Moo that I believe her and I will pray for her and her family everyday and that God is very big. She smiled and said "thank you".

So I am so thankful for Khin Win who is willing to translate these difficult conversations and for the sacred space that was this stairwell in a bed bug infested building. There is nothing I would have rather done on my day off. It's been a good day

So God, if you read blogs, (well, I know you hear our prayers) show Yourself to Paw Moo and her family (you know their real names) through this baby. Let this child be their gift from you whole and perfect as only You can do. Not to lay out the fleece or anything, but for Your Namesake, save this child.